I. Preceding Purim: The Fast of Esther, Adar 13 (this year, March 13)
Reasons for the Fast
There are those who opine that the Fast of Esther is in memory of the fast Esther declared before she went to the king, taking her life into her hands.They explain that although that occurred in the month of Nisan, since we do not fast in the festive month of the Exodus from Egypt, the fast was moved back to the 13th of Adar.
Others say that it is in memory of the fighters who fasted and fought against the enemies of the Jews on the 13th of Adar in Esther’s time.
And there are those who say that the fast is kept to remind us of the principle that fasting has a place in the repentance that accompanies every difficulty that faces the Jewish People.
The Megillah says: “And they kept the days of fasting and crying to Hashem”- in other words, they accepted the holiday and also accepted the fast, in memory of the salvation (The Ran in the name of the Raavad).
A fast has an element of repentance, as it did in Esther’s day.
-Pregnant and nursing women do not fast on this day. Women within 24 months of giving birth, even if they are not nursing, do not have to fast. (Maharsham)
-A sick person whose life is not in danger does not have to fast.
II: The Half Shekel: A mitzva for the period of Purim (in the days of the Holy Temple, it was called for from the 1st Day of Adar and today is kept in memory of that yearly donation. Look for the box in shul.)
Some give three coins of half a shekel in their country’s monetary system (the Rama explains that the words ‘a donation to G-d’ appear 3 times in the Torah), some give one half shekel coin (the Gr”a) and others give its equivalent which today is 32 NIS. Sephardic congregaions do that, and many Ashkenazim have begun doing so as well)
Men must give the half shekel from the age of 20 on, according to the Rama, but the Rambam says from the age of 13.
The letter of the law does not obligate women and children to give the half shekel, but the Torah Temima wrote that the half shekel is a contra to Haman’s shekels offered to Achashveros, so that the widely held custom is to give a half shekel for each family member, even an as yet unborn fetus.
The money is given to synagogues and Torah scholars, because it was originally used for upkeep of the Holy Temple and to pay for daily offerings. Upkeep of shuls and batei medrash today is comparable to that of the Temple, and Torah scholars symbolize the offerings since the Gemara compares a gift to a Torah scholar to the wine offering on the Temple's altar.
III. The mitzvahs one is obligated to fulfill on Purim:
1. Megillah Reading
The rabbis teach that Esther drew upon the words of Psalm 22, 2: "My God, my God,. Why have you forsaken me..." as she bravely went before King Achashverosh in an effort to save the JewsIn.
The verse in Psalm 22, 2 continues: ‘I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest,’ from which it is deduced that we read the Megillah at night and during the day. In chapter 9 of the Megillah, however, it says that “these days are commemorated and celebrated, “ which is why the main mitzvah set down by Mordefchai and Esther is to read the Megillah during the day. Reading the Megillah at night is a Rabbinic law.
We stop learning Torah to read the Megillah with a large crowd and even the Cohanim and Leviim (Priests and Levites in the Temple) would stop their work to hear the Megillah reading.
Women must hear the Megillah because they too were saved by the miracle. If the Megillah is read just for women, some rabbis say to end the blessing with the words ”to hear the Megillah” while others say “to hear the reading of the Megillah” but most halakhic decisors say that the correct end for the blessing remains “to read the Megillah (al mikra megillah).”
Listening to the Megillah reading on the radio or other electronic devices is not considered fulfillment of the mitzva. Hearing it through a microphone is also not acceptable, except for the person standing right next to the reader who hears his original voice. (Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zts"l explained that it is not the reader’s original voice when it is heard electronically.)
Women can read for other women, according to Rashi, but the Bahag disagrees. The Shulkan Aruch says that men can fulfill the mitzva by hearing a woman read. But our great rabbis added that this is only in a case where there is no other choice. The law is that women can perform the mitzva for other women, but should not read for the general public. (Other opinions: Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu zts”l said that if a woman reads the Megillah for other women, a man should read it for them again. The Magen Avraham says that a woman cannot fulfill the mitzva by reading for herself if she is alone.)
When it comes to the blessing after Megillah reading, there is disagreement on whether women can say it, another reason to try to avoid having women read the Megillah. In addition, if women read for themselves, there will be an empty women’s section in the shul, while the Megillah is supposed to be read before a large audience, because of the halakhic concept: "in multitudes there is glorification of the king."
The Ben Ish Chai wrote: “Women, even if they know how to read [the Megillah] should hear it read by men, and that is the custom in the Holy City – may it be rebuilt in our days – where a woman never reads the Megillah.”
One should not eat before Megillah reading, as one acts before morning prayers.
Work: In our times, the custom is that people do not work on Purim, thus it is said that he who does work on Purim will not see a blessing in his work. On Purim eve, work is allowed.
Work that is permitted on Chol Hamoed, is permitted on Purim.
2. Mishloach Manot (sending two kinds of food to at least one person)
-One should send food that is ready to eat or drink, but it is preferable to send two portions of two different kinds of food.
-The amount should be what is normally eaten at a meal.
-Due to the possibility of inadvertent kiddushin, men should send to men only and women to women only.
-Young boys and girls from the date of their bar and bat mitzva must send Mishloach Manot and it is recommended that parents “give” them the products formally, so that the food will be theirs before they give them to others.
-The Aruch Hashulkhan says that sending Mishloach Manot to a young child is fulfilling the mitzva, but others disagree, so it is best to ensure that at least one Mishloach Manot goes to an adult.
-The Ktav Sofer wrote that if a person receives Mishloach Manot and does not know who they are from, the sender has not fulfilled the mitzva. That is why at least one Mishloach Manot should be identifiable.
-If the Mishloach includes meat and is sent to a Sephardic person, it should be glatt so he will eat it.
-It is best not to send wine from the Shmitta year because the Tosefta says that one cannot pay a loan using Shmitta fruits. This is especially applicable if one is sending Mishloach Manot back to someone who sent you one, because that could be seen as payment of a debt.
3. Matanot Le’evyonim – (giving to the poor)
-The obligation is to give two gifs to two different poor people.
-A gift can be food or money, but not utensils. The Ritv”a writes that there is no lower limit and even a pruta (8 agorot in Israel) suffices, but the Rambam wrote that gifts to the poor are more important than sending Mishloach Manot and therefore one should give the equivalent of a meal to each of the two.
-One should give to anyone who puts out his hand for a donation, but a priori one should give to a poverty stricken person who does not have enough to get through the month.
-Cancelling an outstanding loan is not considered fulfilling the mitzva of gifts to the poor
-One must not use the half shekel coins descrubed abive for gifts to the poor.
-There is a dispute over whether the poor person must know who donated the money, so if he will not be embarrassed, it is better that he knows who gave it to him.
4. The Seudah (festive meal)
The meal should include meat, wine and bread.
Drinking:
“A person must drink alcoholic beverages on Purim” – the Rambam says until he falls asleep inebriated. The Rif and the Rosh interpret it literally, that is, “until he cannot tell the difference between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordechai” as the end of the quote says. Rabbeinu Ephraim says that it is not obligatory to drink on Purim (in his opinion, the Gemara changed its viewpoint on the matter).
On a practical note, the Rama wrote that one should drink a bit more than usual and sleep, and this is fulfillment of the obligation, because drunkenness leads to sin.
The Be’er Gola wrote that he should drink until he cannot compute the numerical value of the words “cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordechai” (in Hebrew, of course).
The most important thing is to drink in a way that does not cause sinning. If someone feels that he will fear G-d more by drinking, as is the custom in yeshivas, then he can do so with the necessary care.
One should learn Torah at the festive meal (at least some of the laws of Pesach as it is 30 days before the holiday) because it says in the Megillah “the Jews had light” and the Gemara says that light is Torah.
And now for this year in Jerusalem:
Purim Meshulash – the 3-day Purim for those living in Jerusalem
When the 14th of Adar falls on a Friday, Purim is celebrated as usual by Jews the world over, except for those living in cities with walls from the days of Joshua (Jerusalem)* who normally celebrate Purim on the 15th of Adar, called "Shushan Purim". (*Note: there are a few places where the existence of this wall is questionable that keep both days)
This year, Jerusalemites cannot celebrate Purim the usual way since the 15th falls on Shabbat.
So- In Jerusalem this year:
They read the Megillah and give gifts to the poor on the 14th like the rest of the Jewish world, but differ on when they perform the rest of the holiday’s commandments and customs.
They say the Al Hanissim prayer on Shabbat and not on Friday (it is said in Grace after meals and in the Silent Prayer on Friday everywhere else).
They read the Torah reading for Purim on Shabbat (which everyone else read on Friday).
They eat the festive meal (seuda) and send Mishloach Manot on Sunday while everyone else did so on Friday.
That means they have a 3-day Purim!
But the rest of the Jewish world has to fulfill all the mitzvas of Purim on Friday and usher in the Shabbat at sundown. Here is how it is done:
Laws for Purim that falls on Friday:
The Purim Seuda
As noted above, for everyone except Jerusalemites, Purim this year is on one day, Friday, and all the commandments are kept only on that one day.
That means that the festive Purim meal, Seudat Purim, is served close to Shabbat, which entails careful planning:
It is a good idea to prepare for Shabbat on Thursday so that Friday can be free for the Purim holiday. However, one should do some small thing for Shabbat on Friday morning (such as cooking a simple dish). The same goes for Friday afternoon when one can add spices to one of the foods as a Shabbat preparation (by yourself, not by asking someone else to do it) .
In addition, one must shower for Shabbat in warm water and if there is time to do so after the Seuda, that is preferable. If not, one should bathe in the morning, but be sure to greet the Shabbat clean and in fresh clothes.
Mishloach Manot and Matanot Leevyonim on Friday
One can choose foods that will probably be eaten on Shabbat instead of Friday, but they must be cooked when sent.
Gifts to the poor must be distributed before sundown on Friday.
It is best to have the Seudah on Friday morning, starting before midday. Have one of the family members take charge of cleaning up an hour before Shabbat, so that when Shabbat arrives, the house is not a mess due to wine, leftover mishloach manot etc.
The gabbaim of the shul must also see to the shul’s being clean before Shabbat.
Someone who is drunk must not go to synagogue on Friday night as he will disturb the praying. He should wait until he can pray soberly as he stands before the King in prayer, even if that means missing minyan Someone who is only slightly tipsy can go to shul and daven slowly and carefully with a minyan.
What if the Seuda lasts until Shabbat?
Possibility 1: Stop the meal, say Grace after Meals (Birkat Hamazon) before sunset, daven in shul and eat the Shabbat seuda after kiddush
Possibility 2: Go to shul in the middle of the meal, leaving someone sitting at the table until you return and continues the meal.
Possibility 3: Continue the meal without pausing and daven after it ends (this is the least recommended option).
If choosing the second or third option, cover the food and bread, recite Kiddush without the blessing on wine unless you have not drunk wine, cut the challah (making sure there are two) without blessing it (because you did that at the start of the Purim meal) and continue eating.
If choosing the second or third option, recite the addition for Shabbat (Retsei) in the Grace After Meals without al Hanisim (Sephardim do not say Retsei unless they actually ate food on Shabbat Eve)
If someone falls asleep on Purim itself and wakes up late Friday night, he should pray the Shabbat evening service, recite kiddush and eat with two challot (lechem mishne). He can pray and say the Shema prayer until dawn.
The Gabbaim must ensure respect for the shul, a place where G-d is present, and prevent boisterous behavior and noisemaking by those who just came from their homes.
Someone who did not hear the Megillah on Purim through no fault of his own, can read it up to dusk on Friday without a blessing.
Someone who fell asleep before the Kabbalat Shabbat service and woke up the next morning, missing Friday night prayers and the Friday night meal, should daven the morning prayer twice and say the second part of Friday night Kiddush at his morning meal (not vayechulu). If he sleeps later than that, he can say it till it gets dark on Shabbat. He should add another meal on Shabbat to be sure he eats three meals.
Happy Purim!
Addendum: Costumes on Purim: Dressing in costume symbolizes the hidden nature of the Purim miracle, that G-d's name does not appear in the Megillah. However, another explanation, suited especially to our times, is that Amalek comes in different guises in different times...
Translated from Hebrew by Rochel Sylvetsky