By Sarah Fine, MS, RDN, LDN, CSG
Purim is a Jewish holiday known for being fun and silly and making a lot of noise! It tells the story of Queen Esther and how she helped save the Jewish population from an untimely and unjust death. The story begins in Persia, when King Ahasuerus is throwing an extravagant party for all his friends. He asks his wife Queen Vashati to come show off her beauty to his friends, but she denies the King. A Queen is not able to deny her king, so the King needs to find a new wife. He decides to hold a grand beauty contest for all the women in town so he can choose his new bride. A humble woman named Esther enters the contest and is chosen as the new Queen. However, she does not disclose her Jewish identity to her new husband.
One of the kings most trusted advisors named Haman hated the Jewish people. He insisted that everyone bow down to him, but Jews only bow to God. He told Esther’s cousin Mordechai to bow down to him, but he refused. Therefore, Haman decided he must exterminate the Jewish population. He asked King Ahasuerus for permission to hang all the Jews and the King agreed. Mordechai begged his cousin, Queen Esther to share her identity and save the Jewish population. As his wife, Queen Esther was not able to approach the king unless she was summoned. Putting her life on the line she approached the king and let him know about his friend’s plan to murder her and her people. The king loved his wife, so instead, he ordered that Haman be hung in the gallows he was having built to kill the Jews.
Purim is a day to celebrate Queen Esther’s bravery and how she helped spare the Jews of Persia from execution. The day is celebrated by dressing up in silly costumes, attending a carnival and shaking noise makers and shouting “BOO!” when the story is told, and Haman’s name is mentioned. Jews bake and eat a triangular shaped cookie called a Hamentashen. The cookie is shaped like a triangle to reflect the triangular hat that Haman wore. The cookie can have any type of filling but some of the more popular fillings are apricot, raspberry, and chocolate chips. Cookies are often made in the home but can be seen in several ShopRite’s for purchase around this time of year. Check out this recipe for making your own Hamentashen.
The cookie represents the importance of standing up for who you are and is a great reminder of the story of Purim.
References:
- The Basic Purim Story. Chabad Website. https://www.chabad.org/holidays/purim/article_cdo/aid/645995/jewish/The-Basic-Purim-Story.htm. Accessed February 14, 2022.
- Hamentashen. Food Network Website. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/duff-goldman/hamentashen-recipe-2042308. Accessed February 14,2022.
