Purim

Stemming from the book of Esther is the festival of Purim, a celebration of mask-wearing and crossdressing frivolity. This joyous festival is commanded to never cease in the lives of G-D’s people. Despite the strange and horrific origins of this festival and millennia of antisemitism and evil perpetrated towards Jewish people, this command continued to be heeded even during the Holocaust. Why is this festival so central and important to the religious lives of G-D’s people? This paper proposes that the rhetorical and theological message of Esther empowers Purim to be a ‘practical theodicy’ that emboldens the faith of the people of G-D in times of suffering. Each part of the festival includes rituals that form and reform the faith of believers to trust in the hidden face of G-D despite his absence. By participating in Purim and Purim-esque actions in the midst of suffering, faithful believers reaffirm their place in the eschatological narrative of reversal, deliverance and vindication. Thus, the commanded festival and laughter will never cease because G-D’s vindication is so certain that his people can celebrate as if it has come.

On the connection between "‘‘Cities Surrounded by a Wall from the Time of Joshua Son of Nun" of reading the Esther scroll in Purim (Mishnah Megilah 1:1)  and The Tannaitic List of 'Walled Cities' in Mishnah Arachin 9:6: Histroy, Archaeology and possible Palestinian Rabbinic shaping of liturgical reading of Diaspora text in the Synagogue.

Very few Bible scholars believe now in the historicity of the book of Esther, but what is really incomprehensible is that their conclusion is based only on the following prejudice: this story looks like a fairy tale, consequently, it is a fairy tale! There is no chronological investigation despite the fact that chronology is the backbone of history and there has been no historical research among archaeological witnesses despite the fact that apart from ancient texts there is no witness. Worse still, to establish their chronology, historians have blind faith in the Babylonian king lists which are nevertheless false (reporting no usurpation and no co-regency). Additionally, in order to establish historical truth, they regularly quote the official propaganda of the time which is very often misleading. Yet it is easy to check in the tablets of Persepolis that Mordecai was an eminent royal scribe called Marduka who worked with Tatennai, the governor beyond the River, under the direction of Uštanu, the satrap of Babylon, during the years 17 to 32 of Darius. Similarly, the narrative of Herodotus regarding Amestris (a name meaning ‘vigorous woman’ in Old Persian), Xerxes' unique wife and only queen known in Persia, corresponds in many ways to Esther (‘star’ in Old Persian”) despite the unfavourable and biased description of the Persian queen.
https://www.lulu.com/shop/gerard-gertoux/queen-esther-wife-of-xerxes-chronological-historical-and-archaeological-evidence/paperback/product-15egvzwr.html

As for the overall historicity of the book —despite widespread dismissal from skeptics— there is likewise a remarkable body of evidence for it, including the historical identity of Queen Esther herself. For more on this, read a thorough investigation by Gerard Gertoux (The Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology https://armstronginstitute.org/674).

This article examines the reception history of parodies of the Talmud written for Purim. Since the twelfth century, as far as we know from the surviving witness, parodic literature has been one of the main literary expressions for the celebration of Purim. The most distinctive examples for this genre are parodies of the Talmud, most prominently Kalonymos ben Kalonymos’ Massekhet Purim and Gersonides’ Megillat Setarim, both written in the early decades of the fourteenth century. This article will demonstrate how the reception history of parodic literature for Purim portrays almost an opposite picture to the common perception of transmission and reception of pre-modern non-canonical texts in the Jewish world. Unlike other non-canonical texts, the medieval Purim parodies were copied and printed for over 400 years in the same way - without changes in their contents or their comical elements. Moreover, in the seventeenth and the eighteenth centuries, these parodies inspired new parodic pieces that copied the same comical characteristics, originally written hundreds of years earlier, almost without referring to the time and place in in which they were written.

This article examines the so-called "code of Esther" through the crucible of a critical and detailed analysis, a true counter-investigation in six separate acts. We will examine in succession the archeology of the biblical text, an ancient manner of punishing enemies, a little-known aspect of the anti-Jewish propaganda of the Nazi regime, and more.

This article focuses on Kalonymos ben Kalonymos’ humoristic Midrash on the Book of Esther, which appears in the Purim parody Massekhet Purim (PurimTractate), written in Rome between 1324 and 1328. In Kalonymos’ parodic Midrash, Haman is portrayed as a Rabbinic scholar who was banished from the Beth Midrash after having found out he was a descendant of Amalek. In this version, Haman was abused by all the characters in the Megillah, especially by Mordecai. At the end of the Midrash, Haman is persecuted by Ahasuerus based on false testimony. Based on the examination of this yet understudied source, the article suggests connecting the surprising revision of the figures in the Megillah by Kalonymos ben Kalonymos to non-textual traditions that refer to the story of the Book of Esther, primarily the customs of hitting Haman and erasing his name during the Middle Ages.

Racconta la Bibbia che Aman, primo ministro persiano, una volta appreso che il suo antagonista Mardocheo è ebreo, si adopera affinché, insieme a lui, siano sterminati tutti gli ebrei del regno. Le sorti però si rovesciano e Aman finisce sulla forca che lui stesso aveva fatto predisporre per Mardocheo. La vicenda, narrata nel Libro di Ester, è al centro della festa carnevalesca di Purim, in cui si ricorda la salvezza degli ebrei e la morte di Aman, il ministro che ne aveva progettato lo sterminio. Nella sua congettura, che si basa su un'originale quanto controversa interpretazione del Libro di Ester, Frazer ipotizza che Cristo sia stato ucciso nel corso di una sacra rappresentazione di Purim. Scartare l'ipotesi frazeriana come un esercizio di immaginazione sarebbe facile. Più interessante sarebbe seguire Frazer nella convinzione che all'interno della sua congettura su Cristo siano presenti, e possano quindi ricercarsi, «grani di verità». Questo volume introduce un sorprendente e fecondo nucleo problematico nello studio dell'intreccio-scontro tra cristianesimo ed ebraismo. Il testo di Frazer, qui presentato per la prima volta in italiano, è pressoché ignoto (perché non incluso nella versione ridotta del Ramo d'oro preparata dall'autore, tradotta in tutte le lingue). Alla Crocifissione di Cristo seguono alcune dense pagine di Edgard Wind, che studia, mettendola in relazione con la tesi di Frazer, la raffigurazione di Aman proposta da Michelangelo alla Cappella Sistina, dove Aman è rappresentato crocifisso. ---------

indice di "Purim e Passione. Note in margine ai testi di Frazer e di Wind" di Andrea Damascelli ---

131 Frazer e i «grani di verità»
134 I due articoli di Edgar Wind
136 Giovanni 3,14 e la relazione fra Legge e Grazia
139 Purim come parodia della Passione
146 Il Libro di Ester
154 Purim
156 Purim e Pesach
158 Pesach
161 Pesach e la tradizione evangelica
167 Il giogo di Geremia e l’afiqòmen
174 Hillel, Pesach e l’eucarestia
177 Melitone e la cena a Emmaus
180 Salmo 22 a Pesach
184 Uccisioni a Pesach
197 Una fonte per Michelangelo
198 Il Rotolo del Tempio e la maledizione del fico
202 Il serpente di rame e la maledizione della legge
204 Galati 3,13 e la negazione di Girolamo
207 Croce, maledizione e redenzione
213 Abramo, Fineas e la croce di Paolo
225 Metamorfosi di Aman
228 Cosa dice chi dice Aman
236 Un nucleo oscuro

243 Excursus 1. Il soggetto della «Derelitta» di Botticelli
246 Excursus 2. Le orecchie di Aman
248 Excursus 3. Papavero e memoria
250 Excursus 4. Modelli di violenza ---

http://www.quodlibet.it/schedap.php?id=1746#.VqPFSkuYXN0

ישנה מסורת של סיפור גנוסטי  המגולל את עלילתו של בן מלך שאבד, ובמעבר מן הממלכה למקום הירוד אליו נקלע הוא התרחק ממקומו ואיבד את עצמו. בגדי היום-יום המלוכלכים שלו הסתירו את זהותו הנאצלת, ואת בגדיו האמיתיים איבד. הסיפור מופיע בכמה גלגולים, שאת חלקם נבחן להלן בקצרה, כדי למצוא את הסוד והפוטנציאל של תחפושת ששכחה שהיא רק כיסוי של משהו אחר, אותנטי יותר, ואולי את כוחה של התחפושת עצמה – האמת החבויה בתוך ולמרות השקר הגלוי. 
התחנות בהן נבקר מגיעות מקצוות רחוקים לכאורה של החיפוש האנושי אחר קיום וביטוי אותנטי, או לפחות אופן קיום שלא יהיה עינוי מתמיד, אולי בעזרת תחפושת קטנה, יום-יומית, שתגלה משהו על עצמנו.  הדברים להלן יעסקו בתחפושות, לבושים, שכחה וזהות; זאת תוך שיוט בין מסורות עתיקות, חסידות מאוחרת וסצנת הרוק של שנות השבעים. פורים-שפיל.

Jesus’ sermon in Luke 15–16 is built around a series of five parables, each of which involves a significant reversal of fortunes and often a feast as well.  The book of Esther also involves many feasts and reversals of fortunes, and it turns out to have instructive points of contact with Jesus’ parables.

This book explores the theme of divine absence through the Song of Songs and Esther. It addressed three main questions: What is the nature of God as revealed in texts that don't use his name? How do we think of God when he is perceived to be absent? What should we do when God is silent or hidden? The experience of God's absence or silence is an important part of the human condition. By exploring the distinct themes and perspectives of Song of Songs and Esther, as well as how they've been received in Jewish and Christian history, I intend to demonstrate how both books serve as counter texts to the depiction of God and his work in the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures. Thus, both contribute to a fuller picture of who God is and what it means to know him.

לייוויק-פארלאג / 2020 / 88 זייַטלעך / מיט צייכענונגען פֿון טדי גאָלדענבערג.
"מתּנה לפּורים" איז דער קאַטאַלאָגישער נאָמען וואָס איז געגעבן געוואָרן צום מאַנוסקריפּט נומער 8563 וואָס געפֿינט זיך אין ייִדישן טעאָלאָגישן סעמינאַר אין ניו-יאָרק. דער כּתב-יד איז אַ לאַנג ליד וועגן מגילת אסתּר פֿיל מיט דראַמע און הומאָר. אַ לעצטער בײַשפּיל פֿון דער אַלטער, באַרימטער טראַדיציע פֿון מגילה-לידער.

Cohen Roni - Gift for Purim (an unfamiliar song for Purim from the 19th century)
Study / Bilingual - Yiddish-Hebrew / H. Leyvik Book Publishing / 2020 / 88 pages / Illustrations: Tedi Goldenberg.
"A Present for Purim" is the mysterious title given to Manuscript No. 8563 in the catalog of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New-York. The manuscript includes a long poem on the Book of Esther, full of drama and humor - a late example of the famous and ancient tradition of writing and reading dug scroll songs.

Jewish scribes don’t often encounter Roman Catholic nuns.

In a truly interfaith endeavour Sofer STa”M Mordechai Pinchas (Marc Michaels) chronicles the restoration of a several hundred year old manuscript of the book of Esther belonging to the nuns of the Tyburn Convent near Hyde Park. Also read more about the story and see two vidoes - including the BBC World Service radio article at http://www.sofer.co.uk/diary-45

Full book available in paperback and PDF through www.kulmus.co.uk

Dall'Aman crocifisso della Sistina alla "Derelitta" di Botticelli, un percorso tra arte e storia, con riflessi nell'attualità

Conferenza di Andrea Damascelli
Introduce e commenta Riccardo Di Segni

Martedì 22 marzo 2016 - ore 17.45

Villa Sciarra - Istituto italiano di studi germanici

via Calandrelli 25


Racconta il Libro di Ester che Aman, primo ministro persiano, dopo aver appreso che il suo nemico Mardocheo era ebreo, aveva macchinato affinché fossero sterminati tutti gli ebrei del regno. Le sorti però si erano rovesciate e Aman era finito sulla forca che aveva fatto predisporre per Mardocheo. Questa vicenda mitica fonda la festa carnevalesca di Purim, in cui gli ebrei ricordano la salvezza di mitici antenati e la morte di Aman, il ministro che ne aveva progettato lo sterminio.
Nella vela della Cappella Sistina Aman compare non già impiccato ma crocifisso a un albero. Perché crocifisso? E qual è il senso della sua presenza lì? Problemi che rimandano all’intreccio-scontro tra cristianesimo ed ebraismo e alle loro mitologie parallele e contrapposte.

https://www.facebook.com/events/254138654917571/

Many communities associate Psalm 22 with Purim. Sephardim and Oriental Jews use it in the evening service; they are joined by such Ashkenazim as follow the rite of the Vilna Ga’on in making it the special psalm for Purim. The Purim link is the main issue which is addressed in this paper, but first we must consider the psalm itself, which presents several difficulties in regard to the heading, the first verse of the text and the change of mood after verse 22.

This short reflective essay on Malbim's (1845) commentary on the Biblical Book of Esther explores Malbim's "proto-feminist" approach to the analysis of genocide and misogyny in Megillat Esther. Grounded in classical midrash and close reading of biblical texts, Malbim demonstrates the intersectionality of oppression and the need for more political sophistication in the way we read biblical texts.