Purim is fast approaching, due to arrive on Saturday night, February 27, and continuing throughout the day on Sunday, February 28th. As was mentioned in a previous post, the Scroll of Esther is read in the synagogue and the name of the instigator of all the trouble, Haman, is drowned out by loud noise whenever it is mentioned during the reading. But what else is done to mark Purim as a special day. Although it is not strictly a commandment to wear masks and costumes, this practice is almost universal, especially among children. It is not clear where this custom is derived from, but it is interesting to note that the character of G-d himself does not appear anywhere in the narrative of the story of Esther. It can be said that G-d has disguised himself within the story line and characters of the biblical book and is there, just hidden. Also, there is other “hiddenness” within the story of Esther. Esther herself does not reveal her national heritage as a Jewess to the King until the end, when she tells him so that her people can be saved from destruction. As a matter of fact, the name Esther itself means “hidden” in Hebrew.There is a tradition that says that when Haman lead Mordecai through the streets of Shushan on the horse, that Haman’s daughter spilled refuse on the man who she thought was Mordecai, but was really her father. A bad case of mistaken identity. It is also said that because no one knew that Mordecai knew all languages, he was able to overhear and understand the plot to kill the king, which he told to the King and which later proved to be a valuable asset when seeking favors from the King.
