We start this long told story at a party in Shushan, modern-day Iran. The king, Ahasuerus, was holding this party as a celebration of his reign. As the royal party went on, Ahasuerus called his queen, Vashti, to come and show herself to his guests but she refused. Vashti’s punishment was execution for violation of the king’s will. In need of a queen, Ahasuerus called for a beauty pageant to be held and all women were able to apply. With this we will introduce our hero, Mordechai, a proud Jewish man and his cousin, our main heroine, Esther. Encouraged by Mordechai, Esther joins the pageant and “wins favor of the judges where she becomes Queen.
Early in Esther’s reign, Mordechai is sitting around the king’s gate and overhears a plot to assassinate the king. After disclosing it to Esther and the king, Mordechai’s act was written in a diary and the perpetrators executed. Thus, leaving the deed unrewarded. Our villain, Haman (this is where you BOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!) was the King’s advisor and sits at Ahasuerus’s right hand. Being Ahasuerus’s advisor, all were required to bow to him and the only one who didn’t bow was none other than Mordechai who by virtue of being a Jew was not allowed to bow to false idols or kings. Haman (BOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!) felt insulted and sought to punish all of Mordechai’s people, the Jews.
Haman (BOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!) in all his hatred drafted a declaration for the king, saying that on the 13th day of the Jewish month of Adar, all Jews within the kingdom will be killed. Haman then brought the declaration to the king with 10,000 silver coins. The king, denying the silver, gives Haman (BOOOOOOOO!!!!!!) his ring to seal the declaration. And so, the date is set.
The declaration is sent out and all Jews within the kingdom become aware of it and a cry of mourning rises from all. Mordechai, in a sackcloth, goes to the king’s gate and cries. When Esther orders someone to ask him what happened, she is given a copy of the King’s declaration, and Mordechai asks her to do all she can to help her people. Esther had not been summoned to the king in the past 30 days and tells Mordechai that there is no way to request a meeting with him. Mordechai thus responds with the words “do you really think that being within the king’s inner circle will protect you from being killed like the rest of our people? If you stay silent and help comes from elsewhere, you and your family will perish.” Esther responds“Go then and tell all the Jews in Shushan to fast for three days on my account, my handmaidens and I will do the same. Then I will go to the King. And if I perish, I perish.”
After three days, Esther goes to the King and asks both King Ahasuerus and Haman (BOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!) to join her for a banquet she had prepared. She tells them that she asked for the banquet to request something. At this banquet both the King and Haman (BOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) get quite drunk and Esther tells them once the night is over that they must wait another day to hear what she wants to tell them.
As Haman (BOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!) exits out of the King’s gate, he sees Mordechai sitting there at the gates and where his rage is thus reignited. In the castle, King Ahasuerus has the royal diary read to him. In the diary he hears of how Mordechai had saved his life, and finds Mordechai’s deed went un-rewarded. Haman (BOOOOOO!!!!!!), who had come back to ask for some gallows to be built specifically for Mordechai, made it easier for the king to seek advice on how to reward someone who should be well regarded by the king. Haman (BOOOOOOO!!!!!!) thinking that this reward is for himself, suggests they are dressed and paraded in a royal style. The king, quite enjoying this idea, orders Mordechai to be brought into the gate the next day and paraded around the square exactly to Haman’s (BOOOOOO!!!!!) description by Haman (BOOOO!!!!!!!) himself.
Esther holds her second-night banquet. The king begs Esther to tell him her request saying he would give her even half of his kingdom if she so wanted. Esther explains to the King there is someone in his court who would want her dead because she is a Jew. We know that the only adversary it could be is Haman (BOOOOOOO!!!!!!!). Ahasuerus, enraged, orders Haman (BOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!) to be hung on the very same gallows that Haman (BOOOOOO!!!!!) had built for Mordechai, the man the king had just honored.
Haman (BOOO!!!!!!!!!) was no longer among the living, Esther was given the house of Haman (BOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!) and Mordechai was promoted to the position of the King’s advisor. Immediately, the King drafts another decree declaring that all Jews within Shushan can defend themselves against anyone who wishes them harm.
On the 13th of Adar the battle occurs between the Jews who fight to protect themselves and those that wish to harm them. The Jews are victorious! The next day, the King decrees that the 10 sons of Haman (BOOOOOO!!!!!!!) are to be hung on the very same gallows Haman (BOOOOOO!!!!!!!) built.
And so from this terrible set of events Purim was born as a celebration of the Jewish people’s survival. It’s been long enough since the events of those days that it’s now a time to party for all to celebrate the life they are able to live because of the actions that Esther took with the help of Mordechai. Happy Purim everyone, though we can’t party in person, I hope you can all party safely at home and have a great time.