By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin
BOCA RATON, Florida — I described in my book Mysteries of Judaism that no Jewish holiday is observed today as mandated in the Bible. The rabbis changed every one of them. Many of them had to be changed because their basic observance was a sacrifice, and sacrifices were discontinued when the temple was destroyed in 70 CE. An example is Passover which fell on 14 Nisan. Its only observance was the consumption of the Pascal sacrifice. When sacrifices ceased, so too did Passover, but the holiday was so significant to Jewish history, since it recalled the freedom from Egyptian slavery, that Jews added the name to the holiday chag hamatzot, the Feast of Matzot, that began on 15 Nisan. But while Feast of Matzot, occurring on a different day than the biblical Passover is now popularly called Passover, the Jewish prayer book, the siddur, retains it biblical name Feast of Matzot.
Purim was also changed, but not because of the cessation of sacrifices, because the Purim events occurred in Persia where Jewish sacrifices were not offered.
According to chapter 9 of the biblical book Esther, it was Mordecai who established how Purim should be practiced. It was to be observed for two day on “the fourteenth and fifteenth of the month Adar every year.” Jews “should make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.”
The first change was to diminish the number of days of Purim. Instead of a two–day festival the holiday was reduced to a single day. This is 14 Adar, except for cities that were surrounded by walls during the time when the Purim story occurred. Thus, Jerusalem observes Purim on 15 Adar.
The second change, one that became the prominent Purim ceremony for many Jews is the requirement to read the book of Esther on the day of Purim. Later, Rabbi Joshua ben Levi, an uber-nationalist, who made a habit of doubling observances; instituted the nighttime Megillah reading on Purim. The book is therefore read twice. Rabbi Joshua did not double other readings.
The third change, observed by many but not all Jews, was to precede Purim with a fast day called the Fast of Esther. This fast was instituted to recall the three-day fast that Esther undertook before she went to the king to beg for the existence of her people. The fast is for only a single day not three as Esther’s fast, and it occurs just before Purim although Esther fasted many months earlier.
This new fast involved another change. Previously, Nicanor day was celebrated on the day before Purim, on 13 Adar. It recalled the victory of the Jews against the Syrian Greek general Nicanor in 165 BCE. When the Fast of Esther was first devised it was placed on the day after Purim so as not to conflict with Nicanor Day. Later, it replaced Nicanor Day on 13 Adar.
An additional practice was soon added: celebrating the day by drinking intoxicating drinks until you cannot distinguish between the hero Mordecai and the villain Haman. While this practice, similar to Mardi Gras, attracted many Jews, the rabbis tried to stop it; then failing, sought to minimize the drinking.
In short, every Jewish holiday was changed by the rabbis because of changed circumstances. Those who recognize that Judaism today is not Torah Judaism, but Rabbinical Judaism, are correct. But this fact should not diminish observances; that is, all but the excess drinking.
In another of my books, Ruth, Esther, and Judith” I discuss what the biblical book Esther really states, not what people want it to state. It is remarkable how a reading of the biblical text itself without any preconceived notions reveals many things that are totally different than what we imagine the book says.
For example, Esther is not heroic. She repeatedly shows fear. Mordecai, in contrast, was heroic. It is not surprising therefore that originally the holiday was called “Mordecai’s Day.” Furthermore, the book was designed to make fun of Ahasuerus, but most people do not see the humor and irony.
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Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin served for 31 years in the US military and attained the rank of brigadier general. He is an attorney and a rabbi, with master’s degrees in both psychology and Hebrew literature and a PhD in Judaic studies. As a lawyer, he developed the legal strategy that saved the military chaplaincy when its constitutionality was attacked in court, and he received the Legion of Merit for his service. Dr. Drazin is the author of more than 40 books.