WHAT IS PURIM?
In the third year of his reign the Persian King, King Ahasueros, made a grand feast for all the court nobles. After 180 days of banqueting an additional feast of seven days was made for the entire population of Shushan. On the seventh day of his party, the king, while drunk, ordered Queen Vashti to appear so that all could appreciate her beauty.
The Queen refused to come out because she did not want to be shown off in this way. The King became angry, and Queen Vashti was exiled.
A contest was held among all the maidens of the kingdom to find a wife for the King. One of the girls taken to the palace was Esther, the niece of Mordechai, the Jew. Esther, who concealed her Jewish origins found favour in the eyes of the King, and was chosen to succeed Vashti. One day Mordechai was passing the palace when he overheard of a plot against the King devised by two of his guards, Bigtan and Teresh. He revealed this to Esther, who in turn informed the King, where upon the two criminals were executed.
King Ahasueros promoted Haman to become his chief minister. In his new position of power, Haman ordered people to bow to him. As a Jew, Mordechai refused to do this. Angered by this Haman, resolved to exterminate Mordechai and the entire Jewish people. Haman drew lots to determine the date of destruction.
Haman then persuaded the King that the Jews should be eliminated. Ahasueros authorised Haman to deal with the Jews as he chose. Haman wrote to all the royal governors appointing the 13th Adar for the destruction of the Jews.
Mordechai told Queen Esther that she should use her position, to speak to the King on behalf of her people, and beg him to reverse the evil decree. Esther declared a three day fast for herself and all the Jews. She did this to brace herself before going uninvited to the King. She then went to the King and invited him and Haman to a private banquet. At the banquet, Esther refused to reveal her true wishes, but merely asked that the King Ahasueros and Haman should attend a second banquet on the following night. Haman returned home and at the advice of his wife and supporters, prepared a gallows 50 cubits high upon which to hang Mordechai.
During that night, King Ahasueros could not sleep, and ordered his servants to read to him from his book of chronicles. The story was retold how Mordechai, had saved the King by revealing the plot to take his life, and that nothing was done to reward Mordechai for this. At that moment Haman appeared to request that Mordechai be hanged on a set gallows he had built for that purpose. However, he was first asked by the King how to honour a man who had not been rewarded for a great service. Haman, thinking that the King was referring to him, proposed a procession in royal clothes, seated on the King’s horse and led into the town
calling out “This is what is done for the man the King wishes to honour”. The King then ordered Haman to do this for Mordechai.
At Queens Esther’s second banquet that night, she revealed to the King the details of Haman’s plan to annihilate the Jews and that she too was a Jewess. The King was furious and ordered Haman to be hanged on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordechai. He than appointed Mordechai to be Chief Minister in Haman's place.
The decree against the Jews was annulled and as a permanent reminder of this miraculous turn of events brought about through Ester and Mordechai, the festival of Purim was established