Ariel Magazine Purim Edition Cover copy - Ariel Ministries

fruit from the frucht
letter of Purim. The first was written by Mordecai alone (vv.
20 22), but this was written by both Mordecai and Esther.
Verse 30 reveals who the recipients of the letter were:
And he sent letters unto all the Jews, to the
hundred twenty and seven provinces of the
kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth, . . .
They were sent them unto all the Jews; in other words, copies
of the letter were sent to all the hundred twenty and seven
provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, the Persian Empire. The
letter was introduced by words of peace and truth.
The second letter provided the confirmation of the feast
according to verse 31:
. . . to confirm these days of Purim in their appointed times,
according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had
enjoined them, and as they had ordained for themselves and
for their seed, in the matter of the fastings and their cry.
This confirmation was on the basis of two traditions. The
first tradition was on the basis that it had enjoined them; that
is, it was commanded to them by Mordecai the Jew and Esther
the queen. The second tradition was that they had ordained,
meaning that the subjects ordained or committed themselves
and their seed concerning the matter of the fastings and their cry,
based upon Esther 4:3 and 16.
Finally in verse 32, there is confirmation:
And the commandment of Esther confirmed these matters
of Purim; and it was written in the book.
Esther confirmed all that Mordecai said and wrote about
the observance of Purim. The observance of Purim was now
given royal authority by the hand of Esther; with Esther, it
took on the status of Persian law. Furthermore, it was written
in the book. It is not clear which book this refers to. It might
be the Book of Esther, which is the book where this feast is
found, or it might be a reference to a book of records of the
chronicles of the Kingdom of Persia mentioned in Esther 6:1.
B. Observations and Conclusions
From this passage, we can deduce a total of eight
observations and conclusions.
The second observation is that in Shushan, the first
observance took place on the fifteenth day of Adar.
The third observation is that this set the stage for a
differential in later Jewish observances. To this day, in
villages and unwalled towns, the Jews celebrate this feast on
the fourteenth day of the month, but inside walled cities,
they celebrate it on the fifteenth day of the month of Adar.
The fourth observation is that there are five elements in
observing the Feast of Purim. First, this was to be a time of
feasting in place of fasting, which would have been the case
had the Jews been slaughtered. Secondly, it was to be a day
of gladness, in place of being a day of sorrow, which would
have been the case if the Jews were slaughtered. Thirdly, it
was to be a good day in place of a day of mourning, which
would have been the case if Haman’s plot had succeeded.
Fourthly, it was to be a day of giving portions one to another in
place of their own possessions becoming a spoil. For, in
order to motivate people to kill Jews, Haman said that those
who killed the Jews would then have the right to take over
their possessions, thus the Jews would then have had their
possessions taken away. And, fifth, it was to be a day of
giving gifts to the poor, in contrast to having nothing to give
had Haman’s plot succeeded.
The fifth observation is that the name for the feast was based
on Haman’s actions: he cast the Pur, or he cast the lot, to
determine on which day he would try to destroy the Jews.
The sixth observation is that the Feast of Purim is observed
because of Haman’s failure.
The seventh observation is that the first observance of the
Feast of Purim was purely spontaneous as a sign of relief
because they had rest from their enemies.
And the eighth observation is that the practice of the yearly
observance was initiated by Mordecai. It was his letters that
encouraged the Jews to do so, and it was given the status of
law by Queen Esther. The Jewish people then made a
commitment to keep it yearly.
The first observation is that outside the capital city of
Shushan, the first observance took place on the fourteenth
day of the month of Adar.
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