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Purim Family Page
10 Useful (or Useless) Purim Facts to share ה ָח ְמׂ ִש ְבּ םי ִבּ ְר ַמ ר ָדּ ַא ס ַנ ְכ ִנּׁ ֶשּ ִמ
with your family and amaze your friends When Adar Arrives We Increase Our Joy
1. Megillat Esther contains words that do not The Sages said, “When Av arrives we reduce [our]
appear anywhere else in Tanach: joy, and when Adar arrives we increase [our] joy”
• Tevet: the 10th Hebrew month (Ta’anit 29a). In saying this, the Sages teach us that
• Kasher: fit (kosher) nothing happens by chance and that every season has its
• Patshegen: a copy of the text own character and nature. If both Temples were destroyed
• Achashdarpenim (see how fast you can say on the ninth of Av, it is a sign that the beginning of Av is
that): Persian word for the King’s officers naturally a time of trouble. And if the miracle of Purim
• Karpas: a Persian word for cotton. (Could also occurred in the middle of Adar, it is a sign that this month
be used for parking… ) can transform bad into good.
2. All the letters of the Hebrew alphabet are found We feel ordinary joy over the good that exists in the
in Chapter 3, verse 13. See if you can find them world, but our joy is not complete, because there is still
all. evil and pain in the world. However, when even the bad
turns into good, our joy increases and becomes complete.
3. The word הֶתְּׁשִמ (banquet) occurs 20 times in This is what happened on Purim: God turned the bad into
Megillat Esther (which is equal to the total of All good and saved His people, Israel.
the times it appears in the rest of Tanach). So
what? This teaches us that everything that happens in the world
– even the bad – will eventually become good.
4. The longest verse in Tanach appears where?
Wow! You're smart! Yes, Megillat Esther! See The greater our faith and our commitment to Torah, the
if you can find it in Chapter 8. (The English closer we bring the ultimate redemption, when all evil
translation is even longer!) will turn into good, and when joy will abound in the
world. Since the month of Adar has the unique character
5. The Talmud tells us that on Purim one should of transforming bad into good, “when Adar arrives we
drink until he can’t tell the difference between increase [our] joy.”
“Blessed be Mordechai” (י ַכ ְדּ ְרֹמ ךְוּר ָבּ) and “Cursed (From Peninei Halacha, Zemanim, by Rabbi Eliezer Melamed)
be Haman” (ן ָמּ ַה רוּר ָא). Now, see if you can
calculate the gematria (numerical value) of those
two expressions. If there is no difference between
the two numbers, it must mean you shouldn't Some Bad Purim Jokes
drink at all (well, not wine anyway). What else
could it hint at? Yossi: “Look at that bunch of cows!”
Ruti: “Not bunch, herd!”
6. Did you know that there are towns called Yossi: “Herd what?”
Esther in Missouri and Louisiana? Ruti: “Of cows.”
7. Did you know that there is a Queen Esther Yossi: “Heard of cows? Of course I’ve heard of cows!!”
Street in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Beit Shemesh in Abba: “Shmuli, please can you have a look at the left turn
Israel? Maybe in other places too but you'll have signal on the car and tell me if it is working or not?”
to come here and find them for yourself. Shmuli: “Of course I can, Abba. Yes ... no ... yes ... no ...
8. The Hadassah organization was founded on yes ...”
Purim in 1912. Hadassah is Esther’s Hebrew Mother: “Waiter, waiter! I’m in a hurry, will my matzah be
name. long?”
9. There are only 9 facts here, not 10. Waiter: “No madam, it will be square!!”
(Apologies, this is a Pesach joke and should have been
cleaned out of here)
