The Triple Purim |
As if Corona hasn’t already made this year crazy enough, this
coming week in Jerusalem we will be celebrating Purim Mishulash, three days of
Purim! While most other cities in the world will only be observing Purim
on Thursday evening and Friday, in Jerusalem we will be spreading out the mitzvot
of Purim from Thursday evening to Sunday evening. How did we earn all of these extra days of the holiday? Usually, Jerusalem (a walled city since the days of Yehoshua Bin
Nun) as well as Shushan (the walled city where the Purim story took place) perform
the mitzvoth of the holiday on Shushan Purim, the fifteenth of Adar rather than
the fourteenth since it took the residents of Shushan an extra day to finish
the battle. This year, however Shushan
Purim comes out on Shabbat. The rabbi’s forbade the carrying of Megillat Ester
on Shabbat, therefore the Megillah is read on Thursday night and Friday morning
(regular Purim) along with the rest of the world. We do not postpone the
Megillah reading until after Shabbat since it says (Ester 9:27) “The Jews
confirmed and undertook upon themselves and their posterity and upon
all who might join them, to observe these two days, without fail, in the manner
prescribed and at the proper time each year”. The mitzvah of Matanot Lavyonim, gifts to the poor will also be
performed on the 14th of Adar (Friday) since the poor are used
to receiving their gifts on the same day as the Megillah is read and this way
they aren’t disappointed. On Shabbat itself (Shushan Purim) in Jerusalem, we will add Al
HaNisim (For the Miracles) into the Amidah and Musaf prayers as well as recite
it in Birkat HaMazon (Grace After Meals). The Torah reading on Shabbat includes
the Purim reading about Amalek. On Sunday, we will distribute Mishloach Manot in Jerusalem as well
as celebrate with a Seudah (joyful meal). Although we have a festive meal each
Shabbat, we do not want to mix two happy occasions (and miss out on more good
food) so we will have two separate Seudot, one on Shabbat and our Purim Seudah
on Sunday. While the rest of the world is trying to cram all of the
festivities into a short Friday, here in Jerusalem we will be celebrating at a
more relaxed pace and we will finally get a Sunday off from work. The only down
side is that those living in Jerusalem will only be able to break their fast on
Thursday evening after listening to the Megillah! |