From Zoom megillahs to sirens during reading, all you need to know about Purim at war |
As most Israelis mark the Jewish holiday of Purim on Monday night and Tuesday under the shadow of war with the Iranian regime, they are required to abide by the restrictions issued by the Home Front Command to protect public safety and human life.
No public guidelines have been issued specifically for Purim as of the time of publication, but general restrictions include a ban on public gatherings, including public recitations of the Book of Esther, a spokesperson for the IDF told The Times of Israel.
Hearing the Book of Esther is among the mitzvot (Jewish commandments) of the holiday and a beloved tradition for many, with children and often adults attending the festive reading in costume. Jewish law states that one must hear the book, known colloquially as the megillah, read in person from a kosher parchment scroll.
“According to the defensive guidelines of the Home Front Command, all gatherings are prohibited, regardless of their purpose or location,” an army spokesperson said in writing, responding to a query by The Times of Israel. “The policy is intended to safeguard civilians’ lives on the grounds of pikuah nefesh [the obligation to preserve human life]. The megillah may be read in a household setting rather than in synagogues.”
Asked by telephone whether it was permissible to organize megillah readings in public bomb shelters, the spokesperson reiterated that it was not permitted.
In light of the current emergency situation, several leading rabbis, including the country’s chief Sephardic and Ashkenazic rabbis, and the moderate Orthodox Tzohar Rabbinical Organization, issued guidelines for celebrating the holiday this week.
Tzohar and at least some other Orthodox rabbis have endorsed live virtual readings via Zoom or other audiovisual conferencing technology as sufficient to fulfill the religious commandment, as during the coronavirus pandemic.
In their letters, the chief rabbis both stated the imperative to adhere to the Home Front Command guidelines. At the same time, they also suggest, where possible, to hold megillah readings with a minyan (a quorum of 10 Jewish men) in or near protected spaces, which presents an apparent contradiction to the Home Front Command guidelines. Asked to clarify, a spokesperson for the Chief Rabbinate said that the documents issued by the rabbis stress that the Home Front Command guidelines must be observed.
What is Purim, and what are its commandments?
Purim celebrates how the Jews of ancient Persia managed to overcome a powerful enemy, Haman, the highest official of King Ahasuerus, and a plot for all the Jews to be massacred on the 13th of the Hebrew month of Adar. Most historians identify Ahasuerus as Xerxes I, who reigned over the Persian empire between 485 and 465 BCE.
Thanks to the courage and wit of the Jewish Queen Esther and her uncle Mordechai, the king is persuaded to let the Jews........