Matthew Intro (Part Two) + Chapter 1 (Part One)

When was the Gospel of Matthew written?
Many Church Fathers who lived only a generation or two after the Gospel writers lived state Matthew was written in Hebrew or Aramaic during the time of Peter and Paul. We know that Paul died sometime in the mid-60’s A.D., then we know that Matthew had to be written prior to the Temple destruction. This means Matthew’s Gospel would have been written before 70 A.D., a key year on the Jewish calendar since this was when the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed.

Modern academics state the Gospel of Matthew was written after the Temple was destroyed, meaning it was written after 70 A.D. This better fits the timeframe modern Bible academic push in that Mark was the first Gospel written. Since Mathew and Luke include predications from Jesus that the Temple would be destroyed (and Mark’s account does not include this), modern Bible scholars say Matthew and Luke’s predictions were added in only after the Temple’s destruction to prove that Jesus’ prophecy came true.

If we look closely at the first three Gospel accounts, none of them make direct mention of the Temple’s destruction in 70 A.D. The focus of the Gospels is the life of Jesus, who died 40 years before the Temple was destroyed by the Romans.

The Dual Society: Pharisees and Saduccees
During at least the last 150 years leading up to Jesus’ brith. all during His lifetime, all during the lifetimes of Peter and Paul and of the original Disciples, and until the fall of the Temple to the Romans in 70 A.D., the Jewish people operated under a dual religious system. The one system was the Temple system, under the authority of the Sadducees. These were aristocrats who inherited or pushed their positions of authority. The other system was the Synagogue system under the authority of the educated rabbis and scribes. The common class were nearly universally members of the sect of the Pharisees. These two systems were not necessarily rivals, but each occupied a certain space in the overall Jewish scheme that was inseparable from every day social life. A natural tension existed between the two.


The Importance of the Temple
The Temple was where biblically mandated feasts and sacrifices occurred. It is also where the judicial system operated. The synagogue system was a result of the Babylonian exile, when the Temple and its system went defunct for a time. Organized religion was a critically important part of every person’s life in that era. This included both Jews and pagans. Since the Temple was destroyed in Jerusalem and the Israelites were exiled to Babylon, the Jews in Babylon decided to create a religious system which we now call the synagogue. Priests were only authorized to officiate in the Temple. So the new system was run by what the church would call lay people.

After their release from captivity, about 95% of all Jews chose not to return to the Holy Land. Rather, they decided to live in foreign nations. Even though Ezra and Nehemiah had led the rebuilding of the Temple and reinstated the priestly system, the bulk of the Jews remained far away from the Temple and its influence. The synagogue and its system emerged for the Jews in foreign lands. It became the center of their lives.

Only later, perhaps 70 to 80 years before the birth of Jesus did the synagogue take hold in the Holy Land. But when it did, it became popular and every bit as important to the Jewish people as the Temple system.


The Use of Parables
Parables play a crucial role in the Book of Matthew. When we come to Jesus’ teachings, we will talk extensively about their nature and their place in first century Jewish society. Before we get started, it is important to understand Jesus did not invent the literary style of parables. Parables were common and a mainstay within the Jewish culture for a long time before Jesus. There are still a regular feature used for teaching Torah principles.

Matthew shaped his Gospel for reading by first century Jews. We are going to spend time learning about the mindset of those Jews and their world in the Holy Land. We will study about how their religion was practiced at that time, their societal norms and nuances, and even what it was like for them to live under Roman rule. These are among the necessary ingredients which will help build the context for properly understanding and interpreting Matthew’s gospel.

Matthew Chapter 1
Genealogy
As we look at the beginning of chapter one, we find a very long list of genealogies full of difficult to pronounce names. These long lists carry more meaning and importance than a casual reading of them would imply. Genealogies in the Bible era were used for different purposes than what we use them for today. For us, genealogies are primarily a way to chart family trees. The information they supply has the purpose of telling us exactly who we are related to and perhaps where our ancestors were from.

Hebrew genealogies, on the other hand, were used for various purposes. For example, they were regularly used to prove inheritance rights which almost always involved land. Or they were meant as a bridge to connect a living person to a highly revered person who lived centuries earlier. This gave the contemporary person an elevated social status. Sometimes they were used to provide evidence of regal association and provide a basis for a person’s claim of the right to rule.

Matthew’s Gospel begins with a genealogy which has its own purpose and agenda. This was the norm for the era when presenting the credentials of a very important person.

The second word of the opening verse of Matthew is in almost all English Bible versions “genealogy”. Webster’s Dictionary says that genealogy is “a line of descent travel continuously from an ancestor”. Thus, when we read the word “genealogy” it means this list of names is but a simple table of distant family form that past which traces without interruption from a beginning ancestor to Jesus of Nazareth.

However, in Greek, the word is “genesis”. Yes, it is the same word used for the title of the first book of the Bible. As we put our first century mindset on, a theme which flows throughout the Gospel accounts and all of the New Testament is that the birth of Christ is to be viewed first and foremost as the beginning of a re-creation. It is a second genesis.

The Apostle Paul advance this theme is several of his books:
Therefore, if anyone is united with Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold. What has come is fresh and new. (2 Corinithians 5:17)

A better interpretation and translation of the opening few words of Matthew should be: “The Book of the New Genesis” wrought by Jesus Christs, son of David, Son of Abraham.”

The concept of Jesus inaugurating an actual second genesis, a full re-creation, is brought to us in the final book of the New Testament: the Book of Revelation.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had passed away, and the sea was no longer there. Also I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared ike a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne say, “See! God’s glory is with mankind, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and he himself will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will no longer be any death; and there will no longer be any mourning, crying or pain, because the old order has passed away.” Then the One sitting on the throne said, “Look! I am making everything new!” Also He said, “Write, ‘These words are true and trustworthy!’” (Revelation 21:1-5)

Matthew Introduction Part One

History of the Modern Bible

The New Testament contains four gospel accounts of the life, purpose and meaning of Jesus. The creation and ordering of the New Testament addition to the Bible occurred in the early 3rd Century A.D. (and until that time the Bible consisted only of the New Testament).

The four gospels and come of Paul’s letters and many other documents were circulated among the dozens of congregations of believing Jews and Gentiles in the First Century. However, the only document which was authorized was the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament.

Over the next several centuries, the gospels and other documents to be included in the New Testament vacillated, depending own the branch of the Church and which Bishop was in charge. The books and the order they are presented in the West is either the Protestant version o the Catholic version. Please note, the Catholic version contains Apocryphal books not included in the Protestant version. Furthermore, the books of James, Hebrews and Revelation have been removed, added back in, removed again and so on over the centuries depending on the Church branch. For the sake of simplicity, we can generally say that at the moment the order of the New Testament books is the same for nearly all Christian denominations and branches.

Almost all New Testaments open with the four Gospels, and in the order of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The first three Gospels are seen as having a different approach to telling the life of Jesus when compared to the fourth Gospel (the Book of John). The first three are lumped together and are called the Synoptic Gospels. The word synoptic is taken from the Greek, and it means “to see together”. The idea is that the first three Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) are similar to one another and more or less seek to tell a story in an easy to read style. Yet, despite their similarities, there are differences and a number of complexities when comparing them.

The Gospel of John is seen be Bible scholars as substantially different in approach and style so as to not be included in the Synoptics. This is in no way an attempt to diminish the importance or impact of the fourth Gospel. I question this scholarly attempt to make John’s Gospel as a sort of outlier as compared to the other three Gospels.

When one researchers various Bible academics’ explanations as to why it is proper for the Gospel of John to be seen as different enough from the others so as to be considered as a separate category, one begins to understand how subjective the arguments are. For instance, John’s Gospel is usually said to be “the spiritual Gospel”. I have no idea what that means. Are the first three absent of any spiritual element? Hardly. I think the grouping of the three into something substantially different is overblown and little more than an academic’s attempt to rethink (or revise) these Gospel accounts. This grouping of the three into something similar and common, and therefore different and apart from the fourth only occurred shortly before the beginning of the 19th Century and only in the West.

Each of the Gospels brings its own distinctive perspective to the life, purpose and meaning of Jesus. Since they are all telling the story of the same man, there is natural overlap and repetition. At the same time, since not everything Jesus did can possibly be included in these modest sized documents, each author picked and chose what he thought to be the most important events his readers ought to know about, and he presented events that helped put together a logical progression and history of Jesus’ life to best explain who He was, and the impact He made.


Why is Matthew the first Gospel?
Many Bible scholars are divided on this issue.The oldest New Testament manuscripts have Matther as the first Gospel. Although we have large fragments of the four Gospels going back to the second and third centuries, the oldest completed New Testament is from the fourth century and is given the name Codex Sinaiticus. Many wonder why Matthew was placed first of the four Gospels and also the whole New Testament. The most logical explanation is that it was the first Gospel written. Yet, the majority of modern scholars do not accept that Matthew is the oldest. Rather, they say it was Mark.

I will not bore you with the tiny details of just how modern Bible scholars have come to the conclusion that it was Mark who write his Gospel first, and Matthew drew from this. However, the method is that generally similar quotes from Mark and Matthew are held up side by side, and modern experts choose which one they think is the most authentic. Often this choice is made on the assumption that the shorter quotation is always the correct one, and the longer one is merely modifying the shorter. You may ask, “What evidence is for this?” The answer is none. It is all subjective analysis . The academic world tilts heavily toward Mark being the first Gospel, and Matthew and Luke drew from it, there is a substantial minority who inset that it was the Gospel of Matthew which came firts, and Mark and Luke drew from it.

One of the early Church fathers, a man names Papias, states the following: “Matthew, also among the Hebrews, published a written gospel in their own dialect, when Peter and Paul were still preaching in Tome and found the church there.”

These records state that the Gospel of Matthew was written while Peter and Paul were still alive (early in the 60’s A.D.), and that Matthew was a Hebrews, and that he published a Gospel in his own dialect (which could have been either Hebrew or Aramaic as they are close-cousin languages. Both were spoken fluently among Jews in the first century A.D.).

From this reference to Peter and Paul, we can easily deduce that Matthew was almost certainly the first Gospel account written, and thus Mark and Luke drew some of their information and quotes from him. If this is fact, it would seem to offer insight into the reason why the Christian Council decided the order of the Gospels to open the New Testament as they did. To their knowledge Mathew should be first because it was written first. Mark is second because it was written second. Luke is third because it was written third. And John is fourth because it was the last Gospel written.

Matthew was a Jew, and his Gospel is aimed primarily toward Jewish Believers. The Gospel of Matthew is filled with Jewish cultural expressions which can be masked when translated into Greek and then into other languages such as English. Many of these Jewish expressions can be misunderstood especially when taken out of their first century Jewish context.

We have seen this before in the Bible. During our study of the Book of Judges, we have Deborah’s Song in chapter 5. Many of the verses were extremely hard to understand because they were literal translations of Jewish expressions. If you have ever translated from one language to another, you will understand there are phrases and cultural ideas which do not translate across languages. For example, it we say it is raining cats and dogs, this cannot be directly translated into Spanish. If it was, the reader would be confused how the sky could open up and cause cats and dogs to come down. It is my goal in the study of the Gospel of Matthew to point out some of these cultural expressions and attempt to explain what they mean in our modern culture.

Matthew can be said to be the most Jewish in its form, approach and in addressing matters which were critically important to the Jewish community. As 21st century readers of the Bible, expanded explanations of certain subject matters we hope would have been there aren’t. Why is this.? Because Matthew’s intended Jewish audience did not need explanations. They would have understood what Matthew was talking about.

 

A similar thing can be seen in almost every activity we do in life. If we go to the grocery store and pay for our groceries with “plastic”, we do not need detailed instructions that “plastic” is a credit or debit card, we pay for our good by sliding the card into a card reader, our charges are sent to a bank or financial institution, etc. However, if you are from a foreign country in which credit and debit cards are rare, then a very detailed process would need to be explained in order for the reader to understand.

The Book of Esther: Amalek and Antisemitism

Have you ever wonder what might happen if you disobey a command God gives specifically to you? The answer may not be as dramatic as that of Amalek and the Israelites, but it might be. We have a limited view as to how our actions can affect the future. The Book of Esther gives us great insight into how one person's actions can greatly influence the lives of many in the generations to come.

In Genesis 36:12, we are introduced to Amalek. "And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau's son; and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek: these were the sons of Adah Esau's wife."

Jewish tradition holds that Timna was from royal Egyptian lineage. She wanted to be part of Jacob's family; however, she was not accepted. After being rejected, Timna did the next best thing she could think of, she attached herself to Jacob's brother's family, Esau. Remember that Esau and Jacob were twin brothers. Jacob bought the first born rites from Esau for a bowl of stew (Genesis 25:29-34). Jacob also received the favored blessing from his father Isaac after deceiving him (Genesis 27:1-29). Esau had a son named Eliphaz. Timna became Eliphaz's concubine and bore Amalek. Thus, Amalek was Esau's grandson.

Although Genesis 36:12 proclaims the birth of Amalek, the Amalekites are first mentioned all the way back in Genesis 14:7. ("And they returned, and came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, and conquered all the country of the Amalekites.") If one counts the Hebrew letters from the first letter of the word Amalekites and counts until the last letter in Amalek's name in Genesis 36:12, one counts 12,110 Hebrew letters. The Book of Esther also has exactly 12,110 Hebrew letters. God knew from the beginning that that Amalek's birth would be a thorn in Israel's side for many, many generations.


Leaving Egypt
When the Israelites left Egypt and had crossed over the Red Sea, the first person to attack them was Amalek. "Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said onto Joshua, 'Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek; tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand'" (Exodus 17:8-9). All the nations feared the Israelites when they heard how God delivered the Israelites through the Red Sea and destroyed Pharaoh and his army. However, Amalek's attack on Israel cooled some of the surrounding nations' fear. As one rabbi said, "Israel coming out of Egypt was like a boiling pot. No one wanted to get near them. When Amalek attacked Israel, he cooled down the pot. This gave courage to the surrounding nations that Israel could be defeated."

God's anger is stirred up over Amalek attacking His people. God gives several promises to Amalek that his end will be destruction. "The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation" (Exodus 17:16). "And he looked on Amalek, and took up this parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his end shall come to destruction" (Numbers 24:20). "Blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget it" (Deuteronomy 25:19).

Lastly, God gives Israel one last command regarding Amalek: once Israel is settled in the land, they should destroy Amalek.

"Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God. Therefore when the LORD your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget." (Deuteronomy 25:17-19)

Saul's commission to utterly destroy the Amalekites
Saul was Israel's first king. He was from the tribe of Benjamin and the son of Kish. "Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor. He had a son, whose name was Saul" (1 Samuel 9:1-2a).

Once Saul was established as king, he received instructions from the prophet Samuel to go to war with the Amalekites and completely destroy them. "Then Samuel said to Saul, 'The LORD sent me to anoint you as king over His people Israel; now therefore, listen to the words of the LORD. Thus says the LORD of hosts, "I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he set himself against him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both men and women, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey"'" (1 Samuel 15:1-3).

Saul goes to war with the Amalekites and defeats them. However, Saul fails to carry out God's complete command to destroy Amalek and everything associated with the Amalekites. "So Saul defeated the Amalekites, from Havilah as you go to Shur, which is east of Egypt. He captured Agag the king of the Amaleites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the failings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were not willing to destroy them utterly; but everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed" (1 Samuel 15:7-9).

Saul seems blind to his disobedience. He believes he has fulfilled God's command. Samuel, however, can see through Saul's lies and knows Saul has disobeyed God. "Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, 'Blessed are you of the LORD! I have carried out the command of the LORD.' But Samuel said, 'What then is the bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?'" (1 Samuel 15:13-14) There is an interesting play on words here in the Hebrew. To obey in Hebrew is shema which translates to hear, listen and/or obey. Samuel is saying if you heard and obeyed the word of the LORD why is it I hear sheep and oxen which God commanded to be destroyed?

Saul's disobedience to spare Agag and the best of the things from the Amalekites has many implications for the future. First, God takes away the kingdom from Saul. "Samuel said, 'Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king'" (1 Samuel 15:22-23). "And Samuel turned to go, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. So Samuel said to him, 'The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you'" (1 Samuel 15:27-28).

Second, Agag's descendants live on. If Agag and all his descendants would have been executed, the Amalekite's lineage would have been cut off. However, since Saul spares them, their descendants continue into the future. Nearly 400 years later, Agag's descendant, Haman, attempts to craft a plan to exterminate the Jews. ("The king took off his ring from his hand, and gave it to Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the Jews' enemy" Esther 3:10.) This is the basis for the Book of Esther. Interestingly, the heroes of the story, Esther and Mordecai are descendants from Saul. ("There was a certain Jew in the citadel of Susa, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite" Esther 2:5.) So, although Saul does not obey God, his descendants do.


The Book of Esther
Set nearly 400 years after the reign of king Saul, the Book of Esther takes place in the Persian kingdom in a city called Susa. In a nutshell, the king becomes very angry at his wife and dethrones her. He holds a beauty contest, and Esther is chosen. Esther never discloses her heritage as being a Jew. Mordecai, Esther's uncle, is an official in the king's gate. Mordecai refuses to bow down to the king's second in command, a man named Haman. Haman becomes enraged and learns Mordecai is a Jew. Haman devises a plan to kill all the Jews and deceitfully gets the king to sign the decree. Before the decree is carried out, Esther reveals her Jewish lineage and begs the king for his help. The king allows Esther and Mordecai to send out another decree stating the Jews may take up arms and defend themselves against anyone who attacks them. Esther and the Jews win the war. Haman and his sons are hung. God's command to execute the Amalekites is completed nearly 400 years after Saul was supposed to obey God. One man's disobedience almost causes the complete extinction of the Jewish people. It is amazing to see how one act of disobedience can completely change history.

Purim 2022

 One of my favorite holidays of the year is the festival of Purim. Unlike other Jewish holidays in which there are strict observances set forth in the Torah, the only command for Purim is that it is to be celebrated on the 14th day of the Jewish month Adar (which occurs in February or March on the Gregorian calendar.) This year Purim will be celebrated from sunset on March 16 through sunset on March 17. Purim is mostly a holiday filled with lots of fun events including dressing up as your favorite character from the book of Esther!

The Basics
The entire holiday of Purim is set aside to celebrate the Jews triumphal victory over the wicked Haman and his evil plot to exterminate the Jews as detailed in the Book of Esther. During the holiday, the Book of Esther is read in synagogue. (And I would suggest, if you wish to appreciate all the characters and things associated with Purim, it would be very beneficial to read the Book of Esther as well.) When the book is read, any time Queen Esther or Mordecai are mentioned, the audience breaks out into spontaneous cheers and shouts of joy. When the evil character Haman is mentioned, the crowd stomps its feet and shouts out booing.

The word Purim is derived from the Persian language which translated into English means lots. In the Book of Esther, Haman casts lots (i.e., throws dice or uses some sort of divination) to determine when he should carry out his evil plan of exterminating the Jews. The 13th of Adar (the 12th month on the Jewish calendar) was slated to be the date. On the 13th of Adar, the Jews and the Persians fought. On the 14th of Adar, the Jews in the Persian kingdom celebrated a glorious victory over their foes. (The Jews in the Persian capital city of Sushan fought for a second day on the 14th of Adar. On the 15th of Adar they held a giant celebration.) From this time forth, the 14th of Adar has been remembered and celebrated as a joyous day when the Jews defeated their enemies.


The Story in a Nutshell
The Persian Empire of the 4th Century BC extended across 127 lands from northern Africa and Asia Minor in the east across to India in the west. All the Jews living in this region were ruled by the Persians. When King Ahasuerus has his wife, Queen Vashti, dethroned for failing to follow his orders, he arranged for a search to find a new queen. (I like to call this the very first beauty pageant, Miss Queen of Persia.) A young Jewish woman, Esther, found favor in the king's eyes and became the new queen. Under the command of her cousin, Mordecai, Esther never divulges her Jewish nationality.

Subsequently, Haman, a Jew-hating man, was appointed as prime minister of the empire. Mordecai defies the king's orders and refuses to bow down to Haman. Haman becomes infuriated and convinces the king to issue a decree ordering the extermination of all the Jews on the 13th day of the month Adar, a date picked via casting lots (purim).

When the decree is made public, Mordecai rallies the Jews, convincing them to repent, fast and pray. Moreover, he entreats Esther to ask the king to rescind his decree. Esther bravely goes before the king's throne and asks him (and Haman) to join her for a feast. After her courage fails her the first day, Esther asks the King and Haman to join her on the following day for another feast. At the second feast, Esther reveals to the king her Jewish identity. Haman begs the queen's forgiveness, but the king orders Haman to be hung. When Esther reveals to the king that Mordecai is her cousin, the king appoints Mordecai to be prime minister. A new decree is issued, granting the Jews the right to defend themselves against their enemy.

On the 13th of Adar, the Jews kill many of their enemies. On the 14th of Adar, they rest and celebrate their triumphant victory. In the capital city of Sushan, the Jews take one more day to finish killing their enemies.


Other Facts
Esther's name is derived from the goddess Ishtar. Ishtar was the Babylonian and Persian goddess of war, love and fertility. She was called Ashteroth by the Phoenicians. Esther's Hebrew name is Hadassah. Hadassah is derived from the Hebrew word hadas which means myrtle tree. According to Jewish tradition, a myrtle trees represents righteousness in Scripture. The sages in the Midrash take this one step father and say just as a myrtle tree has a sweet smell and a bitter taste, so too Esther was good and listened (sweet) to the righteous Mordecai. She was adverse (bitter) to the wicked Haman.

The Book of Esther, known as "the Scroll" (Megillah) in Hebrew, is a book in the third section (Ketuvim "Writings") of the Jewish Bible. It is one of five scrolls (Megillot) in the Hebrew Bible. The Books of Esther and Song of Solomon are the only books which do not explicitly mention God in the text.

The book of Esther consists of an introduction in chapters 1 and 2; the main action occurs in chapters 3 to 9:19; and a conclusion is given in chapter 9:20-10:3. The plot is structured around banquets (mishteh), a word that occurs 20 times in the Book of Esther and only 24 times in the rest of the Hebrew Bible. This is apropos given that the Book of Esther describes the origin of a Jewish feast, the feast of Purim.

The Book of Esther became the last of the 24 books of the Tanakh (Old Testament) to be canonized by the Sages of the Great Assembly. It is usually dated to the fourth century BC. The Greek Book of Esther included in the Septuagint is a re-telling of the events of the Hebrew Book of Esther rather than a translation. The Greek book includes additional traditions which do not appear in the original Hebrew version. One such addition is the identification of Ahasuerus with Artaxerxes and includes details of various letters. The Coptic and Ethiopian versions of the Book of Esther are translations of the Greek version rather than the Hebrew version of the Book of Esther.

(Side note: The Tanakh also called the Mikra or the Hebrew Bible, is the canonical collection of Jewish texts, which is the textual source for the Christian Old Testament. These texts are composed mainly in Biblical Hebrew, with some passages in Biblical Aramaic. The traditional Hebrew text is known as the Masoretic Text. The Tanakh consists of 24 books.

Tanakh is an acronym of the first letter of each of the Masoretic Text's three subdivisons: Torah ("Teaching", also known as the Five Books of Moses), Nevi'im ("Prophets") and Ketuvim ("Writings"). Hence it is called TaNaKh. The name Mikra, meaning "that which is read", is another Hebrew word for the Tanakh. The books of the Tanakh were passed on by each generation, and according to rabbinic tradition, they were also accompanied by oral tradition called the Oral Torah.)

Purim Observances
1. Hear the Megillah
At synagogues across the world, the whole Megillah scroll (aka, the Book of Esther) is publicly read twice--once on Purim night and again on Purim day. This year, that is Wednesday night, March 20 and Thursday, March 21.

2. Give to the needy (Matanot LaEvyonim)
One of Purim's main themes is Jewish unity. Haman tried to kill all the Jews. Being unified in danger, the Jews also unify in celebrating. During Purim, there is a special emphasis on caring for the less fortunate. A main act of kindness is giving food or money to at least two needy people. On Purim, a donation is given to whomever asks. Many synagogues take up special offerings during this time to give to charity in their communities.

3. Send food gifts to friends (Mishloach Manot)
The holiday of Purim emphasizes the importance of friendship and community. One way of showing this spirit is by sending food gifts to friends. The tradition is to send at least two ready-to-eat food and/or beverage items to at least one acquaintance. Men send gifts to men; women send gifts to women. It is preferable that the gifts be delivered via a third party. As with all the observances, children also participate in sending gifts. Additionally, children are often employed as the messengers in delivering the gifts.

4. Masquerade!
On Purim, children (and some enthusiastic adults) dress in costumes, an allusion to God's hand in the Purim miracle, which was disguised by natural events. Girls often dress up as Queen Esther, and boy often dress up as Mordecai. Many synagogues have a masquerade party, along with prizes for the children during or after the Megillah reading.

5. Feast!!!
During Purim day (March 21), families gather together and often invite guests to celebrate a Purim meal. Traditionally, the meal begins before sundown and lasts well into the evening. The table is covered with a nice tablecloth; candles give the illumination. The meal features meat, wine, Jewish songs, words from the Torah and lots of laughter and joy. The feast is a great celebration of eating, singing and having fun.


Purim Food
1. Hamantaschen
The most famous Purim food is hamantaschen (Yiddish for Haman's pockets). These treats are thinly rolled dough cut into circles with their sides folded up around a dollop of filling. The cookie can be crumbly if made with oil or soft when made with butter or cream cheese. The hamantaschen can be filled with almost anything--fruit, cheese, chocolate, nutella or savory ingredients.

The cookie itself is highly symbolic. The most common interpretation is that they resemble the three cornered hat worn by Haman. In Hebrew, the cookies are called ozney Haman which means "Haman's ears". This refers to the custom of cutting off a criminals ears before his execution. A third idea suggests that each corner of a hamantaschen represents one of the fathers of Judaism--Abraham, Isaac and Jacob--whose power weakened Haman and gave strength to Esther to save the Jews. Lastly, one more thought is that because the German word taschen means "pouch" or "pocket", the cookies could signify Haman's pockets, and the money he offered to the king for permission to kill the Jews.

2. Challah
Challah is a traditional Jewish braided bread made with eggs, flour, water, yeast, sugar and salt. A special Purim Challah is usually oversized and extensively braided. The braids on the challah are intended to remind people of the rope used to hang Haman. The term challah originally refers to the commandment of separating a portion of the dough before braiding it. This portion of the bread is set aside as a tithe for the priests. In Hebrew, this commandment is called hafrashat challah or "separating challah". This obligation applies to any loaf of bread, not just to the Sabbath bread.

3. Bean dishes
Bean dishes include salted beans, and boiled chickpeas seasoned with salt and pepper. These dishes are to remind the people that Esther would not eat anything at the court of King Ahasuerus that was not kosher. So, she mainly ate peas and beans.

4. Kreplach
Kreplach are triangle pouches filled with chopped meat, mashed potatoes or other filling. They are usually boiled and served in chicken soup; although they may also be served fried and served alone as a side dish. They are similar to the Polish uszka, Russian pelmeni, Italian ravioli or tortellini and Chinese wontons. The dough is traditionally made of flour, water and eggs. It is kneaded and rolled out thin. Some modern-day cooks use frozen dough sheets or wonton wrappers. Ready-to-eat kreplach are also sold in the kosher frozen foods section of some grocery stores.