Dvar Torah for Purim

Why is the Holiday Called Purim?

The holiday of Purim is full of joy, and celebration - and don’t forget the candy and costumes. And the name for the holiday reminds us of the cause for all of this joy and celebration: Haman cast lots in ancient Persia, seeking an opportune day to destroy all of the Jews. The Aramaic term for lots is purim, pur is singular, purim plural, and hence we call the day Purim, after Haman's lots.

But let’s just stop and think for a second…does that make any sense?  Why would you name the day after the device that your enemy used to try to kill you? To illustrate the absurdity, imagine renaming Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israeli Independence day, “Tokarev Day” - after the Russian-made rifles used by the Arabs in the war. It would be so strange to call the day we celebrate the birth of Israel in 1948 after enemy weapons. Yet that seems to be happening with the holiday of Purim! 

Why Would Purim Be Named After Haman's Lots?

Now the truth is, the Megillah itself, in chapter 9, towards the very end, actually tries to explain to us why the holiday is called Purim. 

Here’s the explanation given in chapter 9 verses 24- 

“For Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted to destroy the Jews, and had cast lots with intent to crush and exterminate them. But when [Esther] came before the king, he commanded: “With the pronouncement of  this decree, let the evil plot, which he [Haman] devised against the Jews, be reversed on its head!” So they impaled him and his sons on the stake. For that reason, these days were named Purim, after pur. In view, then, of all the instructions in the said letter and of what they had experienced in that matter and what had befallen them…” 

At first glance, these verses simply state the literal explanation for the holiday name of Purim, in remembrance of the lots that Haman cast. But when you take a closer look, there are three ideas set forth here that are a bit out of order. Here’s a list of the three ideas shared in the verses explaining the origins of the holiday:

Idea #1 – Haman tried to kill us, and to find the day on which he would kill us he cast lots.

Idea #2 – Esther, thank God, managed to save us.

Idea #3 – And that's why they call the holiday Lots.

At first glance, all seems in order. But when you look at the list a second time, something is actually kind of strange. The information in Idea #2  and Idea #3 feels out of order. Wouldn’t it be much more logical to say  "Haman tried to kill us, and he cast lots in order to destroy us – parenthetically – and that's why they call the holiday Lots." And then finally, "And thank God, Esther managed to save us?!”  

The verses share  Idea #2 - that Esther saved us - right before Idea #3 - that’s why it’s called Purim, or lots. It leads us to the strange conclusion that the reason the holiday is called Purim, or lots, isn’t because of Haman’s lots….but because Esther managed to save us.   It’s a pretty bizarre conclusion, I grant you, but just by reading the verses carefully, that’s exactly what seems to be hinted at, because Esther saved us, we have a holiday called Purim.  What a confounding conclusion! It seems to be what the ideas presented in the verses are suggesting! But what about the definition of the word Purim? How does the word Purim, Lots, connect to the idea suggested in theses verses that the holiday is named to recall Esther’s action to save the Jews? Is there a different explanation for the name Purim that these verses are suggesting? 

What Is the True Meaning of Purim?

Rabbi Fohrman suggests in this series of videos that there is an explanation for the holiday of Purim, Lots, that is being suggested in these verses. He emphasizes that, just as the verses suggest, the primary reason for the name Purim, is not because of Haman’s lots. Instead, Rabbi Fohrman uncovered a different definition of the word Purim, that doesn’t refer to Haman’s lots. Instead, the word Purim is meant for us to recall Esther’s heroism at the most climactic moment in the story. The name for this special holiday of Purim itself isn’t highlighting a random act of a non-believing villain. Rather, it honors the actions of a woman whose deep faith guides her actions.