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Why Does Purim Have a Persian Name?
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Why Does Purim Have a Persian Name?The names of the Jewish festivals and other dates on the Jewish calendar are all in Hebrew, the Holy Tongue. There is, however, one exception: The festival of Purim.
Why Does Purim Have a Persian Name?
Disc 137, Program 547
Event Date: 14 Adar II 5746 - March 25, 1986
The names of the Jewish festivals and other dates on the Jewish calendar are all in Hebrew, the Holy Tongue. There is, however, one exception: The festival of Purim. Purim is named after the pur – the lot – not a Hebrew word, but one from the language of Ancient Persia, as the Scroll of Esther itself makes sure to point out. This emphasis on the mundaneness of the name Purim teaches an important lesson in the way a Jew should interact with his non-Jewish surroundings. |
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Join the Discussion
Eleanor Forman
NY NY 10001
March 23, 2016
Why and how Esther and Hadassah refer to the same person. Just as many Jews have a regular first name, and a Jewish one, so did she. Esther was named after Ishtar, a goddess, but her Jewish Hebrew name was Hadassah, myrtle tree.
zissel
Moscow
March 20, 2019
I thought Esther in Persian meant Star? Not g-des
Eleanor Forman
NY
March 20, 2019
'Esther' comes from the name of the (Persian and other places) goddess Ishtar, Queen of Heaven, one of whose symbols was the eight-pointed star.
Michele
Tarrytown NY
March 4, 2015
Question: Please explain WHY and HOW Esther and
Hadassah refer to the same person. Is this an accurate question-statement? Thanking you for your time..Michele RGG
Esther
Ny
March 2, 2015
Happy Purim! Wow that's so relevant!
Anonymous
March 1, 2015
so interesting! i never thought about that. fascinating
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Biblical personalities often have multiple names, those given at birth and others acquired later on. The Talmud (Megillah 13a) discusses whether her birth name was Esther and she was called Hadassah meaning a myrtle indicating her righteousness - seehere about this. There are also other explanations in the Talmud why she was likened to a myrtle. Others contend that her name was Hadassah and she was called Esther because she concealed her identity - see here about this. Another view is that the populace called her Esther because they likened her beauty to the moon - in their language related to the name Esther.