The performance of the mitzvah of reading the Megillah on Purim is characterized by a number of distinctive customs. The scroll from which the text is read, for example, is folded to look like a letter in order to recreate the experience of reading an actual proclamation. The somber tune of Eicha (Lamentations) is used to sing the verses that describe the exile of the Jews from Jerusalem and Mordecai’s state of mourning after learning of Haman’s decree, similarly emphasizing the performative aspect of the Megillah reading. Most unusual of all, however, is the practice of interrupting the reading by making noise to blot out the very sound of Haman’s name each of the fifty-one times it occurs in the Megillah. Thus, the seemingly straightforward practice in our synagogues today of miqra megillah involves not only reading the biblical Purim story, but reenacting it as well, much as the haggadah is both a retelling and a reliving of the redemption from Egypt.
Among these minhagim is the custom that four verses are first read aloud by the congregation and then repeated by the reader. The four verses are:
“Now there was a Jew in the city of Shushan whose name was Mordecai son of Jair son of Shimei son of Kish, a Benjaminite.” (Esther, 2:5).
“Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the King, wearing royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown and a mantle of fine linen and purple, while the city of Shushan shouted and rejoiced.” (Esther, 8:15).
“For the Jews there was light and gladness, joy and honor.” (Esther, 8:16)
“For Mordecai the Jew was next in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was powerful among the Jews and popular with his many kindred, for he sought the good of his people and interceded for the welfare of all his descendants.” (Esther, 10:3).
These four verses can be viewed as a compressed version of the central narrative of the story of Purim. The first introduces the hero, Mordecai. The second and third verses describe Mordecai’s personal victory over Haman and the parallel triumph of the Jewish people over their enemies. The fourth and final verse, which describes Mordecai’s importance in the royal court, reaffirms the possibility of a safe and meaningful Jewish existence in galut.
Typically, we think of Esther as the heroine of Purim, and by extension the savior of the Jewish people. Indeed, the book which details the story of Purim bears her name. Moreover, Rashbam (Samuel b. Meir, 12th c. France), commenting on the talmudic ruling (Megillah 4a) that “all are obligated to fulfill the mitzvah of reading the Megillah,” explains that women have an equal obligation in this instance because the miracle of Purim occurred “by the hand of a woman,” i.e. Esther (cited in Tosafot loc. cit.). The same view is reiterated centuries later by Joseph Caro (Beit Yosef, Orah Hayyim, 689).
“The miracle of Purim occured “by the hand of a woman.””
Despite the fact that Esther is widely acknowledged as the champion of Purim, the four verses that the congregation reads aloud relate only to Mordecai, and depict him as the hero of the story. According to Abudarham (David b. Yosef Abudarham, 14th c. Spain), that is in fact the very point: the congregation recites these verses as a way of honoring Mordecai. And why does Mordecai deserve such honor? “Because,” Abudarham insists, “the essence of the miracle occurred by his hand.” (Purim, “Ketav even”). Although the Megillah is named for Esther and at least one halakha has developed around the fact that Esther and her actions constitute the essence of the miracle of Purim, the custom nonetheless developed to honor Mordecai during keriat ha-Megillah.
Abudarham, citing Saadiah Gaon (10th c., Iraq), mentions an alternate custom prevalent in Spain according to which the congregation would say only two verses aloud, “For the Jews,” and “For Mordecai the Jew.” This minhag is interesting because it omits the two verses most directly concerned with Mordecai’s personal victory. “For the Jews” describes the good fortune that befell the Jewish people, and logically would be a verse that the entire congregation would read aloud. It is also the only one of the four verses that does not mention Mordecai by name. And “For Mordecai the Jew,” as the final verse of Megillat Esther, would be recited aloud in any case – Abudarham explains that the final verse of a megillah is generally said aloud in order to rouse the congregation before reciting the concluding berakha. Thus, unlike the common practice today, the minhag described by Saadiah Gaon does not highlight the role of Mordecai as hero, and, accordingly, conforms to our usual understanding of Esther as the main character of the Purim story.
Our current practice of reading the full four verses aloud lauds Mordecai as the hero of the story of Purim in another way as well. Besides these four verses, the only other time the congregation makes an audible sound during the reading of the Megillah is at the mention of Haman’s name. The custom of making noise at the sound of Haman’s name may in fact be viewed as a mirror reflection of the custom of reading the four verses about Mordecai out loud – just as Haman is audibly acknowledged by the congreagation as the villain of the story, so too is Mordecai publicly acclaimed as the story’s hero. Taken together, these minhagim actually present a fundamental reinterpretation of the story of Purim, one that narrows the story to a personal conflict between two male characters and, in so doing, eclipses the traditionally important role played by Esther.
Keriat ha-Megillah, as practiced today, involves active congregational participation to tell the story of Purim. Multiple versions of the story can be reenacted. For example, according to Rashbam and Joseph Caro, it is the deep running tradition that recognizes Esther as the heroine of Purim that explains the Talmud’s insistence that women are obligated to read the Megillah. And no doubt such a view has also left its mark in the very name by which we refer to the biblical text, i.e. The Scroll of Esther. The minhagim discussed above, however, offer a different version of the story, one that shifts attention away from Esther and focuses on Mordecai’s involvement in the story. The multiple readings of Megillat Esther discussed here point to the active and important role readers play in shaping the meaning of texts. Such a role poses both opportunities and challenges for the responsible reader, as the story of Purim is complex and multifaceted. The reader must be able to engage the text and explore the hidden and diverse dimensions of the story.