Purim

A Joyful Day

"For the Jews it was a time of light and gladness, of joy and honor."

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What is Purim?

Purim is a festival that marks the Divine intervention in saving the Jewish people from Haman's sinister plan to annihilate them in the ancient Persian Empire. The celebration involves readings from the Megillah, sharing gifts of food, giving to charity, enjoying feasts, and partaking in joyful festivities.

What is Purim?

What Do We Do on Purim?

What Do We Do On Purim?

THREE SEPARATE PURIM MITZVOT CREATE UNITY AMONG AM YISRAEL

1. MATANOT LaEVYONIM (Each Adult Sends 2 Gifts To The Poor)

2. MaChatzit HaShekel (Each Member In Household Gives .33 oz of Silver To Be Given To Poor)

3. MISHLOACH MANOT (Each Adult Sends To Someone, Wife and Husband need to send one each, and each person that's halachic adult)

Gifts To The Poor?

There is a special Mitzvah to give two gifts to the poor on Purim. The Mitzvah is to give two cooked foods to at least two people, nowadays, most people fulfill this with money.

How Much?

This can Be Any amount, but should be at least the value of 2 Mishloach Manot. We Want Everyone To Have A Respectable PURIM Feast No Less Than Ours. it should be minimally the amount of a meal in today's time. Here is an Example

1 meal = 75 Shekel (approx $25)

2 meals = 150 Shekel (approx $50) - fulfills the mizvah for one person

4 meals = 300 Shekel (approx $100) - fulfills the mizvah for two people
10 meals = 750 shekel (approx. $250) fulfill the mitzvah for 5 members of your family

Who Must Give?

The obligation is on parents and children in the household, girls older than 12 and boys older than 13.

Give Matanot La'Evyonim

Gifts to the Poor?

Machazit Hashekel

Help the poor religious families we know in Eretz Yisrael. This Mizvah is to recall the half-shekel that was donated annually to the Temple treasury in the month of Adar.

We do this by giving the value of Half a Shekel in today's currency.

Each Machatzit HaShekel (lit. half HaShekel) is the equivalent of .33 of an ounce of Silver, which is approximately $12.00/Family Member.

Some have the custom of giving 3x per person (i.e. $36/Family Member) because the word TeRumah appears three times in the verse pertaining to Machatzit HaShekel (Exodus 30:11-16)

Who Must Give?

The obligation is on parents and children in the household, girls and boys of any age.

How Much?

1. IF EACH PERSON GIVES MACHATZIT HASHEKEL

1 = $12

5 = $60

2. IF EACH PERSON GIVES 3X MACHATZIT HASHEKEL (TeRUMA SEGULA)

1 = $36

Family of 5 = $180.

Give Machatzit Hashekel

Machatzit Hasehkel

Mishloach Manot

Each Adult Sends To Someone.

Both a wife and husband need to send one each,

children in the household, girls older than 12 and boys older than 13.

According to the halakha, every Jew over the age of Bar and Bat Mitzvah should send a food gift consisting of two different types of food to at least one recipient.

Mishloach Manot

Basic Laws of Purim

Basic Laws

Basic Laws of Purim

Check out this video of the laws of Purim

Reading the Megillah On Purim

One is required to read the Megillah both at night and during the day. The obligation at night can be fulfilled from dark until, the crack of dawn, and the obligation to read by day can be fulfilled from sunrise until sunset.