while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
— 2 Corinthians 4.18
Paul tells us through the Christians at Corinth that what we see with the eye and what is really happening are two different things. “Things are not what they would seem” is a central theme in the Book of Esther. While the events of Esther do not receive particular emphasis in the Christian calendar, they do in the Jewish calendar as the holiday of Purim (פורים / Porim). As Christians, we can learn a lot about God’s plan of redemption by becoming familiar with the observance of Purim.
What is Purim?
Purim (pronounced “pore-eem” in Hebrew and “pur’m” in American English) is the Biblical holiday that was initiated by and commemorates the events recorded in the book of Esther. The holiday comes in the final month of the Hebrew calendar. In Jewish communities, the day of Purim can look a lot like Halloween – without the whole focus on death and satan – as people dress up in costumes and attend synagogue for an “all-in” reading of Megilat Esther (the Scroll of Esther) found in the Bible. We’ll look at the significance of wearing costumes and other observances in the Jewish community. We’ll also investigate the treasure of meaning the book of Esther and the holiday of Purim offers to Christians seeking to understand God’s plan of redemption.
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