The Five Megillot
The Tanakh includes five very special books called the five megillot, or scrolls. The first of the five is called the Song of Songs (שיר השירים - Shir HaShirim).
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Go to the Table of Contents for the Tanakh.
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Find “Song of Songs” in the Table of Contents.
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Write the answers to the following questions on a piece of paper (on your computer is fine too).
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In which section of the Tanakh is it located?
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What are the names of the next four books?
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Together, these five books are called the five megillot. The word “megillah” means scroll.
What do you know about the Hamesh Megillot, the 5 Megillot?
- Compilation, Dates Compiled, Content?
Each of the megillot is associated with a different holiday and is read on that day. The five holidays are:
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Pesach
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Shavuot
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Tisha B’Av
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Sukkot
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Purim
Today, we will answer the question, “How is each megillah connected to the holiday on which it is read?”
Esther - Saved by a Queen
- Megillat Esther tells the story of a very fun holiday. Read the verses from megillah. Which holiday is it?
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Add the name of the megillah and the holiday to your paper.
(1) It happened in the days of Ahasuerus—that Ahasuerus who reigned over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces from India to Ethiopia.
Lamentations - Mourning the Temple in Jerusalem, 586 BCE
The book of Lamentations describes the destruction of the temple and represents other tragic moments in Jewish history. The megillah is read on the anniversary of the destruction, which is commemorated with fasting and other customs of mourning.
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Read the verses from Lamentations below.
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On which of the holidays listed above do you think that Lamentations is read?
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Add the name of the megillah and the holiday to your paper.
(יא) כָּל֨וּ בַדְּמָע֤וֹת עֵינַי֙ חֳמַרְמְר֣וּ מֵעַ֔י נִשְׁפַּ֤ךְ לָאָ֙רֶץ֙ כְּבֵדִ֔י עַל־שֶׁ֖בֶר בַּת־עַמִּ֑י ...
(11) My eyes are spent with tears, My heart is in tumult, My being melts away Over the ruin of my poor people...
“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”
- Maya Angelou
Ruth - Accepting the Torah
Megillat Ruth tells the story of Naomi and her daughter-in-law, Ruth. Naomi and her family were living in Moab. One of Naomi’s sons married Ruth, a Moabite woman. After the death of Naomi’s husband and sons, Naomi decides to return to Israel. Ruth insists on going with her mother-in-law and adopts Naomi’s religion, becoming part of the Jewish people. Since the women have no means of support, Ruth gleans in Boaz’s field. Gleaning means picking up the fallen crops that the pickers must leave in the field for the poor. Boaz and Ruth get married and their great-grandson is King David.
The connection between Megillat Ruth and its holiday isn’t so clear. There are generally three reasons for reading the megillah on this holiday. The reasons are listed below. From the clues, can you match the megillah with the holiday?
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Ruth “accepts” or converts to Judaism and the holiday celebrates the acceptance of the Torah by the Jewish people.
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Both the holiday and the megillah take place during the beginning of the harvest season.
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According to legend, Ruth’s descendant, King David, died on this holiday.
Song of Songs - A Love Story
We have two megillot and two holidays left on our list.
Song of Songs (Shir HaShirim), traditionally attributed to King Solomon, is a love story between a man and a woman. According to Jewish tradition, the man and the woman represent God and Israel and the love between them.
There are several explanations for why Song of Songs (Shir HaShirim) is read on its holiday.
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Just like the love that is depicted in the megillah, the story of the exodus from Egypt is a love story between God and Israel.
- The megillah refers to the spring and the exodus from Egypt took place in the spring.
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Some people feel that this megillah is a commentary on the exodus from Egypt.
Kohelet - The Last One
We have arrived at the final megillah.
In Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), the author, also traditionally attributed to King Solomon, discusses the meaning of life and the best way to live one’s life. Although he has a pessimistic tone and says that much of what people do is meaningless, Kohelet believes that wisdom is an important part of life. He also encourages people to enjoy life, which is a gift from God.
Keeping in mind some of the types of connections that we have seen with the other megillot and holidays (season, theme) read the verses below from the megillah and try to think of a connection to the holiday on which it is read.
"What the series ["Six Feet Under"] is all about is: We die. So while we're here, let's live fully. There are lots of things that masquerade as having the key to life -- religion, culture. But ultimately we have to make decisions on our own. And we will make mistakes. And that's OK, because we're human. It's a struggle to find meaning, but that struggle IS the meaning."
- Alan Ball, creator of the HBO television show, Six Feet Under