(ח) אָמַר רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל, לֹא הָיוּ יָמִים טוֹבִים לְיִשְׂרָאֵל כַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר בְּאָב וּכְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים, שֶׁבָּהֶן בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַיִם יוֹצְאוֹת בִּכְלֵי לָבָן שְׁאוּלִין, שֶׁלֹּא לְבַיֵּשׁ אֶת מִי שֶׁאֵין לוֹ. כָּל הַכֵּלִים טְעוּנִין טְבִילָה. וּבְנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַיִם יוֹצְאוֹת וְחוֹלוֹת בַּכְּרָמִים. וּמֶה הָיוּ אוֹמְרוֹת, בָּחוּר, שָׂא נָא עֵינֶיךָ וּרְאֵה, מָה אַתָּה בוֹרֵר לָךְ. אַל תִּתֵּן עֵינֶיךָ בַנּוֹי, תֵּן עֵינֶיךָ בַמִּשְׁפָּחָה. שֶׁקֶר הַחֵן וְהֶבֶל הַיֹּפִי, אִשָּׁה יִרְאַת ה' הִיא תִתְהַלָּל (משלי לא). וְאוֹמֵר, תְּנוּ לָהּ מִפְּרִי יָדֶיהָ, וִיהַלְלוּהָ בַשְּׁעָרִים מַעֲשֶׂיהָ. וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר, צְאֶינָה וּרְאֶינָה בְּנוֹת צִיּוֹן בַּמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה בָּעֲטָרָה שֶׁעִטְּרָה לּוֹ אִמּוֹ בְּיוֹם חֲתֻנָּתוֹ וּבְיוֹם שִׂמְחַת לִבּוֹ (שיר השירים ג). בְּיוֹם חֲתֻנָּתוֹ, זֶה מַתַּן תּוֹרָה. וּבְיוֹם שִׂמְחַת לִבּוֹ, זֶה בִּנְיַן בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, שֶׁיִּבָּנֶה בִמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינוּ. אָמֵן:
(8) R. Simeon ben Gamaliel said, "Never were more joyous festivals in Israel than the fifteenth of Av and Yom Kippur, for on them the maidens of Jerusalem used to go out dressed in white garments—borrowed ones, in order not to cause shame to those who had them not of their own;—these clothes were also to be previously immersed, and thus they went out and danced in the vineyards, saying, Young men, look and observe well whom you are about to choose [as a spouse]; regard not beauty [alone], but rather look to a virtuous family, for 'Gracefulness is deceitful, and beauty is a vain thing, but the woman that feareth the Lord, she is worthy of praise' (Prov. 31:3); and it is also said (Prov. 31:31), 'Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates.' And thus is it said [in allusion to this custom], 'Go out, maidens of Jerusalem, and look on King Solomon, and on the crown wherewith his mother has encircled [his head] on the day of his espousals, and on the day of the gladness of his heart' (Song of Songs 3:11); 'the day of his espousals,' alludes to the day of the gift of the law, and 'the day of the gladness of his heart,' was that when the building of the Temple was completed." May it soon be rebuilt in our days. Amen!
(ב) בְּאֶחָד בְּנִיסָן מֵתוּ בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן; בַּעֲשָׂרָה בּוֹ מֵתָה מִרְיָם וְנִסְתַּלֵּק הַבְּאֵר; בְּכ''ו בּוֹ מֵת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן, בַּעֲשָׂרָה בְּאִיָּר מֵת עֵלִי הַכֹּהֵן וּשְׁנֵי בָּנָיו, וְנִשְׁבָּה אֲרוֹן ה'; בְּכ''ח בּוֹ מֵת שְׁמוּאֵל הַנָּבִיא; בְּכ''ג בְּסִיוָן בָּטְלוּ הַבִּכּוּרִים מִלַּעֲלוֹת לִירוּשָׁלַיִם בִּימֵי יְרָבְעָם בֶּן נְבָט; בְּכ''ה בּוֹ נֶהֱרַג רשב''ג וְרַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל וְרַ' חֲנִינָא סְגַן הַכֹּהֲנִים; בכ''ז בּוֹ נִשְׂרַף רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בֶּן תְּרַדְיוֹן וְסֵפֶר תּוֹרָה עִמּוֹ; בְּאֶחָד בְּאָב מֵת אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן; בְּי''ח בּוֹ כָּבָה נֵר מַעֲרָבִי בִּימֵי אָחָז. בְּי''ז בֶּאֱלוּל מֵתוּ מוֹצִיאֵי דִּבַּת הָאָרֶץ; בְּה' בְּתִשְׁרֵי מֵתוּ עֶשְׂרִים אִישׁ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל וְנֶחְבַּשׁ רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא; בְּז' בּוֹ נִגְזְרָה גְּזֵרָה עַל אַבוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁיָּמוּתוּ בַּחֶרֶב וּבָרָעָב וּבַדֶּבֶר, מִפְּנֵי מַעֲשֵׂה הָעֵגֶל; בְּז' בְּמַרְחֶשְׁוָן עִוְּרוּ עֵינַי צִדְקִיָּהוּ וְשָׁחֲטוּ בָּנָיו לְעֵינָיו; בְּכ''ח בְּכִסְלֵו שָׂרַף יְהוֹיָקִים הַמְּגִלָּה שֶׁכָּתַב בָּרוּךְ מִפִּי יִרְמְיָהוּ; בִּשְׁמוֹנָה בְּטֵבֵת נִכְתְּבָה הַתּוֹרָה יְוָנִית בִּימֵי תַּלְמַי הַמֶּלֶךְ וְהָיָה חֹשֶׁךְ בָּעוֹלָם שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים; וּבְט' בּוֹ לֹא נוֹדַע אֵיזוֹ הִיא הַצָּרָה שֶׁאֵרַע בּוֹ; בְּה' בִּשְׁבָט מֵתוּ הַזְּקֵנִים שֶׁהָיוּ בִּימֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ; בְּכ''ג בּוֹ נִתְקַבְּצוּ כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל שְׁבָט בִּנְיָמִין עַל עִנְיַן פִּלֶגֶשׁ בַּגִּבְעָה; בְּז' בַּאֲדָר מֵת מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ ע''ה; בְּט' בּוֹ נֶחְלְקוּ בֵּית שַׁמַּאי וּבֵית הִלֵּל.
(2) On the first on Nisan, the sons of Aaron died. On the tenth of it Miriam died and her well disappeared. On the twenty-sixth of it Joshua ben Nun died. On the twentieth of Iyyar, Eli the priest and two of his sons and the ark of God was captured. On the twenty sixth of it Samuel the prophet died. On the twenty-third of Sivan the offering of the first fruits in Jerusalem was cancelled during the days of Jereboam ben Nebat. On the twenty-fifth of it Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel and Rabbi Yishmael and Rabbi Hanina Deputy High Priest were killed. On the twenty-seventh of it Rabbi Hanina ben Teradion was burned to death and a Torah scroll with him. On the first of Av, Aaron the priest died. On the eighteenth of it, the eastern light was extinguished during the days of Ahaz. On the seventeenth of Elul those who slandered the land died. On the fifth of Tishri, twenty men of Israel were killed and Rabbi Akiba was imprisoned. On the seventh of it a decree was decreed against our ancestors that died by sword, hunger and plague because of the incident of the golden calf. On the seventh of Mar-Cheshvan, they blinded the eyes of Zedekiah and slaughtered his sons before his eyes. On the twenty-eighth of Kislev Jehoiakim burned the scroll that Baruch wrote dictated by Jeremiah. On the eighth of Tevet the Torah was written in Greek during the days of King Ptolemy and darkness was in the world for three days. On the ninth of it, it was not known who caused the trouble that happened on it. On the fifth of Shevat the elders who were in the days of Joshua died. On the twenty-third of it all of Israel gathered against the tribe of Benjamin on account of the concubine in Gibeah. On the seventh of Adar Moses, our Teacher, may peace be upon him, died. On the ninth of it Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai divided.
As it is taught in Megillat Ta’anit: On the twenty-eighth of Adar good tidings came to the Jews, that they would not be restricted from Torah study, and they declared this date a commemorative day. The baraita proceeds to describe the events of this day. As on one occasion the wicked empire, Rome, issued a decree of apostasy against the Jews, that they may not occupy themselves with Torah study, and that they may not circumcise their sons, and that they must desecrate Shabbat. What did Yehuda ben Shammua and his colleagues do? They went and sought the advice of a certain Roman matron [matronita] whose company was kept by all the prominent people of Rome. She said to them: Arise and cry out [hafginu] at night. They went and cried out at night, saying: O Heaven! Are we not brothers? Are we not children of one father? Are we not the children of one mother? How are we different from any other nation and tongue that you single us out and issue against us evil decrees? Their cries were effective, and the authorities annulled the decrees, and they made that day a commemorative holiday.
In relation to the above, the Gemara inquires: What is the origin of Nicanor’s Day and what is the origin of Trajan’s Day? As it is taught in a baraita: Nicanor was one of the generals [iparkhei] in the Greek army, and each and every day he would wave his hand over Judea and Jerusalem and say: When will this city fall into my hands, and I shall trample it? And when the Hasmonean monarchy overcame the Greeks and emerged victorious over them, they killed Nicanor in battle, cut off his thumbs and big toes, and hung them on the gates of Jerusalem, saying: The mouth that spoke with pride, and the hands that waved over Jerusalem, may vengeance be taken against them. This occurred on the thirteenth of Adar.
What is the origin of Trajan’s Day? They said in explanation: When Trajan sought to kill the important leaders Luleyanus and his brother Pappas in Laodicea, he said to them: If you are from the nation of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, let your God come and save you from my hand, just as He saved Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah from the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. Luleyanus and Pappas said to him: Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were full-fledged righteous people, and they were worthy that a miracle should be performed for them, and Nebuchadnezzar was a legitimate king who rose to power through his merit, and it is fitting that a miracle be performed through him. But this wicked man, Trajan, is a commoner, not a real king, and it is not fitting that a miracle be performed through him. Luleyanus and Pappas continued: And we are not wholly righteous, and have been condemned to destruction by the Omnipresent for our sins. And if you do not kill us, the Omnipresent has many other executioners. And if men do not kill us, the Omnipresent has many bears and lions in His world that can hurt us and kill us. Instead, the Holy One, Blessed be He, placed us into your hands only so that He will avenge our blood in the future. Even so, Trajan remained unmoved by their response and killed them immediately. It is said that they had not moved from the place of execution when two officials [diyoflei] arrived from Rome with permission to remove Trajan from power, and they split his skull with clubs. This was viewed as an act of divine retribution and was established as a commemorative day.
The Moroccan Jews are known for Mimouna, the exuberant festival held on the evening and day after Passover, and whose origins are unclear. According to one explanation, it is the yahrzeit (anniversary of the death) of Maimon ben Joseph, the father of the great Jewish philosopher Maimonides (Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, also known by his acronym Rambam), a scholar in his own right who lived in Fez (Morocco) and wrote on Jewish-Islamic relations. He died around 1170.
Others say Mimouna is derived from the Arabic word for wealth and good fortune (literally “protected by God,” ma’amoun). Since Passover is the beginning of the new agricultural year, when the world is judged for produce, it is a time to pray for plentiful crops, symbolic of general prosperity.
Still others connect Mimouna with the word emunah (“belief”), claiming it celebrates belief in Israel’s redemption. Along the same lines, there is also support (said to be traced to Maimonides’ explanation) for the word being an Arabic adaptation of the phrase Ani ma’amin (I believe), the classic expression of faith in the coming of the messiah (ana for ani, placed after the verb ma’amin, as is common in Arabic, yielding ma’amin ana, which became maimouna in the local Judeo dialect). It may have been a greeting exchanged to bolster one another’s disappointment that Passover had come and gone without the long-anticipated return to Jerusalem.
(ד) קָרְאוּ אֶת הַמְּגִלָּה בַּאֲדָר הָרִאשׁוֹן וְנִתְעַבְּרָה הַשָּׁנָה, קוֹרִין אוֹתָהּ בַּאֲדָר הַשֵּׁנִי, אֵין בֵּין אֲדָר הָרִאשׁוֹן לַאֲדָר הַשֵּׁנִי אֶלָּא קְרִיאַת הַמְּגִלָּה וּמַתָּנוֹת לָאֶבְיוֹנִים:
(4) If the Megillah was read in first of Adar, and the year was [subsequently] intercalated, we read it in second of Adar. There is no difference between the first Adar and the second Adar except the reading of the Megillah and alms to the poor.
(תרפט) בשנה מעוברת, יום י''ד וט''ו שבאדר ראשון, אף על פי שאין קוראים בהם המגילה, מכל מקום אסורים בהספד ותענית, ואין נופלים על פניהם, ואין אומרים בהם בתפלה מזמור יענך ה' ביום צרה, ומזמור תפלה לדוד. ונכון לנהוג בהם מקצת משתה ושמחה, י''ד לבני פרזים, וט''ו לבני ירושלים. ומה שאין קוראים המגילה באדר ראשון, לפי שנאמר (מגילת אסתר ט כא), לקיים עליהם להיות עושים את יום י''ד וט''ו''בכל שנה ושנה'', מה בכל שנה אדר הסמוך לניסן, אף בשנה מעוברת אין הפורים נוהג אלא באדר הסמוך לניסן, ולסמוך גאולה לגאולה, דהיינו לסמוך פורים לפסח, עדיף.
During a leap year, the 14th and 15th days of Adar Rishon, even though we don’t read the Megilla on them, nevertheless it is forbidden to give a eulogy or fast, and we don’t say Tachanun, and we don’t say Lamnatzeach. It is good to behave a little happier than usual and feast a little, on the 14th for the villages (outside of the walled cities), and on the 15th for the walled cities. And we don’t read the Megilla during Adar Rishon, like it says in מגילת אסתר ט כא, that is referring to the Adar that is next to Nissan, but during a leap year, we don’t celebrate Purim other than during the Adar that is next to Nissan. This is because we want to put redemption with redemption, that is Purim and Pesach, it is good.
(6) But there were some men who were unclean by reason of a corpse and could not offer the passover sacrifice on that day. Appearing that same day before Moses and Aaron, (7) those men said to them, “Unclean though we are by reason of a corpse, why must we be debarred from presenting the LORD’s offering at its set time with the rest of the Israelites?” (8) Moses said to them, “Stand by, and let me hear what instructions the LORD gives about you.” (9) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: (10) Speak to the Israelite people, saying: When any of you or of your posterity who are defiled by a corpse or are on a long journey would offer a passover sacrifice to the LORD, (11) they shall offer it in the second month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight. They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, (12) and they shall not leave any of it over until morning. They shall not break a bone of it. They shall offer it in strict accord with the law of the passover sacrifice. (13) But if a man who is clean and not on a journey refrains from offering the passover sacrifice, that person shall be cut off from his kin, for he did not present the LORD’s offering at its set time; that man shall bear his guilt.
(ג) עַל שִׁשָּׁה חֳדָשִׁים הַשְּׁלוּחִין יוֹצְאִין, עַל נִיסָן מִפְּנֵי הַפֶּסַח, עַל אָב מִפְּנֵי הַתַּעֲנִית, עַל אֱלוּל מִפְּנֵי רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, עַל תִּשְׁרֵי מִפְּנֵי תַקָּנַת הַמּוֹעֲדוֹת, עַל כִּסְלֵו מִפְּנֵי חֲנֻכָּה, וְעַל אֲדָר מִפְּנֵי הַפּוּרִים. וּכְשֶׁהָיָה בֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קַיָּם, יוֹצְאִין אַף עַל אִיָּר מִפְּנֵי פֶסַח קָטָן:
(3) On six months messengers go out: On Nisan, because of Pesach; On Av, because of the fast; On Elul, because of Rosh Hashnanah; On Tishrei, to correct for the festivals; On Kislev, because of Chanukah; On Adar, because of Purim; And when the Temple existed, they also went out on Iyar, because of the little Pesach.
ראש חודש אסור בתענית, כדאיתא בירושלמי (פ"ב הלכה י"ב) דתענית: בכל מתענין, חוץ משבתות, וימים טובים, וראש חודש, וחולו של מועד, וחנוכה, ופורים.ובגמרא תענית (יז ב) אומר לעניין מגילת תענית דראש חודש הוי דאורייתא. ויש שמסמיכים על מאי דכתיב: "וביום שמחתכם ובמועדיכם ובראשי חדשיכם", דהוקש למועד. וראש חודש עצמו אקרי "מועד", כדכתיב: "קרא עלי מועד לשבור בחורי", וקאי על ראש חודש אב.ומכל מקום כתב רבינו הבית יוסף בספרו הגדול, דלא מסתבר לומר שהאיסור להתענות הוה ממש מן התורה; אלא דחמירא טובא, ויש לזה אסמכתות מן התורה, אבל לא ממש דאורייתא, עיין שם. וגם אין חיוב לאכול פת, אלא רק שלא יתענה. ולכן השוכח "יעלה ויבא" בראש חודש בברכת המזון – אין מחזירין אותו.
From the Pri Chadash by Hezekiah Da Silva (1659-1698)
Purim of Ancona:
Celebrated by the Jews of Ancona on the 21st of Ṭebet, and intended to preserve the remembrance of severe earthquakes which occurred in that city on the date in question (Dec. 29, 1690), threatening great disaster. The feast is preceded by a fast on the 20th of Ṭebet; and special prayers are ordained for both days.
Purim di Buda.
In 1684 the Christian armies laid siege to Buda (Ofen) to drive out the Turks, who had held possession of the city from 1541; their design was, however, frustrated by the stout resistance of the Turks and Jews. The participation of the latter in this opposition to Christian forces was followed by great embitterment against the Jews, particularly in Italy, where in Rome they could not venture into the street without a guard from the pope's troops; any not thus protected being sure of immediate assault and possibly murder. The towns of Moncellis, Montaniana, Castel-Franco, and Citadella followed the example of Rome; and in Padua, where Jews and Christians had lived side by side for many centuries, a sharp outbreak of anti-Jewish feeling was felt in 1670. The outbreak in that city was the outcome of commercial jealousy, brought to a head by a calumnious publication which was widely circulated among the people. Although the publication was interdicted by the authorities, it nevertheless implanted deep animosity against the Jews; and when the news came of the part which they had taken in the defense of Buda, the latent hatred broke into flame. The Capuchin Marco d'Aviano, who had passed two months with the besieging armies outside Buda, when asked concerning the part which the Jews had taken in bringing disgrace upon the Christian armies, replied truthfully that the Jews of Buda were not blameworthy. The populace, however, refused to accept this generous estimate, and pictures of Buda in which the ghetto was over-prominent were widely circulated, greatly increasing the popular resentment. These anxious days are still commemorated by the Jews of Padua, who on Elul the 10th annually celebrate a festival called the Buda (Ofen) Purim, in memory of the valiant deeds of their ancestors in that city, the sufferings brought by it upon the Jews of Padua, and their deliverance therefrom.
Purim of Cairo:
In the year 1524 Aḥmed Shaiṭan Pasha, governor of Egypt, imprisoned twelve of the leading Jews of Cairo in order to extort from them a considerable sum of money. Among them was the chief rabbi, David ibn Abi Zimra. This governor—a rebel against his suzerain, Sulaiman the Magnificent, because the latter wished to stamp coins with his own image—excited popular anger by his cruelty. One day he promised to massacre all the Jews in Cairo as soon as he had taken his bath. However, while in the bath he was stabbed by one of his subordinates; and the Jews thus escaped a general massacre. For this reason the Purim of Cairo is annually celebrated on the 28th of Adar.
Purim of Chios (called also Purim de la Señora = "of the Good Lady"):
Celebrated by the Jews of Chios in commemoration of an event which occurred, according to some, in 1595, according to others in 1820. The event of 1595 was the descent upon the island of 500 soldiers from a squadron of Ferdinand I., Duke of Tuscany, commanded by Virginio Orsino. The event of 1820 was the revolt of Chios against the Turks during the Greek war of independence. In either event a good Jewish housewife in putting her bread into the oven inadvertently rested the glowing end of her shovel near a cannon, the fuse of which took fire, causing it to be discharged. It should be explained that, as in other places in the Orient, the Jews on the island of Chios lived in a bastion of the fortress. At the sound of the cannon the Turkish soldiers exterminated the enemy. The lady obtained a "berat" granting her certain privileges and the Jews certain favors.
Purim Edom (called also Purim al-Naāra):
In 1541 Charles V., aided by Admiral Andrea Doria, attempted to seize Algiers from Khair al-Din Barbarossa. The Spaniards landed; but their fleet was destroyed by a tempest, due, legend says, to the prayers of R. Solomon Duran, grandson of the celebrated Solomon ben Simon Duran. The Jews thus escaped the fanaticism of the Spaniards; and they instituted this Purim on the 4th of Ḥeshwan.
Purim of Florence:
Celebrated by the Jews of Florence on the 27th of Siwan, on which day in 1790 they were saved from a mob by the efforts of the bishop. The festival is preceded by a fast on the 26th of Siwan. The details of the occurrence are related in full by Daniel Terni in a Hebrew pamphlet entitled "Ketab ha-DaṬ," Florence, 1791.
Purim of Gumeldjina (popularly called Purim de los Ladrones = "Purim of Bandits"):
In 1786 about 5,000 mountain brigands ("tokatchikli") in trying to pillage the town of Gumeldjina, near Adrianople, entered the bastion inhabited by the Jews and terrorized them. The governor succeeded in driving off the brigands, but the Jews were accused of having conspired with them. The Jews energetically protested and proved their innocence. In memory of this escape from a double misfortune the 22d of Elul was ordained by the rabbis as a local Purim.
Purim of Narbonne:
Celebrated on the 21st of Adar by the Jews of Narbonne in commemoration of an event which took place there on that day in 1236. The facts, as recorded by R. Meïr b. Isaac of Narbonne, are as follows: In a quarrel between a Jew of Narbonne and a Christian fisherman the former dealt the latter a heavy blow from which he died. This aroused the wrath of the Christian populace, which attacked the whole Jewish community and started a riot in the Jewish quarter, pillaging first the house of the above-mentioned Rabbi Meïr and carrying away his entire library. Fortunately Don Aymeric, the governor of Narbonne, appeared on the scene with a force of soldiers for the protection of the Jews. The ṁob was soon dispersed, order was reestablished, and even the spoil which had been taken from R. Meïr was returned to him.He then recorded the event; and the 21st of Adar was instituted as the "Purim of Narbonne."
Purim of Rhodes:
In 1840 the Greeks on the island of Rhodes, in revenge upon the Jews who were competing with them in the sponge trade, caused the disappearance of a child. The child, however, was later found alive on the island of Syra. In the meanwhile the Jews of Rhodes had been imprisoned and tortured. Sultan 'Abd al-Majid deposed the governor, and gave the Jews a firman declaring that the accusation of ritual murder was false. By a curious coincidence the imprisonment of the Jews and the granting of the firman took place on the day of the Purim of Esther (14th of Adar). Since then Purim is celebrated as a double festival at Rhodes, and special prayers and hymns are read.
Purim of Saragossa:
In the year 1380 or 1420, under Peter IV. or under Alfonso V., King of Aragon, whom the Megillah written for this Purim designates "Saragossanos," a converted Jew called Marcus accused the Jews of Saragossa before the king of having attended the parade held in honor of the king with cases in their arms from which the scrolls of the Law, usually kept therein, had been purposely removed. This was true, the removal having been ordered by the rabbis of the city because of religious scruples. The king resolved, on the advice of Marcus, to have the cases opened in the street on the next similar occasion. But, the story continues, the prophet Elijah appeared in the night to the beadles of the twelve synagogues and told them to take proper measures. Accordingly, the next day, when the king passed by, the guards opened the cases and stated that no deception had been practised. The anger of the king fell upon Marcus, and he was hanged. In memory of this miracle the descendants of the Jews of Saragossa celebrate this Purim on the 17th or 18th of Shebaṭ in the synagogues founded by their ancestors at Constantinople, Magnesia, Melasso, Smyrna, Aldin, Jerusalem, and Salonica.
Purim Sherif:
In 1705 the governor of Tunis laid siege to Tripoli in Africa, devastated the environs, and threatened to destroy all the population if he should enter the town. Fortunately, the plague broke out suddenly among his followers, and the siege was raised. Hence the rabbis instituted the Purim Sherif on the 24th of Ṭebet. The populace call it "Purim Kidebuni" (= "the false") to distinguish it from the Purim of Esther (Franco, "Histoire des Israélites Ottomans," p. 121; comp. Steinschneider in "Monatsschrift," 1902, p. 375; and, especially, 1903, p. 285, No. 14).
Purim of Shiraz (called also Purim of Mo'ed Ḳaṭan):
On the 2d of Ḥeshwan the Jews of Shiraz in Persia celebrate a festival called "Mo'ed Ḳaṭan" (Little Feast). On that day they do no work, exchange visits, and salute one another with the words, "Mo'ed Ḳaṭan" and "Abu al-Ḥasan." According to a tradition which is substantiated by an ancient Judæo-Persian manuscript of uncertain date (possibly written about 1400 or even as early as 1200), a Jew named Abu al-Ḥasan, who was both shoḥeṭ and butcher, was accused of having sold ṭerefah meat on the eve of the Feast of Rosh ha-Shanah. The anger of the Jews was aroused against the culprit, who immediately embraced Islam, and accused his former coreligionists of many crimes. The Mohammedans gave the Jews their choice between death and conversion to Islam; and all chose the latter alternative. One month afterward Abu al-Ḥasan died mysteriously, on the 2d of Ḥeshwan, and a statement was found in his pocket declaring that the Jews were innocent of the charges brought against them. They were then permitted to return to Judaism; and in memory of the event the Purim of Mo'ed Ḳaṭan was instituted.
Purim of Tammuz at Algiers:
In 1774 Mohammed ibn Uman, the dey of Algiers, courageously defended the city against the Spanish general O'Reilly. The Jewish legend has it that flames which came out of the graves of the rabbis Isaac ben Sheshet and Solomon ben Simon Duran contributed to the Spanish defeat. Hence, in order to celebrate the miracle of having again escaped from the Spaniards, the Jews of Algiers instituted a Purim on the 11th of Tammuz.
Purim of Tiberias:
In 1743 Sulaiman Pasha, governor of Damascus, came in the capacity of a feudal lord to lay siege to Tiberias, where ruled the sheik Dair al-Amar. The Jews suffered much during the eighty-three days of the investment. The date of the raising of the siege (4th of Elul) and that of the news of Sulaiman Pasha's death (7th of Elul) became the days of the local Purims.
Purim of Widdin:
In 1807 Passvanoglu, the feudal lord of the region of Widdin, on the Danube, had in his service as physician ("ḥakim bashi") a person named Cohen. Passvanoglu having become mortally ill through contact with a poisoned sword, the Mohammedan population accused the Jewish physician of having made an attempt on the governor's life, and the Jewish community was threatened with a general massacre. Fortunately the dying man himself energetically defended his physician, and the threatened calamity was averted. Hence the 9th and 10th of Ḥeshwan, the dates of the events, were declared days of Purim.
Purim Winz (called also Purim Frankfurt):
Instituted by the Jews of Frankfort-on-the-Main for the 20th of Adar because of their deliverance from the persecutions of Vincent Fettmilch and his followers in 1616. On August 22, 1614 Fettmilch led a mob that stormed the Judengasse (Jews' Lane) and plundered the city's 1,380 Jews, forcing them to leave the city until the emperor personally intervened, and on February 28, 1616 Fettmilch and six others were executed in Frankfurt's Rossmarkt (horse market) square. On the same day (20 Adar in the Hebrew Calendar) the exiled Jews were led back into Frankfurt by imperial soldiers. Above the gates to the Judengasse a stone imperial eagle was mounted bearing an inscription reading "Protected by the Roman Imperial Majesty and the Holy Empire". The first act of the returning Jews was returning the desecrated synagogue and devastated cemetery to religious use. The anniversary of the return was celebrated yearly thereafter as the "Purim Vinz"; the Purim-Kaddisch featured a merry march to commemorate the joyful return. After this, pogroms virtually ceased in Germany until the rise of the Nazis in the 20th century.
(ו) בכ"ח ביה אינטיל אנטיוכוס מלכא מן ירושלים
(6) On the 28th thereof Antiochus (the king) departed from Jerusalem.
(א) בְּשִׁבְעָה בְּאֶלוּל יוֹם חַנוּכַּת שׁוּר יְרוּשָׁלֵם דִלָא לְמִסְפָּד:
(1) On the 7th of Elul was the day of the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, on which it is forbidden to mourn.
(1) In the seventh month, Ishmael son of Nethaniah son of Elishama, who was of royal descent and one of the king’s commanders, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah; and they ate together there at Mizpah. (2) Then Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him arose and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan with the sword and killed him, because the king of Babylon had put him in charge of the land. (3) Ishmael also killed all the Judeans who were with him—with Gedaliah in Mizpah—and the Chaldean soldiers who were stationed there.
As Rav Ḥana bar Bizna said that Rabbi Shimon Ḥasida said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “Thus said the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall become times of joy and gladness, and cheerful seasons, to the house of Judah” (Zechariah 8:19). It calls them days of “fast” and it calls them “times of joy and gladness.” How so? When there is peace in the world, they will be times of joy and gladness, on which eulogies and fasting are forbidden; but when there is no peace, they are days of fasting. In a time when there is no peace, why are messengers not sent out also for the fourth and tenth months, so that people can know when to observe the fasts? Rav Pappa said that this is what it is saying: When there is peace in the world and the Temple is standing, these days will be times of joy and gladness; when there is persecution and troubles for the Jewish people, they are days of fasting; and when there is no persecution but still no peace, neither particular troubles nor consolation for Israel, the halakha is as follows: If people wish, they fast, and if they wish, they do not fast. Since there is no absolute obligation to fast, messengers are not sent out for these months. The Gemara asks: If so, the Ninth of Av should also be like the other fast days, that sometimes it is observed and sometimes not, depending upon the wishes of the community at the time. Why does the mishna state that messengers go out for the month of Av? Rav Pappa said: The Ninth of Av is different, since the calamities that occurred on that day were multiplied. As the Master said: On the Ninth of Av the Temple was destroyed, both the first one and the second one; on this day the city of Beitar was captured; and on this day the city of Jerusalem was plowed over by the enemies of the Jewish people, as a sign that it would never be rebuilt. Consequently, the fast of the Ninth of Av is obligatory, and not optional like the other fasts. Messengers are consequently sent out so that people will know when to fast.
The Gemara asks: What is Hanukkah, and why are lights kindled on Hanukkah? The Gemara answers: The Sages taught in Megillat Ta’anit: On the twenty-fifth of Kislev, the days of Hanukkah are eight. One may not eulogize on them and one may not fast on them. What is the reason? When the Greeks entered the Sanctuary they defiled all the oils that were in the Sanctuary by touching them. And when the Hasmonean monarchy overcame them and emerged victorious over them, they searched and found only one cruse of oil that was placed with the seal of the High Priest, undisturbed by the Greeks. And there was sufficient oil there to light the candelabrum for only one day. A miracle occurred and they lit the candelabrum from it eight days. The next year the Sages instituted those days and made them holidays with recitation of hallel and special thanksgiving in prayer and blessings.
(א) אַרְבָּעָה רָאשֵׁי שָׁנִים הֵם. בְּאֶחָד בְּנִיסָן רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לַמְּלָכִים וְלָרְגָלִים. בְּאֶחָד בֶּאֱלוּל רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לְמַעְשַׂר בְּהֵמָה. רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר וְרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמְרִים, בְּאֶחָד בְּתִשְׁרֵי. בְּאֶחָד בְּתִשְׁרֵי רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לַשָּׁנִים וְלַשְּׁמִטִּין וְלַיּוֹבְלוֹת, לַנְּטִיעָה וְלַיְרָקוֹת. בְּאֶחָד בִּשְׁבָט, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לָאִילָן, כְּדִבְרֵי בֵית שַׁמַּאי. בֵּית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים, בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר בּוֹ:
(1) The four new years are: On the first of Nisan, the new year for the kings and for the festivals; On the first of Elul, the new year for the tithing of animals; Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Shimon say, on the first of Tishrei. On the first of Tishrei, the new year for years, for the Sabbatical years and for the Jubilee years and for the planting and for the vegetables. On the first of Shevat, the new year for the trees according to the words of the House of Shammai; The House of Hillel says, on the fifteenth thereof.