The New Jew: A Field Guide

Hebrew

בָּהֶם הַיְּהוּדִים מֵאֹיְבֵיהֶם וְהַחֹדֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר נֶהְפַּךְ לָהֶם מִיָּגוֹן לְשִׂמְחָה
וּמֵאֵבֶל לְיוֹם טוֹב לַעֲשׂוֹת אוֹתָם יְמֵי מִשְׁתֶּה וְשִׂמְחָה וּמִשְׁלֹחַ מָנוֹת
אִישׁ לְרֵעֵהוּ וּמַתָּנוֹת לָאֶבְיֹנִים׃ וּקַבֵּל הַיְּהוּדִים אֵת אֲשֶׁר־הֵחֵלּוּ
לַעֲשׂוֹת וְאֵת אֲשֶׁר־כָּתַב מָרְדֳּכַי אֲלֵיהֶם׃ כִּי הָמָן בֶּן־הַמְּדָתָא הָאֲגָגִי
צֹרֵר כָּל־הַיְּהוּדִים חָשַׁב עַל־הַיְּהוּדִים לְאַבְּדָם וְהִפִּיל פּוּר הוּא הַגּוֹרָל
לְהֻמָּם וּלְאַבְּדָם׃ וּבְבֹאָהּ לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ אָמַר עִם־הַסֵּפֶר יָשׁוּב מַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ
הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר־חָשַׁב עַל־הַיְּהוּדִים עַל־רֹאשׁוֹ וְתָלוּ אֹתוֹ וְאֶת־בָּנָיו
עַל־הָעֵץ׃ עַל־כֵּן קָרְאוּ לַיָּמִים הָאֵלֶּה פּוּרִים עַל־שֵׁם הַפּוּר עַל־כֵּן
עַל־כָּל־דִּבְרֵי הָאִגֶּרֶת הַזֹּאת וּמָה־רָאוּ עַל־כָּכָה וּמָה הִגִּיעַ אֲלֵיהֶם׃
קִיְּמוּ וְקִבְּלוּ הַיְּהוּדִים ׀ עֲלֵיהֶם ׀ וְעַל־זַרְעָם וְעַל כָּל־הַנִּלְוִים עֲלֵיהֶם
וְלֹא יַעֲבוֹר לִהְיוֹת עֹשִׂים אֵת שְׁנֵי הַיָּמִים הָאֵלֶּה כִּכְתָבָם וְכִזְמַנָּם
בְּכָל־שָׁנָה וְשָׁנָה׃ וְהַיָּמִים הָאֵלֶּה נִזְכָּרִים וְנַעֲשִׂים בְּכָל־דּוֹר וָדוֹר
מִשְׁפָּחָה וּמִשְׁפָּחָה מְדִינָה וּמְדִינָה וְעִיר וָעִיר וִימֵי הַפּוּרִים הָאֵלֶּה לֹא
יַעַבְרוּ מִתּוֹךְ הַיְּהוּדִים וְזִכְרָם לֹא־יָסוּף מִזַּרְעָם׃ וַתִּכְתֹּב
אֶסְתֵּר הַמַּלְכָּה בַת־אֲבִיחַיִל וּמָרְדֳּכַי הַיְּהוּדִי אֶת־כָּל־תֹּקֶף לְקַיֵּם
אֵת אִגֶּרֶת הַפֻּרִים הַזֹּאת הַשֵּׁנִית׃ וַיִּשְׁלַח סְפָרִים אֶל־כָּל־הַיְּהוּדִים
אֶל־שֶׁבַע וְעֶשְׂרִים וּמֵאָה מְדִינָה מַלְכוּת אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ דִּבְרֵי שָׁלוֹם
וֶאֱמֶת׃ לְקַיֵּם אֵת יְמֵי הַפֻּרִים הָאֵלֶּה בִּזְמַנֵּיהֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר קִיַּם עֲלֵיהֶם
מָרְדֳּכַי הַיְּהוּדִי וְאֶסְתֵּר הַמַּלְכָּה וְכַאֲשֶׁר קִיְּמוּ עַל־נַפְשָׁם וְעַל־זַרְעָם
דִּבְרֵי הַצּוֹמוֹת וְזַעֲקָתָם׃ וּמַאֲמַר אֶסְתֵּר קִיַּם דִּבְרֵי הַפֻּרִים הָאֵלֶּה
וְנִכְתָּב בַּסֵּפֶר׃ וַיָּשֶׂם הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרֹשׁ ׀ מַס עַל־הָאָרֶץ
וְאִיֵּי הַיָּם׃ וְכָל־מַעֲשֵׂה תָקְפּוֹ וּגְבוּרָתוֹ וּפָרָשַׁת גְּדֻלַּת מָרְדֳּכַי אֲשֶׁר
גִּדְּלוֹ הַמֶּלֶךְ הֲלוֹא־הֵם כְּתוּבִים עַל־סֵפֶר דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים לְמַלְכֵי מָדַי
וּפָרָס׃ • כִּי ׀ מָרְדֳּכַי הַיְּהוּדִי מִשְׁנֶה לַמֶּלֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ וְגָדוֹל לַיְּהוּדִים
וְרָצוּי לְרֹב אֶחָיו דֹּרֵשׁ טוֹב לְעַמּוֹ וְדֹבֵר שָׁלוֹם לְכָל־זַרְעוֹ׃

Sephardi

bahem hayehudim me'oyvehem vehachodesh asher nehpach lahem miyagon lesimchah
ume'evel leyom tov la'asot otam yemei mishteh vesimchah umishloach manot
ish lere'ehu umatanot la'evyonim: ukabel hayehudim eit asher-hechelu
la'asot ve'et asher-katav Mordekhai alehem: ki Haman ben-Hamedata ha'agagi
tzorer kol-hayehudim chashav al-hayehudim le'abdam vehipil pur hu hagoral
lehumam ule'abdam: uvevo'ah lifnei hamelech amar im-hasefer yashuv machashavto
hara'ah asher-chashav al-hayehudim al-rosho vetalu oto ve'et-banav
al-ha'etz: al-kein kar'u layamim ha'ele Purim al-shem hapur al-kein
al-kol-divrei ha'igeret hazot umah-ra'u al-kachah umah higi'a alehem:
kiyemu vekibelu hayehudim alehem ve'al-zar'am ve'al kol-hanilvim alehem
velo ya'avor lihyot osim eit shenei hayamim ha'ele kichtavam vechizmanam
bekol-shanah veshanah: vehayamim ha'ele nizkarim vena'asim bechol-dor vador
mishpachah umishpachah medinah umedinah ve'ir va'ir vimei hapurim ha'ele lo
ya'avru mitoch hayehudim vezichram lo-yasuf mizar'am: vatichtov
Ester hamalkah bat-Avichayil uMordekhai hayehudi et-kol-tokef lekayeim
eit igeret hapurim hazot hashenit: vayishlach sefarim el-kol-hayehudim
el-sheva ve'esrim ume'ah medinah malchut Achashverosh divrei shalom
ve'emet: lekayeim eit yemei hapurim ha'ele bizmaneihem ka'asher kiyam aleihem
Mordekhai hayehudi ve'Ester hamalkah vecha'asher kiyemu al-nafshem ve'al-zar'am
divrei hatzomot veza'akatam: uma'amar Ester kiyam divrei hapurim ha'ele
venichtav basefer: vayasem hamelekh Achashverosh mas al-ha'aretz
ve'iyei hayam: vekol-ma'aseh takpo ugevurato ufarashat gedulat Mordekhai asher
gidlo hamelech halo-hem ketuvim al-sefer divrei hayamim lemalkhei Maday
ufaras: ki Mordekhai hayehudi mishneh lamelekh Achashverosh vegadol layehudim
veratzui lerov echav doresh tov le'amo vedover shalom lekol-zar'o:

English

was turned over for them from sorrow to happiness, from mourning to celebration – to make them days of feasting and happiness, and for sending one another good things to eat, and giving gifts to the poor. 23 And so the Jews accepted upon themselves what they had already begun to perform, just as Mordekhai had written. 24 For Haman, son of Hamedata the Agagite, enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had drawn the pur – the lot, that is – to consume and to destroy them. 25 And when Esther came before the king, he declared, by the scroll, that the evil plot Haman had hatched against the Jews must come down upon his own head – and he and his sons must be hung up on the post. 26 And so these days were named Purim, after the pur. So, following the words of the letter, and what they had seen, and what had befallen them, 27 they established and accepted, for themselves and for their children, and for all who would ever come to join their ranks, never to be neglected – that they keep these two days as they are prescribed and in their right times, every single year. 28 And indeed, these days are remembered and marked in every single generation, family by family, province upon province, town upon town; nor will these days of Purim ever be neglected by the Jews, nor their memory ever cease to be among their children. 29 And Esther, daughter of Aviḥayil, the queen, together with Mordekhai the Jew, wrote with all their authority, for this second letter of Purim to be confirmed. 30 And they sent out scrolls to all the Jews, across one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, all of Ahasuerus' realm – words of peace and truth. 31 The scrolls were to confirm these days of Purim in their times, just as Mordekhai the Jew and Esther the queen had fixed them; and, indeed, as they had all fixed their fast days and entreaties, for themselves and for their children. 32 And so, Esther's word confirmed this practice of Purim; and it was written down in the scroll. 10 1 As for King Ahasuerus, he levied a tribute from the people of all the land and of the islands of the sea. 2 And the full account of his authority and might, and all the greatness of Mordekhai, whom the king exalted – are they not already written in the Scroll of the Chronicles of the Kings of Medea and Persia? • For Mordekhai the Jew was second-in-command to King Ahasuerus, and revered too among the Jews – beloved of all the multitudes of his brothers, working for the good of his people, and speaking words of peace for all his children. ◂