Questions about Purim

During our learning about Purim, many questions arose about the Haman, Queen Esther, Mordecai, and The King. In Jewish tradition, asking questions about our history and rituals is not only encouraged but celebrated as it helps us deepen and fortify our own beliefs and understanding of our religion.

As our Etzim classroom began to bubble with questions, we decided to write them down in a letter to Rabbi Todd. Our biggest burning question was, "Why do we eat delicious cookies that are named for Haman, since he was a bad guy? Why don't we eat cookies remembering Queen Esther or Mordecai since they were good people?"

We sent our letter off to Rabbi Todd, and the next day we got a response! He was going to make sure to stop in our classroom and sit down with us to talk about it. Rabbi Todd explained to us, there are a few reasons to how the hamantaschen got its name. In Israel, they are called Haman's ears because some think they resemble them. Another reason was that they were named for the elusive triangle hat Haman wore. Lastly, they are named after Haman because we make him disappear by eating the Hamantaschen. Just as we shake our groggers and BOO when we hear Haman's name being read from the Megillah, this is another way to rid Haman from us! And what a delicious way too!

The Etzim class is excited to make our hamantaschen tomorrow, with a greater understanding of why these cookies have there name!

We also talked with Rabbi Todd about other aspects of Jewish tradition such as yamaks, Purim in Israel, and other topics. It was so much fun to learn with Rabbi Todd! A big thank you again for coming in today!