The Jewish festival of Purim starts tonight. For those who do not know the Purim story is a joyful festival where Biblical book of Esther is read, food is eaten and much drink is taken (hic).

The Purim story is an exciting one about a King, his search for a replacement Queen, a Jew who saves the King from assassination, an evil chief minister who distorts the truth and an attempt at genocide averted.

The book of Esther is probably one of the most curious books in the whole of the Tanakh (Old Testament) as it is the only book that doesn’t mention God. There has been many attempts to explain why this is the case, but my favourite is this reason. The explanation that I prefer is one based around personal responsibility. We can’t always rely on outside supernatural intervention, we can’t just sit around doing nothing and wait for God to sort things out, sometimes we have to get up off of our backsides and deal with what has to be dealt with. We can’t automatically assume that when people threaten us or attack us, that some outside agency whether that be God or the police or the local headman will protect us, much of the time we need to stand up and fight back. To me the book of Esther says to me: Look to God as a guide and for comfort, but sort out the problems you have for yourself.

Purim is celebrated by children putting on fancy dress, the reading of the Book of Esther with cheering whenever the hero, Mordechai’s name is mentioned and boo-ing whenever the villain Haman’s name is mentioned. There is also wine drinking going on, in some communities a lot of wine drinking.

For those who are interested, here is a more traditionalist telling of the Purim story from the Lubavitcher Jews

http://www.chabad.org/holidays/purim/article_cdo/aid/645995/jewish/The-Basic-Purim-Story.htm

Here’s the King James Bible version of the Book of Esther

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Esther+1&version=KJV

and here, is a hilarious version of the Purim story told in the form of animated cat pictures that had me screaming with laughter when I first saw it.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mordechail/the-entire-story-of-purim-told-with-cat-gifs-bpjm#.ftwqOe1AZ

Happy Purim to all who celebrate it. Eat, drink and be merry and tomorrow we will have serious hangovers.