Why is the megillah spread out in many layers during the reading, rather than rolled like a Torah?” We read in the megillah that Esther and Mordechai refer to the Megillah as “Igeres,” the “letter”. Thus, we fold the Megillah to look like a “letter”.
What is the reason for the traditional three-cornered pastry called “Hamantashen”? According to some, the three corners represent Haman’s three cornered hat. According to others, the three corners represent Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in whose merit the Jews were saved. Here is an interesting explanation for the word “Hamantashen”. The word “Tashen” comes from the Hebrew word “Tash” which means “weak”. Thus, “Haman Tashen” means “Haman became weak”.
Why doesn’t Hashem’s name appear in the Megillah?
One reason is that Hashem performs miracles in two ways. Sometimes, He changes the laws of nature temporarily. For example, the splitting of the Sea on Passover, the Giving of the Torah, the miracle of Chanukah (when a small amount of oil, enough to burn only one day, lasted eight days), etc. Sometimes Hashem “hides” the miracle within nature. In this case, we do not see an obvious miracle. Purim was just such a “hidden” miracle, for it came through Queen Esther’s intervention, in which case one may attribute the final outcome not to a divine miracle but to the King’s desire to please his queen. This point is emphasised by the fact that Hashem’s name does not appear in the Megillah. Miracles like these require effort to recognise their divinity and are part of our daily tests. We too, throughout our lives, experience two kinds of miracles: “Open miracles,” when we see no way out of a difficult situation and then salvation occurs; and “hidden miracles” which include the everyday events, (walking, talking, breathing, movement… etc.) which we take for granted. The lesson of Purim is to realize that the daily “hidden miracles,” in which God’s presence is not always felt, actually represent the greatest miracle of all!
