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Purim

Hebrew: פוּר —transliteration: Pur or Purim —meaning: a lot, plural: lots

This became the name of a Jewish festival (Esther 9:24-32) in ironical commemoration of Haman's consultation of the Pur (probably a loanword from the Akkadian word pūru), for the purpose of ascertaining the auspicious day for executing his cruel plot against their nation

Haman was a high official (royal vizier) of the Achaemenid Persian Empire under King Ahasuerus.

This annual festival became a national institution by the common consent of the Jews, and is observed by them to the present day, on the 14th and 15th of the month Adar, a month before the Passover.

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Article Version: September 11, 2019