Background
When our sages of blessed memory established the timing of the Purim holiday, they made a distinction between those cities that were surrounded by walls and the open cities.
What stands at the basis of the difference is actually the story of the Megillah itself:
The central miracle of the Megillah’s story is that on the 13th of Adar – when Haman’s decree ”to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews” was supposed to be executed – a sharp twist occurred through a ‘hurriedly sent edict’ that Ahasuerus dispatched (after Esther pleaded for her life and the life of her people) in which he gives permission to the Jews ”to gather together and to stand for their life”, in other words: to unite and wage war against the enemies who were coming to destroy them.
In the open cities, the enemies of Israel had nowhere to run or hide, and the Jews easily caught and killed them. After a full day of war, the Jews rested from the exhausting battle, and celebrated the next day – the 14th of Adar, with joy and gratitude to the Creator of the world for the miraculous turn of events that had occurred for them.
In contrast, in the city of Shushan, which was surrounded by a wall, the enemies found all sorts of hiding places and the Jews did not manage to capture them all in one day. Esther asked Ahasuerus for an additional day for ‘the retribution operation’, received her request, and the Jews managed to ‘complete the task’ and kill all their enemies.
After two days of battles, the Jews rested overnight and celebrated the next day – the 15th of Adar, with joy and gratitude to God for the miracle He had done for them.
In memory of this, our sages of blessed memory established that the Purim holiday should be celebrated on the 15th of Adar in any city that was surrounded by a wall in the time of Joshua son of Nun (in order to give ‘honor’ to the land of Israel), and in the rest of the open cities – Purim should be celebrated only on the 14th of Adar.
”Shushan Purim” Today
Today, the world can be divided into three types of places, as follows:
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- Walled Cities
Definition: Certain very specific cities (today mainly Jerusalem) that we know for sure were surrounded by walls in the time of Joshua son of Nun.
Jerusalem residents celebrate this day of Purim in exactly the same way as it was celebrated all over the world the day before:
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- On the 14th of Adar, they do not say ”Tachanun” throughout the day, and at night (the eve of the 15th) they read the Megillah with a blessing.
- On the morning of the 15th, they pray Shacharit and say ”Al HaNissim”. They read the Torah and then read the Megillah again with a blessing. Throughout the day, they give ”Matanot LaEvyonim” (gifts to the poor) and send ”Mishloach Manot” (gift packages).
- After the Mincha prayer, they have a festive meal and drink wine ”until one does not know”.
In the Diaspora – even in cities that were certainly surrounded by a wall in the time of Joshua son of Nun, they do not celebrate an extra day of Purim, only on the 14th of Adar.
- Cities that are ‘possibly surrounded by walls’
Definition: Specific cities in Israel where we have a doubt and it is not known to us whether they were surrounded by a wall in the time of JoshuAnswer :
Residents of the following cities: Safed, Haifa, Tiberias, Lod, Akko, Jaffa, and Hebron, observe this day as follows:
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- After the Purim holiday of the 14th day, the Megillah is read again on the night of the 15th of Adar, but the blessings before and after it are not recited.
- In the morning, a regular Shacharit (morning prayer) is said, the Torah is not read and ”V’Al Hanissim” (And for the miracles) is not said. Afterwards, the Megillah is read again (for the fourth time) without a blessing.
- During the day, it is customary to minimally fulfill the mitzvot of ”Matanot La’Evyonim” (Gifts to the Poor) and ”Mishloach Manot” (Sending of Portions), and there is no need to give an abundance of ‘gifts’ and ‘sendings’.
- At the midday meal, it is desirable to add a little bit of food or wine, and there is no need to have a large festive meal like the previous day.
- ”Open cities”Definition: A term for most of the cities in the country and in the world that were ‘open’ (open and sprawling, without a wall), where Purim is celebrated on the 14th of Adar.In the ”Open cities”, this day is actually a ‘regular day’, but with a few small changes:
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- The parts of ”Tachanun” (Supplication) are not said in the prayer.
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- There is no fasting on this day (even a groom on his wedding day).
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- A festive meal is eaten and wine is drunk.
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- Anyone planning to travel from a ‘walled’ city to an ‘open’ city or to a city that is in doubt – during the holiday, should ask a rabbi how to behave in practice, in terms of reading the Megillah and fulfilling the other mitzvot of Purim.
Triple Purim
When the 15th of Adar – ‘Shushan Purim’ – falls on Shabbat, the Purim holiday in Jerusalem ‘spreads’ over three consecutive days: Friday, Shabbat, and Sunday, as follows:
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- On Friday, the 14th of Adar, the Megillah is read in the presence of a ‘minyan’ (quorum of ten) of people, and the mitzvot of ”Matanot La’Evyonim” (Gifts to the Poor) are fulfilled.
- On Shabbat, the 15th of Adar, ”V’Al Hanissim” (And for the miracles) is said in all the prayers and in the ‘Birkat Hamazon’ (Grace After Meals). After the Shacharit (morning prayer), two Torah scrolls are taken out and a special reading is done in the ‘Maftir’ (concluding portion), followed by the ‘Haftarah’ (prophetic reading) that we read last Shabbat – Parshat ‘Zachor’ (Remember).
- On Sunday, the 16th of Adar, a festive meal is eaten and plenty of wine is drunk, and during the day the mitzvot of ”Mishloach Manot” (Sending of Portions) are fulfilled.
Immediately after Purim, we start ‘refreshing the memory’ and begin to study the laws of the approaching Passover holiday. You can read about the laws and customs of the holiday in Passover.
