Purim, the Festival of Lots

By Joseph Gray, Canadian Director

Purim was always one of my favourite holidays as a boy growing up in a Jewish home. Everything about Purim seemed delightfully designed to please children. This, after all, was the only time of the year when we were actually encouraged by our parents to make noise in the synagogue!

During Purim we dressed up in costumes and put on Purim plays and Purim bazaars complete with games and food. The whole holiday took on a spirit of make believe and joyous fun. Hamantaschen, a special three-cornered Purim pastry, would add a sweet taste that was enjoyed by all. In the synagogue, Megillah Esther (the Book of Esther) was read while the audience loudly whirled their groggers (special Purim noise-makers) to drown out the name of Haman each time he was mentioned in the story. These holiday activities are still enjoyed in every synagogue today.

But, how does one make sense of a holiday where up is down and down is up? Even the name, Purim, is not a Hebrew name like the other Jewish festivals; it is a Persian word meaning lots. The holiday got its name from the lots that Haman drew to determine the day on which he would carry out his evil plan to destroy the Jewish people.

The story of Purim, recorded in the Book of Esther, is one of suspense and intrigue. It reads like a modern mystery novel, complete with surprising twists and turns and high drama.

The story recounts how God chose a young Jewish girl, raised her up to become queen of Persia and eventually used her to help save her people from destruction. The plan to destroy the Jewish people (one of many throughout history) was devised by the wicked prime minister of Persia (modern day Iran), Haman.

Haman’s hatred for the Jewish people was rooted in pride and jealousy, but there is a much deeper spiritual drama going on the story of Esther that is still going on today.

According to the Book of Esther, Haman was an Agagite, a descendent of Amalek. Amalek you may remember was the wicked king who came out against the children of Israel as they wandered in the desert. Amalek took no pity on Israel, destroying the weakest among them – those who fell behind. For this reason, God commanded the children of Israel to “blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven” (Deuteronomy 25:19). The first king of Israel, Saul, failed to fully obey this commandment from God. Seeking compromise, he allowed Agag (Haman’s ancestor), king of Amalek, to survive after God had delivered him into his hands.

The story of Esther is a story of invisible spiritual warfare and miraculous deliverance and victory. It is a battle that continues to this day. In our daily lives, each of us faces and confronts Hamans from within and without. Haman tells us to believe the lie that God cannot help us. God, he says, is far away, distant. Haman declares that God’s promises cannot be counted on today. The only thing that matters is human power, intellect and achievement.

This is why the story of Esther is so important. God turns our human reasoning upside down. Using an unknown, powerless Jewish girl, He acted to save the Jewish people from Haman’s evil plans for destruction.

It is even more interesting that, in the Book of Esther, the name of God is not mentioned even once. God seems to be invisible in this whole drama. But here we discover the main point of the story of Esther. At those moments when things seem darkest, when God seems to be invisible and distant, get ready for the surprise ending. Our God is a living God Who saves.

“In the fullness of time God sent His son to redeem those who were under the Law that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galations 4:4-5). Yeshua, whose very name means God saves, continues to surprise us with His saving love.

Have a happy and joyful Purim.

(This year, Purim begins on the evening of Thursday, March 20.)

Tu B'Shevat, the New Year of the Trees

By Joseph Gray, Canadian Director

Have you heard of the Jewish festival of Tu b’Shevat? You may have wondered about this minor Jewish festival. Is it biblical? How did it begin? How is it celebrated? Does it have any significance to us as believers in Yeshua (Jesus)?

Scriptural Roots

Tu b’Shevat is the Jewish New Year of the Trees. It is a holiday found in Jewish and Talmudic (or rabbinic) tradition, but certainly has roots in the Torah (the five books of Moses).

Let me explain. In D’Varim (Deuteronomy) and elsewhere, we read of the commandment of the tithe in the Land of Israel.

“And it shall be to you when you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and you possess it and dwell in it, that you shall take some of the first fruit of the produce of the ground which the Lord your God is giving you and put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His Name abide” (D’Varim / Deuteronomy 26:1-2).

According to the rabbis, it was from the 15th of Shevat (or Tu b’Shevat) that the fiscal year for the accounting of the tithe of the fruit crop ended and began again – hence, the New Year of the Trees.

Also according to tradition, this is the time of the year in Israel when the sap begins to run again in the fruit trees, signaling the renewal of life, the coming hope of spring and the prospect of a new harvest season.

The Meaning for Followers of Yeshua

Although the feast does not have a scriptural mandate, it does have deep spiritual significance for us as followers of Yeshua.

For example, in D’Varim / Deuteronomy 20:19-20 we find God’s commandment regarding the sanctity of life even during times of war. When Israel was engaged in a lengthy siege of an enemy city, God commanded them to protect those trees that bear fruit and not to harm them in any way. Beyond the obvious implications of this command – that all life is created by God and is therefore precious – why would God give such an odd commandment? Was Israel to understand that fruit-bearing trees must be protected even in time of war, but other trees that do not bear fruit are less worthy and may be destroyed?

The answer to this question and the deeper spiritual significance of this commandment comes in the second part of verse 19, “For man is a tree of the field.”


Many centuries later, Yeshua Himself made clear what these verses teach us about spiritual growth when He said:

“I am the vine and you are the branches. If you abide in me you will bear much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me they are cast out as a branch and is withered, and they gather them and throw them into the fire and they are burned” (John 15: 5-6).

You are precious to God. You have been created in His image to bear fruit in this world. If you are a disciple of Yeshua, His living Spirit dwells within you.

Like the running sap of the fruit trees, His Spirit within in you may not always be visible to the naked eye, but He is there. His Spirit at work within you is the hope and promise of new life (resurrection!) and the down payment of the fruit harvest yet to come.

Abide in the life-giving root, Yeshua of Nazareth. He is a tree of life for all who will cling to Him!

Celebrate Tu b'Shevat

Modern Jewish people who celebrate Tu b’Shevat often joyously sample the various fruits of the Land of Israel while studying passages from the Torah.

This year, Tu b’Shevat falls on January 22. I encourage you to sample some of Israel’s fruit harvest and spend some time dwelling in God’s Word on that particular day.

May the taste of Israel’s fruit serve as a sweet reminder of the eternal fruit we have been created to bear in Yeshua.

Have a fruitful Tu b’Shevat!