Why Purim is Not a Biblical Holiday

Is Purim a Biblical holiday?

While many people intend to celebrate the events of YHWH preserving the Jewish people through the actions of Queen Esther when they celebrate Purim, that does not make this cultural holiday Biblical.

Why isn't Purim considered a Biblical holiday?

Biblical holidays are defined as holidays that YHWH directs believers to keep or observe. These are the set apart times of Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Shavuot, Trumpets, Yom Kippur, and the Feast of Tabernacles. The Living God himself directed believers to celebrate these and gave us information on when they happen and any special instructions for the festivities. You can read about these in Leviticus 23.

These are the only Biblical holidays, because they are the only holidays that the Creator tells us to celebrate.

Are Purim and Passover the same?

No, these are two completely separate holidays! Again, while keeping Passover is something YHWH directs believers to do in Exodus 12, Leviticus 23, and Numbers 9, among other places, we are given no mandate from YHWH to participate in a holiday called Purim. At Passover we remember and honor the death of the Messiah, as well as the Living God bringing freedom to his people from slavery in the Exodus story. The historical aspect of Purim is to celebrate events in the book of Esther. Passover happens about a month after Purim. 

Is Purim in the Bible?

But isn't Purim in the book of Esther? Yes, the book of Esther does tell us about a manmade holiday known as Purim. But even if you believe the book of Esther is rightly canonized as part of Scripture (which many scholars don't - Esther is not referenced in any other book of the Bible and is the only book of Scripture not found among the Dead Sea Scrolls), there is no directive from YHWH to celebrate this day - in fact, there are no words at all from the Living God and no mention of his name in this book. It's important to see that even if Purim is mentioned in Scripture, that's not the same as it being ordained by YHWH, let alone a command.

What is the feast of Purim? 

The feast of Purim commemorates the events from Esther 2-9. The evil Haman, advisor to King Ahasuerus, plotted to destroy all the Jews in the king's provinces. Queen Esther risked her life to go to the king without being called for, invited him to dinner, and eventually exposed Haman's plot to the king. The king then authorized Esther's cousin Mordechai to write a decree stating that the Jews could defend themselves from attackers on the appointed day. The Jews were able to overpower those who hated them and wound up killing more than 75,000 people. 

Ostensibly, Purim is a celebration of the preservation of the Jewish people. Note that the Jewish people refers to members of the Southern House of Judah, and not the Northern House of Israel at this point in history.

How is Purim celebrated?

Traditionally in Judaism, Purim is celebrated by public reading of the scroll of Esther. Gifts or financial support are sent to the poor. Many wear costumes, often in a 'carnival' atmosphere. A triangle-shaped cookie known as hamantaschen - to symbolize the ears of Haman is consumed, along with large amounts of alcohol - in fact, the Talmud says that its the duty of celebrants to drink until they cannot recognize the difference between Haman and Mordechai. 

Should Christians celebrate Purim?

I firmly believe that all Bible believers should celebrate the Biblical holidays, but we have established that Purim is not one of those. Coupled with typical celebrations often including things Scripture says not to do, like crossdressing, and getting drunk, I have pause about taking part in this. Should we be grateful for the miracles of this story? Of course, but by not adding this manmade holiday to YHWH's Biblical holidays, we make celebrating the Biblical holidays more approachable, by showing that it's okay to stick with Biblical commandments without adding manmade traditions to the mix of our faith.

Please note that this post is to clarify why Purim is not included as one of the seven Biblical holidays. I realize it is a significant holiday in Judaism, with historic and spiritual meaning. I mean no disrespect to that. My goal is to teach the distinction between what Scripture says and Jewish customs. Many Jews have told me they don't want to see the Messianic movement appropriating their culture, which is why I want believers in Messiah to know the difference between Jewish culture and Biblical commandments. Blessings to all!

Related posts:
The Two Houses: Israel and Judah in Scripture
Why Hanukkah is Not a Biblical Holiday
The Beginner's Guide to the Biblical Holidays

Understanding the Difference Between Unclean and Abominable Animals in Leviticus 11

What is the difference between unclean and abominable? Scripture uses both of these words in Leviticus 11 and elsewhere in regards to animal flesh. It's important for believers to make a distinction between these two words in order to correctly understand Scripture, and to understand Biblical eating guidelines.

One argument you're likely to hear against following the Bible's laws concerning what we eat is that it's not sin to become unclean, and certain animals - like pigs and shellfish - are "just" unclean. The logic is if it's not sin to become unclean, it must be okay to eat something that makes you unclean. However this is not what Scripture says!

It's true that being in an unclean state is not in and of itself sin. But it's not true that that certain animals are "just" unclean. If you take a look at Leviticus 11 you can see that it lists certain animals as abominable. The Hebrew word for abomination is seqes, and it means that that thing is detestable and can be related to idol worship! The connection to idol worship is not predicated on if the person eating abominable flesh means it to be idol worship or not; the connection remains regardless of intentions. The English word abominable can mean disgusting and if you read this chapter that is mostly the impression you get...in our culture today the idea of eating animals like dogs, bats, rodents, and such is a repulsive thought. The Bible is saying that it shouldn't even cross our minds to eat these things.

Please note that nowhere in Leviticus 11 or elsewhere in the Bible does it say that if you choose to eat certain animals you will become unclean.  When it talks about eating non-permissible animals it calls that an abomination! When the word 'unclean' appears later in Leviticus 11:24 it is in regards to simply touching the dead flesh of certain animals. That means you don't become unclean for petting a dog or cat or riding a horse - only if you touch or deal with the carcass of one. This certainly seems like a sensible regulation - if someone has just touched a dead racoon, you probably don't want to hold their hand or let them chop the vegetables for dinner. This passage of Scripture also gives us directions here for what happens if something unclean, like a mouse, ends up in a cooking pot.  

If you touch a carcass of an unclean animal - whether that's to put bacon in a skillet or to cleanup an animal that died - you become unclean. But if you eat the carcass of one of these animals that is an abomination according to Leviticus 11:11! Doing something that the Bible says is an abomination is sin.

The Bible calls animals like dogs, pigs, horses, and monkeys unclean, and by touching their carcasses we become unclean as well. Again, being in an unclean state is not a sin, and sometimes it is unavoidable. But the Bible does not say that being in an unclean state is all the consequence there is to consuming forbidden animals. The issue with eating these things is not that we would become unclean, but that we would be in sin!  It is wrong to to eat animals that the Word of God made a point of telling us not to. 

Many people believe that the New Testament changed the commandments around this, but if you study those passages you will see that the foundational dietary principles of Scripture that were outlined in Leviticus 11 remain unchanged.

Related posts:
Understanding 1 Corinthians 10:27
Four Distinctions We Need to Make to Understand Scripture
Peter's Vision Was About People - Not What We Eat

What Does 'No Greater Burdens' in Acts 15 Mean?

What is Acts 15 about and what does it mean?

A lot of people will tell you that Acts 15:19-20 gives the requirements that gentiles should abide by. But as we've discussed before, this handful of instructions was given as a starting point for new believers to keep the commandments. The disciples issuing these directions were not saying that those things were all that was expected of believers, but were trying to give reasonable guidelines for the many people who had no understanding of Scripture's instructions who were entering the faith. The disciples knew that believers would learn more as they attended Sabbath service each week and expected them to gradually implement changes in their lives as they learned more details of how Scripture says they should live.

One common reason that people disagree with this understanding of the passage comes from this verse:

"It seemed good to us and the Holy Spirit to place no greater burdens on you than these necessary things..." -Acts 15:28

It's easy to read this verse and see it as 'proof' that all that is expected of believers is to not eat meat that was sacrificed to an idol, not to eat blood, not to eat anything that was strangled to death, and to abstain from sexual immorality...because it says right here that anything beyond that would be a burden, right? There's more to it than that. (As a side note, since these four things are expected of believers, we should probably hear that from pulpits and Bible studies once in a while!)

What does Acts 15:28 mean?

First of all, do we really expect that this is all that is required of believers? Is it fine to murder or steal or practice necromancy because those things are not enumerated here? This passage doesn't even tell us not to practice idolatry! I think most everyone reading this would say that believers are called to higher standards of living and conduct than just sticking to the four things bulletined in this passage of Acts.

And secondly, the Bible tells us that YHWH's instructions are not a burden for us! We read this in Deuteronomy 30:11 in the Old Testament, and the Messiah himself echoes this in Matthew 11:30 when he said that his burden was light. He wasn't saying to set down Biblical law because it was a burden...he was saying it wasn't a burden at all. If we believe these Scriptures that the commandments are not a burden to us, then we know that this verse cannot be talking about Biblical law.

So if Acts 15:28 is not talking about further commandments from Biblical law to be followed, what is it talking about? The answer is that the disciples were saying that they did not expect believers to follow the customs of Judaism, or the oral law. Please note that this means rules and rituals that were created by men, and not the instructions given by YHWH that are enumerated in Scripture. 

One of the major themes of Acts is the acceptance of people who were not from Judah and who did not look or act Jewish. This is not to say that Jews weren't/aren't also welcome into the faith, but that following Jewish customs that aren't found in the Bible is not expected of believers. One of the significant things happening at this time in history was the shift from complicated manmade rituals back to the simplicity of what the Bible teaches, and this is what the leaders of the faith were saying. It seemed good to them and the Holy Spirit to not require that new believers become Jewish or partake in manmade customs in order to enter the faith. Of course, the Bible is not picking on just Judaism here. The same would apply to other religious belief systems. You also don't have to do Catholic rituals or be baptized into a certain denomination. It addresses Judaism, because that was being practiced at the time.

The Messiah had previously called attention to this issue when he said to religious leaders, "You have a fine way of rejecting the commandments of God in order to establish your own tradition." (Mark 7:9) We also know that the Messiah considered manmade religious rituals to be burdens. When a religious leader was surprised that Yahusha didn't participate in a handwashing ritual (something not directed in the Bible), in Luke 11:46, the Messiah responded, "You load people down with heavy burdens, and don't lift a finger to help them." 

Are God's commandments a burden? Not according to the Messiah and the New Testament.

1 John 5:3 also tells us that YHWH's commands are not burdensome! The Messiah and the disciples never call the Bible's commandments too hard or difficult, but they did consider manmade rituals and traditions to be a burden, so that's what they aren't placing on believers in Acts 15:28. Why make it more difficult for people to accept the Gospel? Why tell people that walking in God's ways is harder than it really is? You do not have to adopt any customs that aren't commanded in Scripture in order to be accepted by YHWH. That's the message and meaning of Acts 15.

Related posts:
Understanding Acts 15:19-20
Commandments or Traditions - Understanding the New Testament
The Three Types of Laws in Scripture

Why Biblical Law is For All Believers (And Not Just Jews)

I used to think that Biblical law and keeping the commandments were only expected of Jewish people, and I hear this echoed all the time. Statements like, "I don't have to do that because I'm not Jewish," "God only wants the Jewish people to keep the food laws," "Gentiles are not under the law because of Jesus," or "Those things are just for Jews," show up in my comment section all the time. If we only listen to manmade religious doctrines, this is easy to accept as truth. But if we take a look at what Scripture actually says we will find this is not the case! All believers, no matter their ancestry, are expected to keep the commandments in the Bible!

Why Biblical law is not just for Jews:

-The Bible never says this. There is nothing in the Bible about the commandments being only for Jewish people. In fact, until the New Testament Jewish people barely get a mention in Scripture. Seriously, go reread the whole thing. You will not find a phrase like that in there. There are no instructions from YHWH about limiting the gift of his word, or the expectations of keeping his commandments to Jewish people.

-The Bible expressly says Biblical law is not just for the Israelites, but also for foreigners. Exodus 12:49, "There is one Torah for the native-born and for the stranger who sojourns among you." There was no such thing as Judaism in Exodus, so this verse does not somehow mean that the Torah is only for you if you convert to Judaism or live around Jews. It's talking about people from any part of the world joining YHWH's people by serving him. No matter where you are from, the same set of commandments apply to you.

-There were no Jews present when Biblical law was given. Not a single person in Genesis through Deuteronomy (when Biblical law was given) considered themselves to be Jewish. Not one. While the tribe of Judah was present, so were eleven other tribes! We must understand that Scripture's use of Israelite is not interchangeable with the term Judaism today. There are Jews today who did have ancestors present when Biblical law was given, but many other people groups also have ancestors who were given Biblical law!

-The New Testament says there are neither Jews nor Gentiles. I really can't imagine why this statement from Galatians 3:28 would be included in Scripture if YHWH was going to hold different people groups to different standards. Recognizing this verse makes it seem rather silly to say, "God doesn't hold me to that standard because I'm a gentile"!

-The Messiah was never impressed with claims of antecedence. John the Baptist's words in Luke 3:8, "Prove by the way that you live that you have repented from sins and turned to God. Don't just say to each other, 'We're safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.' That means nothing, for I tell you that God can create children of Abraham from these very stones." The Messiah did not count relations to Abraham as some sort of extra credit or bonus. His response to those who were relying on their physical relations to Abraham was that wasn't enough, their actions should reflect that. He said that Abraham's children would do what Abraham did (John 8:39).

-Most of us don't really know where we are from. Even if you believe that Biblical law is only for those who descended physically from the Israelites who were freed from Egypt, how do you know that none of your ancestors were there? Most of us are lucky to know anything about our ancestors after the most recent five or six generations. There is simply no way of knowing for sure whether you had ancestors there or not!

Recognizing that the Living God gave one set of instructions for all people, wherever they may be from physically or whatever their religious background is, means that we should strive to honor him by keeping his commandments! Yes, we are all sinners and won't do it perfectly. But no parent would ever say that since their children won't be able to always keep their instructions perfectly, they don't expect them to bother trying. YHWH is honored by our efforts to keep his instructions, even when we fall short.

Related posts:
Why the Biblical Holidays are For All Believers
Basics of Biblical Law
Commandments or Traditions - Understanding the New Testament