Mishneh Torah, Scroll of Esther and Hanukkah 1-2

Hook

"And these days of Purim will not pass from among the Jews, nor will their remembrance cease from their seed" (Esther 9:28)—a promise that anchors our joy in the eternal.

Context

• Source: Rambam’s Mishneh Torah, "Laws of the Scroll of Esther and Hanukkah."
• Era: 12th Century (composed in Egypt, reflecting the crystallization of Sephardi legal tradition).
• Community: The global Sephardi/Mizrahi diaspora, for whom these laws provided a unified rhythm of communal life from Spain to Baghdad.

Text Snapshot

"Everyone is obligated in this reading: men, women, converts, and freed slaves... There is nothing that takes priority over the reading of the Megillah except the burial of a meit mitzvah—a corpse that has no one to take care of it. A person who encounters such a corpse should bury it and then read the Megillah."

Minhag/Melody

In many Sephardi traditions, the Megillah is unrolled like an iggeret (letter/epistle) before reading. This is a visceral, tactile minhag—we treat the scroll not just as a book, but as a live correspondence from history, reminding us that the miracle wasn't a myth, but a real political event requiring our active witness.

Contrast

While many Ashkenazi traditions prioritize the minhag of "Haman-tashen" (poppy-seed cookies), many Mizrahi communities emphasize the Seudat Purim with specific focus on tashriv (a communal feast) and the distribution of mishloach manot as a primary vehicle for social justice. Rambam explicitly elevates the "gifts to the poor" as the highest form of festive splendor—greater than the feast itself.

Home Practice

Adopt the Sephardi emphasis on Matanot La-Evyonim (gifts to the poor). This Purim, make your donation to the needy the very first and most significant "festivity" of your day, before the wine is poured or the feast is spread.

Takeaway

Rambam teaches that even in the Messianic era, when other prophetic books may fade, the Scroll of Esther remains. Why? Because it represents the transition from Divine intervention to human agency. We read it not just to hear a story, but to affirm that we are the ones who must "wage our battles" and "execute judgment" for the vulnerable today.