Purim

Mark Podwal (b. 1945)
Digitial archival pigment print on paper
7 7/16 x 7 9/16″
USA, 2020
© Mark Podwal

The Megillat Esther (Scroll of Esther) tells the story of the deliverance of the Jews in ancient Persia from the villain Haman’s plot “to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day” (Esther 3:23). On Purim the Megillah is read from a parchment scroll that is unrolled, entirely spread out, and folded one column over another so that it is read like a letter. During the reading, the custom is to make loud noises to drown out Haman’s name. Other customs include wearing masks and costumes, eating triangular pastries called hamantaschen—a shape reminiscent of Haman’s hat, and performing humorous adaptions of the Purim story called Purim-shpiels. Commandments to be observed on Purim include exchanging gifts of food and donating charity to the poor. The Talmud (commentative and interpretative writings) says that one is obliged on Purim to drink until one can no longer distinguish between “Cursed is Haman” and “Blessed is Mordecai” (a hero of the Purim story). Podwal replaces a wine jug in the woodcut with a contemporary wine bottle into which a Scroll of Esther is inserted. A Scroll of Esther can be seen in the nearby display.