Things

The Jewish Calendar
April	1)   *Nisan, Abib
May	2)    Iar, Zif
June	3)   *Sivan
July	4)    Tammuz
August	5)    Ab
September	6)    Elul
October	7)    Tisri, Ethanim
November	8)    Marchesvan
December	9)    Chisleu
January	10) *Tebath
February	11)   Sebat
March	12) *Adar
* months mentioned in The Book of Esther

• The Jewish calendar had 360 days – possibly adding a 13th month occasionally to make up for the missing days.
• The calendar above is ordered according to the Jews' Sacred Calendar. Their New Year started with Abib (our April), the month of their Exodus from Egypt.
• Their Civil Calendar began in Tisri (our October).
• Each year, their calendar months differ somewhat in relation to the months of the modern calendar.

The Feast of Purim

• Purim (Hebrew:"lots") is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from destruction in the wake of a plot by Haman, a story recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther.

• Purim is celebrated by giving mutual gifts of food and drink, giving charity to the poor, a celebratory meal, and public recitation of the Scroll of Esther, and additions to the prayers and the grace after meals^. Other customs include drinking wine, wearing of masks and costumes, and public celebration.

• Purim is celebrated annually according to the Hebrew calendar on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar (Adar II in leap years), the day following the victory of the Jews over their enemies. In cities that were protected by a surrounding wall at the time of Joshua, Purim is instead celebrated on the 15th of the month on what is known as Shushan Purim, since fighting in the walled city of Shushan continued through the 14th. Today, only Jerusalem celebrates Purim on the 15th.

Interesting Facts:
• Chapters 2 and 3 both begin with the words "After these things". Both of the chapters were just precursory information before getting in to the main event.
• The phrase "After these things" occurs in the Bible 12 times before Haman's introduction and 12 times after Haman. Every time the phrase is mentioned after Haman, it never again refers to sin or death. We can take from this that before Jesus, we were on the wrong side of the Devil. (Revelation 19:1)
• Between chapters 1 and 2, 3 years passed between Vashti's removal and the search for a new queen.
• Between chapters 2 and 3, 4 years passed since Esther was crowned queen and the assassination plot that Mordecai discovered.