A Fifth ‘Mem’ for Purim 2025

The four mitzvot of Purim are widely known as the four “mems”, meaning that each one of the mitzvot begins with the Hebrew letter מ—”mem”. Two of these mitzvot—משתה ושמחה (mishteh ve-simcha)—eating a festive meal, and משלוח מנות (mishloach manot)—sending portions (or gifts)—were practiced by the Jews after their relief from the defeating their enemies (Esther 9:18-19) and then later ratified by Mordechai for Jews in every generation (Esther 9:20-22).

The roots of the third mitzvah beginning with the letter מ—מקרא מגילה (mikra megillah), the reading of the Book (or scroll) of Esther— are found in Psalms 22. The psalm begins with the words ayelet ha-shachar which the Rabbis translated as “the morning doe” and which they understood as an allusion to Esther (see Tractate Yoma 29a). Verse 3 of that psalm reads, “My God, I cry by day—You answer not; by night and have no respite” from which the Rabbis derived the obligation to read the Megillah at night and again during the day (Tractate Megillah 4a).

The fourth mitzvah beginning with the letter מ—מתנות לאביונים (matanot laevyonim)—donations to the poor, was instituted by Mordechai himself (see Esther 9:20-22). Why did he feel a need to supplement a day that was already marked by a festive meal and the sending of gifts with donations to the poor? Apparently, Mordechai understood that a celebration that does not take into account the needs of those who are less fortunate and who are perhaps unable to celebrate on their own, is fundamentally flawed. The Rambam (Maimonides) goes even further and insists that, of the three mitzvot——משתה ושמחה (mishteh ve-simcha), משלוח מנות (mishloach manot) and מתנות לאביונים (matanot laevyonim), the latter is the most important:

“It is preferable for a person to be more liberal with his donations to the poor than to be lavish in his preparation of the Purim feast or in sending portions to his friends. For there is no greater and more splendid happiness than to gladden the hearts of the poor, the orphans, the widows, and the converts. One who brings happiness to the hearts of these unfortunate individuals resembles the Divine Presence, which Isaiah 57:15 describes as having the tendency “to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive those with broken hearts.” (Mishneh Torah, the Laws of the Scroll of Esther and Hanukkah, ch. 2).

Based on the above, I would like to propose for Purim 2025 a fifth mitzvah beginning with the letter מ—משפחות החטופים (mishpachot ha-chatufim)—the families of the hostages. On the one hand, we must celebrate Purim this year as in every other year. Anything else would be an admission of defeat. On the other hand, this Purim we simply cannot ignore the plight of our brothers and sisters still being held hostage in horrific conditions inside Gaza, and of their families around the country who have been going through a living hell, every minute of every day for the past 17 months.

Thus, we can invite families of hostages to our Purim meal, send them mishloach manot or a heart-felt card, pay them a visit, support a cause that they hold dear, or recite a prayer on behalf of their loved ones. What matters most is that we internalize the message of both Mordechai and the Rambam that the festival of Purim cannot be complete until we extend ourselves and include those who need us most at this time.

Purim Sameach.