Rabbi Eli Mansour

“Purim Katan” – the Fourteenth
and Fifteenth Days of Adar Rishon  

The Mishna in Masechet
Megila (6b) establishes that in a leap year, which contains an extra month of
Adar, the festival of Purim (which is normally celebrated in Adar) is observed during
Adar Sheni (the “second Adar”). This means that all the Misvot
associated with Purim – reading the Megila, sending Mishlo'ah Manot, giving
money to the poor, and the festive meal – apply specifically on the fourteenth
of Adar Sheni during a leap year.

Nevertheless, it is customary to observe the fourteenth and
fifteenth days of Adar Rishon as “Purim Katan” – literally,
“minor Purim.” (This year, a leap year, Purim Katan falls
out on Tuesday Feb. 15th and Wednesday Feb. 16th) On these days we omit the
Tahanunim section of the prayer service, including the Viduyim (confessions).
We also omit the paragraph of “La'menase'ah” and “Tefila
Le'David” which are incongruous with the festive nature of these days.
Tahanunim is likewise omitted from Minha on the afternoon of the thirteenth of
Adar Rishon. When the fifteenth of Adar Rishon falls on Shabbat, we do not
recite “Sidkatecha” during Minha. (The fourteenth of Adar never falls
on Shabbat, but the fifteenth can occur on Shabbat.) It is forbidden to observe
a fast on Purim Katan, even in observance of the Yartzeit of a parent, and even
for Ashkenazic brides and grooms, who otherwise have the custom to fast on the
day of their wedding. (This ruling is codified in the work Nimuke Orah Haim,
697.) Eulogies are also forbidden on Purim Katan, with the exception of
eulogies delivered at the funeral of a Torah scholar.
Going to work is permissible on Purim day itself, so it
goes without saying that one may perform such activity on Purim Katan, as well.
According to some authorities, it is proper to observe
Purim Katan with some festivity and joyous celebration

Purim Katan: Haman's Decree and Kashrut
 

In commemoration of
Purim Katan (the 14th and 15th of Adar Rishon), it is appropriate to reflect
upon one important lesson that emerges from the Purim story.

The Talmud in Masechet Megila (12) records that Rabbi
Shimon Bar Yohai's students asked their Rabbi why the Jews living in the time
of Ahashverosh were deserving of destruction. The fact that Haman issued his
decree of annihilation demonstrates that the Jews in fact deserved to die, but
God repealed the decree in response to their repentance. Why, the students
asked, did the people deserve destruction? Rabbi Shimon explained,
“Because they took part in the feast of that wicked man.” The Jews of
Shushan participated in the royal feast that Ahashverosh hosted, as we read in
the beginning of Megilat Ester, and for this they were deserving of
annihilation. Ahashverosh obviously did not have a “kosher kitchen”
in his palace, and the food served thus could not have been assumed kosher. The
Jews nevertheless partook of these non-kosher foods, and for this God issued
the decree of destruction.

The question arises, where do we find that partaking of
forbidden foods is punishable by death? Though this clearly constitutes a grave
transgression, nowhere in Halachic sources do we find a death penalty
associated with this particular sin. Why, then, were the Jews deserving of
execution on account of this violation?

The work Sha'ar Bat Rabim explains that in fact, the entire
concept of death can be attributed to this specific sin. When God first created
the world, He intended for Adam and Hava to live forever; the concept of death
did not exist at the time of man's creation. It was only as a result of Adam
and Hava's sin, of partaking from the forbidden tree, that God decreed death
upon mankind. Quite clearly, then, eating forbidden foods is indeed the
quintessential capital crime, as it is the very sin that introduced death to
the world in the first place. Understandably, then, the Jews at the time of
Ahashverosh, who collectively, as a nation, partook of forbidden foods, brought
a decree of death upon themselves.

This understanding of Rabbi Shimon's response might also
shed light on a different Talmudic passage. In Masechet Hulin (139), the Gemara
raises the question of where we could find an allusion to Haman in the Humash.
It answers by citing God's question to Adam after the sin of the forbidden
tree: “Ha'min Ha'etz Asher Siviticha Le'vilti Achol Mimena Achalta”
(“Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to
eat?” – Bereshit 3:11). The word “Ha'min,” the Gemara notes, can
also be read as “Haman,” and thus this verse serves as a subtle
allusion to Haman in the Humash.

The Gemara's discussion seems very puzzling. Why must we
search for an allusion to Haman in the Humash? And what connection is there
between this verse and the story of Haman?

In light of our earlier discussion, the answer becomes abundantly
clear. The Gemara seeks a Biblical source for the concept underlying Haman's
decree, namely, that the Jews deserved destruction on account of their having
participated in Ahashverosh's feast. In effect, the Gemara asks the very
question discussed earlier: where do we find that eating forbidden foods is
punishable by death? The Gemara answers by pointing to God's harsh response to
Adam and Hava after the incident of the forbidden fruit. The decree of death
that He issued upon mankind in response to Adam's sin demonstrates that indeed
the sin of forbidden foods is grave enough to warrant death, Heaven forbid.

This insight should serve as a reminder and warning to
exercise extreme care with regard to the area of Kashrut (the Torah's dietary
laws). People often tend to justify eating food that is not certified as
kosher, especially during travel, when certified kosher food is less readily
available, and people unfortunately lower their overall religious standards.
One particular example relates to the consumption of milk. Here in the United States
many people follow the lenient ruling of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (1895-1986)
allowing the consumption of “Halav Setam” – cow's milk produced by
gentiles. Since strict government regulations forbid adding foreign substances
to milk, there is room to allow drinking “Halav Setam” without
concern that non-kosher milk may have been added. (It should be noted that
Rabbi Feinstein issued this ruling as a “Heter,” meaning, as grounds
for leniency, but advised acting stringently in this regard and drinking only
“Halav Yisrael” – milk produced by a Jew.) Many people follow this
lenient position, but are unaware that it cannot necessarily be applied outside
the United States.
In resort areas such as Puerto Rico and Aruba, for example, there are no regulations forbidding
the addition of foreign substances to cow's milk. Private farmers produce the
milk and deliver it to stores without any governmental supervision. Hence, a
person traveling to areas such as these must ensure to drink only “Halav
Yisrael.”

This importance of meticulous observance of Kashrut is one
of the many lessons that we should learn and apply as we enter the Purim season