There are four primary mitzvot that apply on Purim, in addition to numerous customs. The four mitzvot are: the reading of the megilla (the book of Esther); mishlo’ah manot, sending portions of food to friends and neighbors; matanot la’evyonim, giving charity to the poor; and partaking of a celebratory meal.

The purpose of the mitzva of reading the megilla is to retell the story of how the Jews were saved from annihilation and to publicize this miracle. All Jews above the age of mitzvot are obligated to hear the reading of the megilla. This also includes women, “as they too were included in that miracle.” It is proper to bring children to the reading as well, in order to educate them and accustom them to this ritual, but parents must ensure that their children do not make noise, so as not to disturb others who are trying to listen to the reading.

The megilla is read twice on Purim, once at night and again in the morning (as detailed below).

The reading of the megilla at night comes directly after the evening prayers and the conclusion of the previous day’s fast, and one should not eat or drink anything before the megilla is read. As stated above, those who find the fast particularly difficult may drink and have a snack before the reading begins.

Before the reader starts the megilla, he recites three blessings. He should have in mind that he is saying these blessings on behalf of the congregation as well, and the congregation should intend to fulfill their obligation with his blessings. The blessings are as follows:

“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who sanctified us through His commandments, and commanded us concerning the reading of the megilla.”

“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who performed miracles for our forefathers, in those days, in this season.”

At night, all communities include the Sheheheyanu blessing:

“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has given us life, sustained us, and brought us to this time.”

These same blessings are recited before the daytime reading as well. However, Sephardim do not say the Sheheheyanu blessing again before the daytime reading. Ashkenazim, who do recite the Sheheheyanu blessing, should have in mind that it applies to the other mitzvot of the day as well (see below). Some Sephardim have this intention during the recitation of the Sheheheyanu blessing before the nighttime reading.

One must read or hear the megilla read from a valid scroll, written by hand on parchment. The listeners must pay attention and hear every word. One may not talk or let oneself be distracted during the entire reading, from the blessings preceding the reading through the blessing upon the conclusion of the reading.

Whenever the name of Haman is mentioned during the megilla reading, it is customary to make noise and a commotion in order to “blot out his name.” Some do this only when the name Haman is accompanied by some description, e.g., “Haman the Agagite,” “this evil Haman,” and the like. In some congregations, the noisemaking occurs only twice, upon the first and last mentions of Haman’s name. It is important not to make too much noise and thereby prevent the congregation from hearing all the words of the megilla. One who missed a few words said by the reader may read them himself from the text in his hands, even if it is only a printed book.

Further reading: For additional stories from the Sages that expand upon the events described in the megilla, see A Concise Guide to the Sages, p. 299.

At the conclusion of the reading of the megilla, the following blessing is recited:

“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, the God who pleads our cause, and who judges our claim, and who avenges our vengeance, and who brings retribution to our enemies and who punishes our foes. Blessed are You, Lord, who, on behalf of His people Israel, exacts punishment from all of their foes; the God who brings salvation.”

After the evening reading, according to Ashkenazic custom, the congregation recites the liturgical poem Asher Heini (“He who brought to naught the council of nations”), while after the daytime reading, they recite only the last part of it, from the words: Shoshanat Ya’akov (“The rose of Jacob was happy and joyous”).

The custom of the Sephardim is to say after the blessing at night only the following passage: “Cursed be Haman, blessed be Mordechai, cursed be Zeresh, blessed be Esther, cursed be all the wicked, blessed be all Israel. And may Harvona also be remembered for good.”

The megilla is read in the synagogue at night immediately after the evening prayer service, and in the morning following the reading of the Torah. However, one may fulfill the mitzva by hearing a megilla reading anytime at night, from the emergence of the stars until dawn. One may hear the daytime reading at any time during the day, from sunrise to sunset.

One who is unable to attend the megilla reading in the synagogue should find someone who knows how to read it with the proper cantillation notes from a valid megilla scroll. Megilla readings at various times are offered as a free service to the public in many cities, in synagogues, Chabad houses, etc. If one is unable to find such a reading or someone who can read for him, he should read it himself from a valid megilla scroll. In such a case, one might want to ask another person to follow the reading from a voweled and punctuated text, to make sure he is pronouncing all the words correctly.

During the day of Purim, from sunrise to sunset, every adult Jew is commanded to send at least two types of food or drink to one of his friends or acquaintances, as it is stated in the megilla: “And of sending portions [mishlo’ah manot] one to another” (Esther 9:19). The foods and drinks that one sends should be fit for immediate consumption, rather than requiring preparation.

With regard to this mitzva, it is important to emphasize:

Since the purpose of this mitzva is to increase friendship and goodwill between people, one must take care that it should not become a way of showing preference for one person over another, and that no one should be offended.

Sometimes it seems that the whole enterprise of sending food portions has been blown out of proportion. It must be remembered that this mitzva is not a competition to send the most expensive or creative food package. The Sages advised that it is preferable to invest most of one’s available money in the mitzva of the gifts for the poor (see below) rather than for this mitzva.

During the day of Purim, at some point between sunrise and sunset, all adults must give money to at least two poor people. It is advisable to give each one an amount of money that covers the cost of a minimal meal.

In order to fulfill this mitzva properly, the money must be given to two poor people early enough so that they will have time to use the money to buy food for that day.

It goes without saying that although this is the minimum requirement of halakha, it is praiseworthy for whoever is able to give more money and to give to more than two poor people.

It is important to clarify that whereas throughout the rest of the year one should act judiciously when disbursing money to charity, doing due diligence in order to discern the genuine poor from various impostors, on Purim the rule is: “Whoever stretches out a hand, give to him.” On this day one does not examine closely the person who asks for charity, and apart from the minimum two gifts to two poor people who really need it, one should give, even if only a small sum, to anyone who requests aid (in accordance with the giver’s financial means, of course).

Further reading: For more on the mitzva to give charity, see p. 615; A Concise Guide to the Sages, pp. 240, 245, 426, 458; A Concise Guide to Mahshava, p. 248.

The commandment of “feasting and joy” applies on the day of Purim, and that is when the celebratory meal should be held. Nevertheless, even on the night of Purim, after the reading of the megilla, it is proper to be joyful and to make the meal more festive than usual.

During the day of Purim, it is obligatory to eat at least one large meal that includes bread, and it is preferable to eat meat and other delicacies at this meal as well in order to enhance the celebration.

Some hold the Purim feast in the morning, after they have fulfilled the rest of the mitzvot of the day. But in most Jewish communities it is customary to eat the meal in the afternoon, after an early afternoon prayer service, and to extend the feast into the evening and night. Some eat two meals on Purim, a small but respectable meal in the morning, followed by a large feast in the afternoon.

When Purim falls on a Friday, many people advance the time of the meal to the morning, so that they will regain their appetites in time for the Friday night Shabbat meal. Others eat the Purim feast at the usual afternoon time, and when the time for Shabbat arrives, they stop the meal to allow the women to light the Shabbat candles, while the men declare, “I hereby accept upon myself the sanctity of Shabbat.” Then all the bread on the table is covered and Kiddush is recited over a cup of wine. If one who follows this practice has already drunk wine during the Purim meal, he should recite Kiddush without saying the blessing over the wine. In such a case, in Grace after Meals, the Al HaNisim passage is inserted, because the meal began on Purim, but one also adds the Shabbat Retzeh section, since it is presently Shabbat. After the meal, the participants should recite Kabbalat Shabbat, followed by the Shabbat evening prayers.

Further reading: For more on the mitzva of feasting and rejoicing on Purim, see A Concise Guide to Mahshava, p. 86.

As on every Jewish holiday, Purim also has customs involving specific types of food: In the daytime meal some eat foods that are seeds, such as beans, grits, or rice, as according to the tradition of the Sages, during the time Esther was in the king’s palace she ate only these types of foods in order to maintain a kosher diet. Another custom is to eat meat-filled dumplings on Purim. The reason for this is that whereas it is a mitzva to eat meat on every festival, on this holiday, which is diminished or “hidden” in the sense that work is permitted, the meat is likewise wrapped and covered. These are merely representative examples, as there are many other customary foods that are eaten by the various communities.

Throughout Purim, and particularly during the meal, it is a mitzva to partake of alcoholic beverages, especially wine. The desired state one should reach is the blurring of the senses, to the point of drowsiness. Some halakhic authorities are lenient in this regard, and rule that it is enough to simply drink more wine than one is used to, and there is no need to become inebriated at all. If wine is harmful to someone’s health, or if he knows in advance that drinking wine will lead him to act improperly or cause damage, he may rely on this lenient view. If someone nevertheless gets drunk on Purim and causes financial damage to another person, he should consult a rabbi concerning financial liability.

Further reading: To read about the importance of limiting one’s intake of alcohol, on Purim and all year long, see A Concise Guide to Mahshava, p. 89; A Concise Guide to the Sages, pp. 15, 141.