Hi guys - I have a major trial of faith here.

I cannot find any reference to Purim in the Torah, and this disturbs me greatly.  The closest that I can come to this is because Purim is specifically a Judean festival, and therefore we can learn out from the story of Yehuda's sons, Er and Onan.

Still, this seems a little shvach to me.  I think that perhaps it is a Medieval excuse for a masque, which was known to make people happier, and we don't follow Medieval social norms nowadays, so this remains an issue for me.

In a similar vein, I cannot understand why we wear a kippah today.  I cannot find any source for it in the Torah.  Again, it seems to be Jews who wear one, and therefore it must be related to Yehuda (origin of the name Jews), and therefore it must be related to his children (since we are mostly his descendants).  Is the wearing of a kippah simply a Medieval medical treatment against balding?  If so, perhaps the original Judenhat (this name is a reference to Judah and his sons, who must have worn one) would be a better alternative.  Still, I am struggling with this one, too.

Lastly, I cannot understand why we should perform any of the human kindnesses and norms that are not specifically mentioned in the Torah, or expounded upon at greater lengths in later Oral tradition.  I have a funny feeling that it all goes back to Yehuda's children, and that if only we could conclusively prove that everything stems from there, we could all be good people and good Yehudim (children of Yehuda).  If I cannot get conclusive proof of EVERYTHING from this small section of the Torah, then I fear that the very foundations of my faith may suffer.

Interesting Thing!
I figured I might try my luck and find some passuk related to er and onan that somehow is gematria some of the minhagim yossi mentioned, so i entered "maaseh purim" in Bar-Ilan's Gematria feature, guess what-
"maaseh purim" is the exact gematria of:
"Hashem Melech Olam Vaed Avdu Goyim MeiArtzo"!
Fascinating!

I don't even know where to begin.  Megillas Esther is part of the "bible" so I'm not sure where you were looking.  If you mean the 5 Books of Moses there are references cited by the Gemara (Haman min HaTora minayen, Ester min HaTorah Minayin, etc..) but why MUST you find reference in the Torah? The story happened later?

Wearing a Kippah I believe started as a minhag but nowadays it has been (almost) universally accepted so much so that it is now a requirement.  Why do you need a biblical source for this? (Yarmulka is a contraction of 2 words Yarei Malka which means Fear of the King)

And you last point about human kindness not specifically mentioned in the Torah.  There is a biblical commandment to emulate G-d.  Mah Hu Rachum af atta Rachum, Just as He is merciful so should you be.

But really your whole premise is flawed, if you cant find conclusive proof of everything then the foundations of your "faith" will suffer?  Do you know what the word faith means?

Me3 wrote on 28 Feb 2012 16:10:

you failed to notice that he changed his signature writing that when it comes to purim he is a jester!
whaddya think the guy's crazy? why all the references to er and onan? iss ah dzhoke!

Good job Yossi! ;D ;D ;D

You had me going for a minute too until I noticed your signature...

Me3 wrote on 28 Feb 2012 16:10:


It appears to me, from a comprehensive review of the most commonly asked question on this site, the one that seems to crop up every few weeks or so in another guise, that what we do (and ultimately faith) is all about proving that something is right or wrong based on one little story in Torah.  Or isn't.

Or something.

Me3 wrote on 28 Feb 2012 16:10:

At the beginning.  Duh!



Good question!



Good question!



Great response!

It's funny, because you answer like so many who ask the same question would answer.  Or maybe it's only me who sees the humor in it...
:-\

oh dear

Me3 wrote on 28 Feb 2012 17:18:


Bazinga?