The rest of the Jews . . . likewise mustered and fought for their lives . . . killing seventy-five thousand of their foes; but they did not lay hands on the spoil. That was on the thirteenth day of . . . Adar; and they rested on the fourteenth day and made it a day of feasting and merrymaking. (But the Jews in Shushan mustered on both the thirteenth and fourteenth days, and so rested on the fifteenth, and made it a day of feasting and merrymaking.) That is why village Jews, who live in unwalled towns, observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and make it a day of merrymaking and feasting, and as a holiday and an occasion for sending gifts to one another. Esther 9:16-19. The Writings--Kethubim: A new translation of The Holy Scriptures according to the Masoretic text, Third Section, The Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia, 1982.That's a lot of violence -- 75,000 people killed, and an unknown additional souls that did the killing -- it became part of all of their histories. I don't know what to say except, I'm glad the spoil was untouched. This section also explains Shushan Purim. Today, Shushan Purim is celebrated in cities that were walled in the time of Joshua (e.g., Jerusalem). Here’s an explanation why-– just scroll down to the section entitled Shushan Purim. And, once again, no whatshisname; no gragger.
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