Purim/ Tsom Esther
Beta Israel and the land of Cush..
Purim is one of the most widely recognized holidays on the Jewish calendar today. In many Jewish communities it is marked by reading the Megillah, giving gifts of food, charity, and festive celebration. Historically, Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jewish) communities did not observe Purim in the same way it is practiced in Rabbinic Judaism today. Because Beta Israel religious life developed through the Orit (Torah) and its own longstanding communal traditions, the holiday took on a distinct form within Beta Israel practice.
Like many Jewish communities across the diaspora, Beta Israel preserved Judaism through its own textual traditions, language, and ritual life. When we look closely at Esther’s story, two elements emerge that Beta Israel tradition knows well: the land where the story begins, and the fast at its heart.
The Megillah begins: “וַיְהִ֖י בִּימֵ֣י אֲחַשְׁוֵר֑וֹשׁ ה֣וּא אֲחַשְׁוֵר֗וֹשׁ הַמֹּלֵךְ֙ מֵהֹ֣דּוּ וְעַד־כּ֔וּשׁ שֶׁ֛בַע וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים וּמֵאָ֖ה מְדִינָֽה׃”
It happened in the days of Ahasuerus that Ahasuerus who reigned over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces from India to Cush.
Cush in Jewish Texts
The Hebrew word Cush (כּוּשׁ) is widely understood by Beta Israel tradition and many scholars as referring to Ethiopia, and appears across the Torah and Jewish textual tradition as a significant place:
In the story of creation: one of the four rivers flowing out of Eden winds through the land of Cush (Bereshit 2:13). Malbim on Genesis 2:13
In the life of Moses: Moses is described as having married a Cushite woman (Bamidbar 12:1).
In the opening of the Megillah: the empire of Ahasuerus stretches “from Hodu to Cush”(Esther 1:1).
For Ethiopian Jews, the name Cush has long resonated both geographically and historically.
A Note on Texts: To date, Megillat Esther has not been identified among Beta Israel sacred manuscripts written in Ge’ez. What is well documented, however, is that Beta Israel religious life was anchored in the Orit, preserved in Ge’ez by the kessim, the community’s religious leaders and scholars.