Purim

Many Jewish families have also had "family Purims" throughout the centuries, celebrated at home, whereby they celebrate their escape from persecution, an accident, or any other type of misfortune. Users cannot link directly to a page with the flash file without the interstitial launch page. According to some sources, the influential Rabbi Moses Sofer (the Hatam Sofer), who was born in Frankfurt, celebrated Purim Vintz every year, even when rabbi in Pressburg. Clicking this button spawns a pop-up window showing the flash file. This commemorates the Fettmilch uprising (1616-1620), in which one Vincenz Fettmilch attempted to exterminate the Jewish community [1]. Linking to an item on Newgrounds can only be made to a launch page, where the reader has to find and click on a Watch this movie button. The best known is Purim Vintz, traditionally celebrated in Frankfurt am Main, one week after the regular Purim. These could be blocked using the browser or add-on software, except that to use the site, users would have to configure an exception for Newgrounds, exposing them to the advertising.

Many cities have until recently had local "Purims", all commemorating the deliverance of the local community from a particular anti-semitic ruler or group. Newgrounds uses pop-up advertising. Shushan Purim, is celebrated by those in Jerusalem the day after Purim. Around 2004, people began to complain that Newgrounds.com had been adding spyware, such as 180 Solutions to certain webpages. Orah Hayyim, 697). Astroseries 2 became the very first submission to be received by Newgrounds in 2006. 46b; comp. None have been made since spring of 2005, and it's unlikely that more will be made.

i. These collections have no theme, and seem to be primarily compilations of rejected or unused daily collection animations. The distinctions between the first and the second Purim in leap years are mentioned in the Mishnah (Meg. Some daily collections were submitted simply under the name "DailyToon________" with the cartoon's submission date in the blank space. The respective days of the first Adar being then called Purim Katan ("Little Purim" in Hebrew), for which there have been set forth certain observances similar to those for Purim proper, with the exception of reading the Megillah, sending gifts to the poor, and fasting on the 13th of the month. Certain collections are based after people, while others have been based on movies, cartoon characters, and video games. In leap years on the Hebrew calendar, Purim is celebrated in the second month of Adar, but by the Karaites in the first month of Adar. Most of them are based on TV shows, mainly sitcoms, anime productions, and kids' shows.

The fast on the 13th is still commonly observed; but when that date falls on a Sabbath, the fast is put back to Thursday, Friday being needed to prepare for the Sabbath and the following Purim festival. The daily collections are generally themed. Some, however, used to fast three days in commemoration of the fasting of Esther; but as fasting was prohibited during the month of Nisan, the first and second Mondays and the Thursday following Purim were chosen. As such, various other "Clocks" have guested on daily collections, as well as members of the similar "Star Syndicate", who also produce their own type of daily cartoons. 2a, "The 13th was the time of gathering", which gathering is explained to have had also the purpose of public prayer and fasting. These collections are masterminded by Newgrounds user "Coolboyman", better known as "Strawberry Clock", the self proclaimed "King of the Newgrounds Portal" and leader of the infamous Clock Crew. 18 and Meg. Each collection features from four to five animations, typically with each cartoon produced by a single animator.

ix. Due to the short timeframe, the majority of the included animations are of poor quality, featuring little (if any) animation and for the most part, speech to voice synthesis used for voices. The first who mentions it is Rabbi Aḥa of Shabḥa (8th cent.) in "She'eltot", iv.; and the reason there given for its institution is based on an arbitrary interpretation of Esth. They were written, created, and submitted to Newgrounds within the course of one day. The Fast of Esther, celebrated before Purim, on the 13th of Adar, is not an original part of the Purim celebration, nor was it later instituted "in commemoration of the fasting of Esther, Mordechai, and the people", since this fasting fell, according to rabbinical tradition, in the month of Nisan and lasted three days. Daily collections are existed between 2004 and 2005. This custom is no longer practiced. Currently there are a lot of collaborations based on songs, with each participating author animating one or more line each, because of the huge amount of collabs being started at the same time and spamming the Newgrounds Flash forum some members took it upon themselves to create the website NGCollabs where people with a batting average (average score of their Flash submissions) of lower than 3.00 could start collaborations.

The Rabbis themselves, to avoid danger, tried to abolish these customs, often even calling the magistracy to their aid, as in London in 1783. They are also a great way for up-and-coming artists to get in the spotlight with the bigshots. 309, 317, and Cassel, l.c.). Collaborations are a great way for artists to work together and get to know each other. ii. It began with group works by the Clock Crew and flourished when the Newgrounds Time Trials sparked a more general interest among authors. Schudt, l.c. Another popular activity on Newgrounds is the collab—various animators, artists and programmers collaborating on a single movie or game.

These customs often aroused the wrath of Christians, who interpreted them as a disguised attempt to ridicule Jesus and the cross; prohibitions were issued against these displays; e.g., under the reign of Honorius (395-423) and of Theodosius II (408-450; comp. Various flash series submitted exclusively to Newgrounds. As soon as the reader began to read the Megillah, the house with all its occupants was set on fire to the enjoyment of the spectators. His work includes:. The whole was then put on the almemar, where stood also the wax figures of Zeresh (Haman's wife) and two guards — one to her right and the other to her left — all attired in a flimsy manner and with pipes in their mouths. These are referred to as Newgrounds Originals. In Frankfurt am Main, Germany, it was customary to make a house of wax wherein the figures of Haman and his executioner, also of wax, were placed side by side. Tom Fulp has submitted several movies and games to Newgrounds.

In Italy, Jewish children used to range themselves in rows, and pelt one another with nuts; while the adults rode through the streets with fir-branches in their hands, shouted, or blew trumpets round a doll representing Haman and which was finally burned with due solemnity at the stake. The NG chat has spawned many spinoffs, such as #radiogrounds (The radiogrounds.com chat), #ngdrunks for the NGDr0kns (dr0kn.com), #blamclub for the blamclub (ADG/BlamClub Forums) and many other (smaller) user-made channels such as #ngpoker for the NG Late Night Poker Club, #nazigrounds.com, and #minimanjapan.com (minimanjapan.com). As early as the fifth century, and especially in the Geonic period (9th and 10th centuries), it was a custom to burn Haman in effigy on Purim. The NG Chat is accessible via any IRC client by entering the java.webchat.org, area.webchat.org or irc.webmaster.com servers and joining the channel through the irc command: /join #newgrounds.com. Some of them date from the Talmudic period. You go in, you get insulted and insult back. Outside the synagogue the pranks indulged in on Purim by both children and adults have been carried even to a greater extreme. The Insult room is somewhat self-explanatory.

In some congregations, people who do not dress up have to perform a forfeit, such as having to sing a song, or being squirted with a water pistol. The Hookup room is for any users who wish to "Chat intimately", trade pictures of one another, etc., to deter users from doing so in the main chat. Jews are also encouraged to dress up, with many people dressing up as pop stars, animals or even nuns. NG Chat also has two other smaller, less frequented channels: the Hookup room (#nglove) and the Insult room (#ngwar). For example, many congregations will read the prayers in ways which would be considered sacrilegious on any other occasion during the year - for example, asking the congregation to have a race, where the prayers would be read as fast as possible, or singing some prayers to the tune of widely-known songs, which may even be Christian, to add to the stupidity. If an AOL user enters the NG Chat, they are automatically kicked upon entry. Purim is also a time for other unusual goings-on. America Online (AOL) users on Java clients are not allowed into the NG Chat, because their IP Mask changes dynamically when the user begins a new dial-up session, so bans and akicks can't directly affect one person using that ISP (in any geographical region).

The custom of using noisemakers in synagogue on Purim is now almost universal. Many people join and chat about whatever they deem fit. Some of the rabbis protested against these uproarious excesses, considering them a sinful disturbance of public worship, but did so in vain. It's accessible via the CHAT button on the navigation bar at Newgrounds.com, or via any IRC client, such as mIRC, IRCle, Firefox's IRC clients, Trillian, etc. For noisemaking, others used a noisy rattle, called "gragger" or "greggar" (from Polish grzégarz). Newgrounds has its own chat, usually referred to as the NG Chat. Some wrote the name of Haman on the soles of their shoes, and at the mention of the name stamped with their feet as a sign of contempt. The forums for regular members consist of the General section, the Politics section, the Programming section, the Flash section, the Clubs & Crews section, the Where Is/How To? section, the NG News section (for any and all news posts made by admins), the Network News section (For anything pertaining to the tech aspects of the BBS), the P-Bot's Posts section (for Portal updates from the automated Portal Bot, aka P-Bot), and the recently added Audio forum.

Ultimately, the stones fell into disuse, with the knocking alone remaining. Next to the Flash Portal, the BBS seems to be the most popular part of the site. 19) is explained to mean "even from wood and stones", the rabbis introduced the custom of writing the name of Haman, the offspring of Amalek, on two smooth stones and of knocking or rubbing them constantly until the name was blotted out. Site administrator, Wade Fulp, also clears the BBS of spam by deleting accounts that violate rules, a process which he calls 'terminating' or 'axing'. xxv. Thanks to the moderators, it is kept relatively free of spam. In accordance with a passage in the Midrash, where the verse "Thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek" (Deut. Other forums are private, for use by moderators.

For example, during the public service in many congregations, when the reader of the Megillah mentions Haman or his sons, there is boisterous hissing, stamping, and rattling This practice traces its origin to French and German rabbis of the 13th century. Some are reply-only, where you can't start a new topic, but are welcome to read and reply to existing topics. Indeed, Purim was an occasion on which much joyous license was permitted even within the walls of the synagogue itself. Some are all access, where all users are welcome to read, post and reply. This pastry's triangular shape is recognized as a symbol, representing the tri-cornered hat which Haman (Purim's chief villain) wore. The BBS (Bulletin Board System) is a very popular forum on the site, which consists of multiple forums. These are flattish triangular pastries, with a pocket in the center, traditionally filled with a sweet poppy seed (or sometimes prune) based filling, but more recently made with almost any sweet filling, including fruit or chocolate.
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During Purim, it is traditional to eat festive meals and to serve hamantaschen (taschen [pockets] of mon [poppy seed]). Note: You must have at least 30 reviews that week to win an award that involves calculating the review score as well, such as the Underdog or Review Crew Pick awards. A popular song is "Ani Purim". When a movie or game is submitted to the Flash Portal, it has the chance to win any of the following awards:. For the children's sake certain verses from the Book of Esther have been sung in chorus on Purim. . Purim songs have been introduced even into the synagogue.
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In Israel there are Purim parades, and men, women, boys and girls frolic publicly in costumes and masks, and indulge in all kinds of jollity. On July 6, 2005, Newgrounds celebrated its ten year anniversary. The custom is still practiced today amongst religious Jews of all denominations, and among both religious and non-religious Israelis. The site now has over 900,000 registered members and over 291,000 submissions. Although some rigorous authorities issued prohibitions against this custom, the people did not heed them, and the more lenient view prevailed. This system of public voting creates a sense of community in Newgrounds and keeps visitors coming back for more. He expresses the opinion that, since the purpose of the masquerade is only merrymaking, it should not be considered a transgression of the Biblical law regarding dress. A user-friendly system of voting and rating produces lists that directs visitors to the most popular flash movies and allows the Newgrounds site designers to easily locate any material that might be considered for deletion or promotion.

17, quoted by Moses Isserles on Orah Hayyim, 696:8. Visitors are encouraged to review the various submissions that they encounter on the site, as a means of providing other potential visitors with a vague idea of what they can expect from the many flash movies and games to choose from. 1508 at Venice) in his Responsa, No. Over the years Newgrounds has grown to an incredible size, and with so much material to offer, it must rely on the willing cooperation and support of its many visitors in order to function properly. The first among Jewish authors to mention this custom is Judah Minz (d. This site allows its users to submit their own Flash movies, games, and music, and view submissions from other users. From Italy, this custom spread over all countries where Jews lived, except perhaps the Orient. Tim, Tom's former roommate, also assists in running the site.

The custom of masquerading on Purim was first introduced among the Italian Jews about the close of the fifteenth century under the influence of the Roman carnival. It was created and is currently owned by Tom Fulp, who is assisted by his brother Wade Fulp, and is also helped by liljim, an administrator living in England. In remembrance of how God remained hidden throughout the Purim Miracle, Jews dress up on Purim and many hide their faces. Newgrounds is a website that hosts Macromedia Flash animations and games. Although Jews believe that everything turned out in the end for the best as a direct result of divine intervention (that is, a series of miracles), the Book of Esther lacks any mention of God's name and seemingly appears to have been nothing more than a result of natural occurrences. Ben Edelman on 180 Solutions. However, there is also an important concept of hester panim, or "hidden face," a reference to God's role in the Purim miracle. "Newgrounds and Me".

Many commentaries state that Haman's daughter committed suicide after dumping the rotting contents of a trash bin on her father's head, thinking that he was Mordechai). "180 Solutions: Kill The Sleaze Ads". Mistaken identity plays an important role in The Book of Esther, as Esther publically hid her cultural origins from the public, Haman was forced to lead Mordechai on horseback through the capital city Shushan (Haman had thought that the King would order Mordechai to lead Haman around, and this led to confusion among Haman's followers. Shroud. Costumes and masks are worn to disguise the wearers' identities. Dr. Children in particular enjoy dressing up as the characters found in the Scroll of Esther, including King Ahasuerus, Queen Vashti, Queen Esther, Mordechai, and the evil Haman. Burnt Face Man.

Dressing up in masks and costumes is one of the most entertaining customs of the Purim holiday. Madness Combat. Some men dress in women's attire and vice versa. The traditional tunes of prayers sung in the synagogue are sometimes altered, always in deliberately humorous ways. Miss Dynamite. Many kinds of merry-making and mockery have been indulged in on Purim, so that among the masses it has become almost a general rule that "on Purim everything is allowed", even transgressions of certain Biblical laws. YAAFM. The Rama effectively pushed a message of moderation, saying that one should only drink a little more that what one is used to drinking and he concludes with "Whether one drinks more or drinks less, the main thing is that his intention is for the sake of Heaven." The Rama encouraged merry-making, but total intoxication was condemned. Retarded Animal Babies.

In response, some commentators like Moses Isserles (The Rama) who worried about the abuse of this rule, developed less literal ways to understand this invitation. Waterman. While Jews have long been noted for a lack of alcohol abuse, drunkenness was licensed on this holiday. College University. 7b) that one should drink on Purim until he can no longer distinguish "Cursed be Haman" from "Blessed be Mordechai", a saying which was codified in the authoritative code of Jewish law, the Shulkhan Arukh. Salad Fingers. The jovial character of the feast was illustrated in the saying of the Talmud (Meg. Neurotically Yours.

Thus Ashkenazi Jews eat Hamantaschen and Hamanohren (in Italy, orrechi d'Aman), Kreppchen, Kindchen, etc. Broken Saints. Jews developed special pastries for this holiday; cakes were shaped into special forms and were given names having some symbolic bearing on the historical events of Purim. Xombie. Hence it was the rule to have at least one festive meal, called Seudat Purim, toward the evening of the 14th. Pico's School. The national rather than the religious character of the festival made it appear appropriate to celebrate the occasion by feasting. House Hunting.

In some congregations, it is customary to place a charity box in the vestibule of the synagogue. Harry Pothead. It was obligatory upon the poorest Jew, even on one who was himself dependent on charity, to give to other poor — at least to two people. Domo Kun Angry Smash Fest!. No distinction was to be made among the poor; anyone who was willing to accept charity, even a non-Jew, was to be allowed to participate. Dad 'n Me. In the synagogue, regular collections may be made on the festival, and the money is distributed among the needy. Club-A-Seal.

Jews send gifts of food (called "Mishloach manot"), especially pastries, to one another, and Jews give charity to the poor. Beep-Me Jesus. Over time, this became one of the most prominent features of the celebration of Purim. Alien Hominid (Later remade for PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube (US only), Xbox (Europe only) and Game Boy Advance.). The Book of Esther prescribes "the sending of portions one to another, and gifts to the poor". Turd of the Week: (Frequently referred to as TOTW) It is given to the submission with the lowest score that manages to pass judgement. The Bobov purimspiel is still performed annually, at midnight, inside the Bobov main synagogue in Brooklyn. Underdog of the Week: (Often referred to as UOTW) This award is given to the submission with the biggest discrepancy between the review score and the popular vote.

The Bobov Hassidic group has never ceased performing its Purimspiel. Review Crew Pick: This award is given to the submission with the best "overall" score in reviews. Because satire was deemed inappropriate for the synagogue itself, they were usually performed outdoors in its court. Weekly 2nd/3rd/4th/5th Place: Lesser awards given to submissions each week. By the 18th century in eastern Romania and some other parts of Eastern Europe, Purim plays -- Purimspiels -- had evolved into broad-ranging satires with music and dance, precursors to Yiddish theater, for which the story of Esther was little more than a pretext: indeed, by the mid-19th century, some were even based on other stories, such as Joseph sold by his brothers, Daniel, or the Sacrifice of Isaac. Weekly Users Choice: The award given to the submission that scored the highest for the week. Other writings (dramas, plays, etc.) intended for general edification, both in Hebrew and in other languages, have been composed as well. Daily 2nd/3rd/4th/5th Place: Lesser awards given to submissions each day.

These include a large number of hymns intended for the public service. Daily Feature: The award given to the submission that scored the highest for the day. Purim gave rise to many religious compositions, some of which were incorporated into the liturgy. 8-16, the story of the attack on the Jews by Amalek, the progenitor of Haman, is also to be read. xvii.

30b), Ex. According to the Mishnah (Meg. According to Jewish law the Megillah may be read in any language intelligible to the audience. It has been also customary since the time of the Geonim (early medieval era) to unroll the whole Megillah before reading it, in order to give it the appearance of an epistle.

26, 29) to the Book of Esther. ix. In some places, however, it is not chanted, but is read like a letter, because of the name "iggeret" (epistle) which is applied (Esth. The Megillah is read with a traditional chant differing from that used in the customary reading of the Torah.

3, which relate the origin of Mordechai and his triumph. 15-16, and x. 5, viii. The congregation was to recite aloud with the reader the verses ii.

7-10) in one breath, to indicate their simultaneous death. ix. For example, the reader is to pronounce the names of the ten sons of Haman (Esth. The Talmud added other provisions.

However, the Talmud, a later work, prescribed three benedictions before the reading and one benediction after the reading. In the Mishnah, the recitation of a benediction on the reading of the Megillah is not yet a universally recognized obligation. Further, he obliged women to attend the reading of the Megillah, inasmuch as it was a woman, Queen Esther, through whom the miraculous deliverance of the Jews was accomplished. Originally this enactment was for the 14th of Adar only; later, however, Rabbi Joshua ben Levi (3d cent.) prescribed that the Megillah should be read on the eve of Purim also.

2a) to the "Men of the Great Synod", of which Mordechai is reported to have been a member. The first religious ceremony ordained for the celebration of Purim is the reading of the Book of Esther (the "Megillah") in the synagogue, a regulation ascribed in the Talmud (Meg. The siddur (Jewish prayer book) has a special prayer to be said on this festival. The Book of Esther enjoins the annual celebration of the feast among the Jews on the 14th and 15th of Adar, commanding that they should "make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor".

5a; Maimonides, "Yad", Megillah). i. Purim has been held in high esteem by Judaism at all times; some have held that when all the prophetical and hagiographical works are forgotten, the Book of Esther will still be remembered, and, accordingly, the Feast of Purim will continue to be observed (Jerusalem Talmud, Meg. Accordingly, business transactions and even manual labor are allowed on Purim, although in certain places restrictions have been imposed on work (Shulkhan Arukh, Orach Chayim, 696).

Like Hanukkah, Purim's status as a holiday is on a lesser level than those ordained holy by the Torah. . (In a small number of cities that were walled in ancient times, it is instead celebrated on the 15th.) As with all Jewish holidays, Purim begins at sundown on the previous day. Purim is celebrated annually on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar.

According to that book, the feast was instituted as a national one by the book's protagonists, Mordechai and Esther. Purim (פּוּרִים "Lots", Standard Hebrew Purim, Tiberian Hebrew Pûrîm: plural of פּוּר pûr "Lot", from Akkadian pūru) is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Persian Jews from the plot of the evil Haman to exterminate them, as recorded in the biblical Book of Esther.