Millau Viaduct

The builder claims that the bridge's lifetime will be at least 120 years. 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. The project required about 127,000 m³ of concrete, 19,000 metric tons of steel for the reinforced concrete, and 5,000 metric tons of pre-stressed concrete for the cables and shrouds. 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. However, if the concession is very profitable, the French government can assume control of the bridge in 2044. This commemorates the Fettmilch uprising (1616-1620), in which one Vincenz Fettmilch attempted to exterminate the Jewish community [1]. The builders, Eiffage, financed the construction in return for a concession to collect the tolls for 75 years, until 2080. The best known is Purim Vintz, traditionally celebrated in Frankfurt am Main, one week after the regular Purim.

The bridge's construction costs amount to €394 million, with a toll plaza 6 km north of the viaduct costing an additional €20 million. Many cities have until recently had local "Purims", all commemorating the deliverance of the local community from a particular anti-semitic ruler or group. The engineering group Setec has authority in the project, with SNCF engineering having partial control. Shushan Purim, is celebrated by those in Jerusalem the day after Purim. The construction consortium is made up of the Eiffage TP company for the concrete part, the Eiffel company for the steel roadway (Gustave Eiffel built the Garabit viaduct in 1884, a train bridge in the neighboring Cantal département), and the Enerpac company for the roadway's hydraulic supports. Orah Hayyim, 697). The work leader is the Compagnie Eiffage du Viaduc de Millau, owner of the government contract. 46b; comp.

Four consortia were in competition for the building contract:. i. He worked together with the Dutch engineering firm ARCADIS, responsible for the technical design of the bridge. The distinctions between the first and the second Purim in leap years are mentioned in the Mishnah (Meg. The architects of the bridge are the British firm Foster and Partners. 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. The original concept for the bridge was devised by French designer Michel Virlogeux. 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.

After the choice of the high viaduct's path, five teams of architects and researchers simultaneously worked on a technical solution. 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. After long construction studies, the low solution was abandoned because it would have intersected the water table, had negative effects on the town, cost more, and the driving distance would have been longer. 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. It consisted of two possibilities: the high solution, and the low solution, requiring the construction of a 200 m bridge to cross the Tarn, then a viaduct of 2300 m extended by a tunnel on the Larzac side. 2a, "The 13th was the time of gathering", which gathering is explained to have had also the purpose of public prayer and fasting. The fourth option was selected by the government on June 28, 1989. 18 and Meg.

In initial studies, four options were examined:. ix. The viaduct was officially inaugurated by President Chirac on December 14, 2004 to open for traffic on December 16, several weeks ahead of the revised schedule. 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. A revised schedule aimed for the bridge to be opened in January 2005. 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. Construction began on October 10, 2001 and was intended to take 3 years, but weather conditions put work on the bridge behind schedule. This custom is no longer practiced.

The Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado, United States has a deck considerably higher than either, at 321 m (1,053 ft) above the Arkansas River. The Rabbis themselves, to avoid danger, tried to abolish these customs, often even calling the magistracy to their aid, as in London in 1783. Its deck, at "almost 270 m" (886 ft) above the Tarn, is apparently slightly higher than the New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia in the United States, which is 267 m (876 ft) above the New River. 309, 317, and Cassel, l.c.). The Millau Viaduct is the second highest vehicular bridge measured from the roadway elevation. ii. Current plans call for towers 382.6 m high. Schudt, l.c.

The proposed Strait of Messina Bridge in Italy, if constructed would be taller still and would also be the world's largest suspension bridge. 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. The viaduct is the tallest vehicular bridge in the world, nearly twice as tall as the previous tallest vehicular bridge in Europe, the Europabrücke in Austria. 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. The piers were assembled first, together with some temporary supports, before the decks were slid out across the piers by satellite-guided hydraulic rams that moved the deck 600 mm (23.6 inches) every 4 minutes. 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. The piers each support 97 m (319 ft) tall pylons. 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.

These sections were assembled on site from pieces of 60 metric tons, 4 m (13 ft) wide and 17 m (56 ft) long, made in factories in Lauterbourg and Fos-sur-Mer by Eiffage. 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. Each pier is composed of 16 framework sections, each section weighing 2,230 metric tons. 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 piers range in height from 77–246 m (253–807 ft), and taper in their longitudinal section from 24.5 m (81 ft) at the base to 11 m (36 ft) at the deck. Some of them date from the Talmudic period. It carries two lanes of traffic in each direction. Outside the synagogue the pranks indulged in on Purim by both children and adults have been carried even to a greater extreme.

The roadway has a slope of 3% descending from south to north, and curves in plan section on a 20 km (12.4 mile) radius to give drivers better visibility. 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 six central spans each measure 342 m (1,122 ft) with the two outer spans measuring 204 m (670 ft). Jews are also encouraged to dress up, with many people dressing up as pop stars, animals or even nuns. The roadway weighs 36,000 metric tons and is 2,460 m (8,071 ft) long, measuring 32 m (105 ft) wide by 4.2 m (13.8 ft) deep. 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. The Millau Viaduct consists of an eight-span steel roadway supported by seven concrete piers. Purim is also a time for other unusual goings-on.

The bridge was constructed by the Eiffage group, which also built the Eiffel Tower, under a government contract which allows the company to collect tolls for up to 75 years. The custom of using noisemakers in synagogue on Purim is now almost universal. The Eiffage group operates the viaduct as a toll bridge, with the toll currently set at €4.90 for light automobiles (€6.50 during the peak months of July and August). Some of the rabbis protested against these uproarious excesses, considering them a sinful disturbance of public worship, but did so in vain. Many tourists heading to southern France and Spain follow this route because it is direct and without tolls for the 340 km between Clermont-Ferrand to Béziers, except for the bridge itself. For noisemaking, others used a noisy rattle, called "gragger" or "greggar" (from Polish grzégarz). The purpose of the A75 is to increase the speed and reduce the cost of vehicle traffic travelling along this route. 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 bridge forms the last link of the A75 (la Méridienne) autoroute, providing a continuous high-speed route south from Paris through Clermont-Ferrand to Béziers. Ultimately, the stones fell into disuse, with the knocking alone remaining. The bridge now traverses the Tarn valley above its lowest point, linking the causse du Larzac to the causse rouge, and is inside the perimeter of the Grands Causses regional natural park. 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. Before the bridge was constructed, traffic had to descend into the Tarn River valley and pass along the route nationale N9 near the town of Millau, causing heavy congestion at the beginning and end of the July and August vacation season. xxv. . In accordance with a passage in the Midrash, where the verse "Thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek" (Deut.

. 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. It was formally opened on 14 December 2004 and opened to traffic on 16 December 2004. Indeed, Purim was an occasion on which much joyous license was permitted even within the walls of the synagogue itself. Designed by British architect Lord Foster in collaboration with French bridge engineer Michel Virlogeux, it is the tallest vehicular bridge in the world, with one pier's summit at 341 metres (1,118 ft)—slightly higher than the Eiffel Tower and only 40 m (132 ft) shorter than the Empire State Building. This pastry's triangular shape is recognized as a symbol, representing the tri-cornered hat which Haman (Purim's chief villain) wore. The Millau Viaduct (French: le Viaduc de Millau) is a cable-stayed road bridge that spans the valley of the River Tarn near Millau in southern France. 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.

[1]. During Purim, it is traditional to eat festive meals and to serve hamantaschen (taschen [pockets] of mon [poppy seed]). Felix Baumgartner became the first person to BASE jump from the bridge on 27 June 2004, shortly after the road deck was completed but well before the bridge was opened. A popular song is "Ani Purim". 2080: Eiffage toll concession runs out. For the children's sake certain verses from the Book of Esther have been sung in chorus on Purim. 2044: French government can assume control of the bridge if the toll concession is very profitable. Purim songs have been introduced even into the synagogue.

January 10, 2005: initial planned opening date. 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. December 16, 2004: opening of the viaduct, ahead of schedule. The custom is still practiced today amongst religious Jews of all denominations, and among both religious and non-religious Israelis. December 14, 2004: official inauguration. Although some rigorous authorities issued prohibitions against this custom, the people did not heed them, and the more lenient view prevailed. 2nd half of 2004: installation of the pylons and shrouds, removal of the temporary roadway supports. 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.

May 28, 2004: the pieces of roadway are several centimeters apart, their juncture to be accomplished within two weeks. 17, quoted by Moses Isserles on Orah Hayyim, 696:8. November 2003: completion of the last piers (Piers P2 at 221 m and P3 at 245 m are the highest piers in the world.). 1508 at Venice) in his Responsa, No. February 25–February 26, 2003: laying of first pieces of roadway. The first among Jewish authors to mention this custom is Judah Minz (d. November 2002: first piers complete. From Italy, this custom spread over all countries where Jews lived, except perhaps the Orient.

September 2002: assembly of roadway begins. 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. August 2002: start of work on pier support C0. In remembrance of how God remained hidden throughout the Purim Miracle, Jews dress up on Purim and many hide their faces. July 2002: start of work on the foundations of temporary, height adjustable roadway supports. 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. June 2002: support C8 completed, start of work on piers. However, there is also an important concept of hester panim, or "hidden face," a reference to God's role in the Purim miracle.

March 2002: start of work on the pier support C8. 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). January 2002: laying pier foundations. 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. December 14, 2001: laying of the first stone. Costumes and masks are worn to disguise the wearers' identities. October 16, 2001: work begins. 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.

1998: decision to contract out both construction costs and future tolls to a private enterprise. Dressing up in masks and costumes is one of the most entertaining customs of the Purim holiday. July 9, 1996: choice of the cable-stayed bridge type. 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. term). 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. January 10, 1995: declaration of utilité publique (public usefulness), as needed to apply eminent domain(U.S. 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.

October 19, 1991: selection of the high solution, with the viaduct at 2500 m. 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. June 28, 1989: governmental approval of the middle route. While Jews have long been noted for a lack of alcohol abuse, drunkenness was licensed on this holiday. €4.90–6.50: typical automobile toll, as of 2005. 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. 10,000–25,000 vehicles: estimated daily traffic. The jovial character of the feast was illustrated in the saying of the Talmud (Meg.

290,000 metric tons: total weight of the bridge. Thus Ashkenazi Jews eat Hamantaschen and Hamanohren (in Italy, orrechi d'Aman), Kreppchen, Kindchen, etc. 85,000 m³: total volume of concrete used. 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. 32.05 m: width of the roadway. Hence it was the rule to have at least one festive meal, called Seudat Purim, toward the evening of the 14th. 4.20 m: thickness of the roadway. The national rather than the religious character of the festival made it appear appropriate to celebrate the occasion by feasting.

270 m: average height of the roadway. In some congregations, it is customary to place a charity box in the vestibule of the synagogue. 154: number of shrouds. 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. 87 m: height of a pylon. 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. 336 m: height of Pier 2, the tallest (245 m at the roadway's level). In the synagogue, regular collections may be made on the festival, and the money is distributed among the needy.

77 m: height of Pier 7, the shortest. Jews send gifts of food (called "Mishloach manot"), especially pastries, to one another, and Jews give charity to the poor. 7: number of piers. Over time, this became one of the most prominent features of the celebration of Purim. 2,460 metre: total length of the roadway. The Book of Esther prescribes "the sending of portions one to another, and gifts to the poor". the successful bidders, lead by the Eiffage group, product of the Fougerolles-SEA fusion, the third largest French group in public works, and the sixth largest in Europe. The Bobov purimspiel is still performed annually, at midnight, inside the Bobov main synagogue in Brooklyn.

one led by Générale Routière, with Via GTI (French), and Cintra, Necso, Acciona, and Ferrovial Agroman (all Spanish). The Bobov Hassidic group has never ceased performing its Purimspiel. Société du viaduc de Millau, made up of ASF, Egis, GTM, Bouygues Travaux Publics, SGE, CDC Projets, Tofinso (all French) and Autostrade (Italian); and. Because satire was deemed inappropriate for the synagogue itself, they were usually performed outdoors in its court. one led by Dragados (Spanish), with Skanska (Swedish) and Bec (French);. 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. traverse the middle of the valley. Other writings (dramas, plays, etc.) intended for general edification, both in Hebrew and in other languages, have been composed as well.

follow the path of Route Nationale 9, providing good access to Millau but at the cost of technical difficulties and intrusion on the town; and. These include a large number of hymns intended for the public service. bypass Millau to the west (12 km longer), requiring four bridges;. Purim gave rise to many religious compositions, some of which were incorporated into the liturgy. bypass Millau to the east, requiring two large bridges over the Tarn and the Dourbie;. 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.