Esther 9:12

Purim is a holiday commemorating the events of the book of Esther, where the Jewish Queen Esther and Mordekhai overturn a decree of genocide against the Jews of the ancient Persian Empire.

Queen Esther is the protagonist of the book of Esther. She hid her Jewish identity after being chosen to marry the Persian king Ahashverosh and, along with her cousin Mordekhai, saved the Jewish people from the genocidal vizier, Haman.

Haman is the villain of the book of Esther. A vizier of King Ahasuerus, he planned a genocide against the Jewish people, but his plans were thwarted by Esther and her uncle, Mordekhai. As a descendant of the nation of Amalek, the first nation to attack the Israelites soon after they left Egypt, Haman comes from a long line of enemies of the Jewish people.

The book of Esther is one of the five megillot (scrolls), part of the section of the Hebrew Bible called Writings. It tells the story of Esther, a Jew who becomes queen of Persia and together with her cousin, Mordekhai, foils a plot of the evil Haman to destroy the Jews. To commemorate the transformation from “grief and mourning to festive joy” (9:22), Esther and Mordekhai establish the holiday of Purim. The book of Esther is read publicly in the evening and morning of Purim.

Mordekhai is one of the protagonists of the book of Esther. A courtier to the king, he saved the king from an assassination attempt and helped his cousin Esther to save the Jewish people from genocide.