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Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Did Purim come from an Assyrian calendrical ritual?

MORE SERIOUSLY FOR PURIM: On the Origins of Purim and Its Assyrian Name (Dr. Amitai Baruchi-Unna, The Torah.com).
In the book of Esther, the name for the holiday Purim derives from Haman’s pūr (פּוּר, “lot”) to determine what day to attack the Jews. The name Purim predates the story of Haman’s lot, and may originate in a forgotten Assyrian calendrical celebration, when the new year was named with a pūru.
Could be.

And least serious of all, TheTorah.com also provides this for Purim.

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