Around the Table: The Concealed and Revealed in Purim

The Charlotte Jewish News, March, 2025

By Charlotte Rouchouze

One of the things I appreciate most about Judaism is the incredible richness of our holiday calendar. These beautiful festivals carry us from month to month and from season to season. As someone who has studied literature, I also appreciate the literary quality of our holidays. Each one tells a story and allows us to immerse ourselves in that story, finding new angles and interpretations each year. In that regard, Purim is not unique on the Jewish calendar. Like every other holiday, Purim tells a dramatic story about a pivotal moment in the history of the Jewish people. And yet, it might be the most literary of the holidays, thanks to the complexity and richness of the Book of Esther, which is read in its entirety every year.

An interesting aspect of the Purim story as a piece of literature is its recurring use of the themes of concealing and revealing. It is Vashti’s refusal to show her face that starts the drama in the court. Then, Esther, the newly selected queen, hides not her face but the fact that she is a Jew as she marries King Ahasuerus. Mordechai wins favor with the king by revealing the identities of the plotters against the king. Haman hides his own plot against the Jews and his plan to kill Mordechai, only to end up being himself hanged on the gallows he prepared for Mordechai—and on and on. The identities of the various players are like chess pieces on a board throughout the story. According to Chassidic tradition, the greatest concealment of the story is that of G-d’s presence, which is not mentioned a single time in the text. As such, the Purim story becomes an iconic tale of concealed miracles.

The observance of Purim also plays heavily on the hiding and revealing theme: the costumes disguise our identity; the alcohol we drink mixes up the categories we usually think in; and I even read that mishloach manot is intended to disguise tzedakah as a holiday gift. For several years, some friends and I made hamantaschen to raise money for Ukraine, and this sort of tzedakah project seems like a natural fit for this holiday.

When we make hamantaschen, the classic triangular Purim cookie, we also hide the filling, giving the eater a surprise upon biting into it.

I decided to share my hamantaschen recipe with you this month, and it is truly the only one you will ever need. The traditional Ashkenazi fillings are poppy seed paste and fruit jam. So this year, think about the hidden surprise in the hamantaschen, and take extra joy in giving them to friends and family.

Hamantaschen

Makes about a dozen cookies

Equipment: 4-inch round cookie cutter

Ingredients:

½ cup butter, softened ½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 egg

2 cups flour, plus more for rolling out

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. grated orange zest

1 tsp. vanilla

Pinch of salt

Fillings of your choice: apricot or other jam, poppy seed paste, Nutella, etc.

Instructions:

- Work together the butter, sugars, egg, vanilla, and orange zest.

- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until a stiff dough forms.

- Form into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

- Once chilled, preheat oven to 350°F and roll the dough out to about ⅛ inch.

- Next, cut into 3-4 inch circles with a cookie cutter.

- Place a teaspoon of filling in each circle and pinch the dough to form 3 corners, fold in 3 sides, bring them to the center to partly hide the filling, and pinch 3 corners to make a triangle.

- Transfer to parchment paper on a large baking sheet.

- Bake for about 20 minutes until golden.

Charlotte Rouchouze, PhD is a local French teacher, food blogger, and beaded jewelry designer. Her blog about food traditions from around the world can be found at www. thechildrenstable.com. Contact her at charlotte.rouchouze@yahoo.com.