תענית אסתר – Thursday Morning
- If one is planning to eat before daylight, then before he goes to sleep Wednesday night, he should say or at least have in mind that he is not starting the fast. This way, if he wakes up before עלות השחר, he may eat.
- The fast begins at עלות השחר, which according to many opinions is 72 minutes before נץ החמה, and according to others is a little earlier than that.
- When one wakes up early to eat before a fast, or for that matter on any day, he may not eat המוציא or מזונות unless he begins eating at least 31 minutes before עלות.
- An individual davens שחרית as he would on any ordinary day.
- During חזרת הש”ץ, the חזן inserts the ברכה of עננו between the ברכה of גואל ישראל and the start of רפאנו.
- After חזרת הש”ץ, selichos – which are found in the back of the סידור – are recited.
- אבינו מלכנו is recited.
- Next is והוא רחום.
- Lein ויחל משה.
- Some have a מנהג to recite פרק כב of ספר תהלים on תענית אסתר, and afterwards make requests of ‘ה.
תענית אסתר – Monday Afternoon
- When the בית המקדש is standing there was/will be an obligation upon each male 20 and older to give a מחצית השקל, a half-shekel. This מחצית השקל was/will be used by הקדש to pay for the קרבנות צבור, communal קרבנות.
- In today’s times, as a זכר, a remembrance, for the מחצית השקל, three half-dollar coins are given in its place to צדקה. Therefore, men under the age of 20 and women, who were not counted in the census, are not obligated in this מנהג. Fathers who customarily donate a מחצית השקל for each child should continue doing so each year. There are usually plates of money set up on/near the בימה of the shul. Some of the plates have three half-dollars in them. One should exchange his money for these coins, lift up the coins, and then place these coins back on the plate for צדקה. One does not have to specifically put his own half-dollars into a plate which says “מחצית השקל”.
מנחה:
- After אשרי, lein ויחל משה and הפטרה.
- During שמע קולנו add עננו, if you are fasting.
- Those who daven Nusach Ashkenaz substitute שים שלום for שלום רב.
- Since תענית אסתר is a “mukdam,” תחנון and אבינו מלכנו are said.
פורים – Motzei Shabbos
- On Shabbos, one may not prepare in any way for פורים, including bringing Purim-related items to shul even though there is an עירוב.
- Daven מעריב.
- One should wear his Shabbos clothes for the מגילה
- Once שבת is over one may not eat until after הבדלה, which is typically performed after קריאת המגילה.
- Recite אתה חוננתנו as every מוצאי שבת. Recite על הנסים in the ברכה of מודים. If one forgets על הנסים in any שמונה עשרה on פורים, then before יהיו לרצון, he should say ‘הרחמן הוא יעשה לנו נסים וגו, together with בימי מרדכי ואסתר. If totally forgotten, שמונה עשרה need not be repeated.
- קדיש שלם is recited after שמונה עשרה.
- ברוך הוא וברוך שמו is not said during the recitation of the three ברכות of the מגילה.
- Do not read the words along with the בעל קורא.
- To aid concentration, it is best to use your finger to follow along with the בעל קורא. An added benefit of following along with your finger is that if you lose concentration, as long as your finger was on the place, you are definitely יוצא.
- After the leining of the מגילה is completed, there is a pause, as the בעל קורא does not recite the ברכה of הרב את רבנו until he rolls up his folded מגילה.
- After the ברכה of הרב את רבנו, the poem אשר הניא is recited, followed by שושנת יעקב.
- Recite ויהי נועם and ואתה קדוש.
- Afterwards, the חזן recites קדיש שלם without תתקבל.
- Recite עלינו.
- Recite the regular הבדלה; besamim and a flame are used.
- One should eat a סעודת מלוה מלכה.
פורים – Sunday Morning
- Daven שחרית with על הנסים.
- Many shuls have a מנהג to say the קרובץ during חזרת הש”ץ. The קרובץ is a paragraph inserted before ‘ברוך אתה ה at the end of almost every ברכה of שמונה עשרה.
- The קריאת התורה of ויבא עמלק is read. (This is the shortest leining of the entire year, just nine פסוקים.)
- According to many פוסקים one can fulfill the מצוה of זכירת עמלק with this leining. The בעל קורא should make this announcement prior to leining.
- When hearing שהחיינו before the מגילה, one should have in mind not only the מצוה of מקרא מגילה, but also the other three מצוות of the day: מתנות לאבינוים, משלוח מנות, and the סעודת פורים.
- After the ברכה of הרב את רבנו, recite just שושנת יעקב (not from אשר הניא).
- Finish שחרית.
- The מצוות of סעודת פורים and מתנות לאביונים – monetary gifts to two different עניים – must be done during the day.
- Very important for Mesivta/High School age bochurim to remember to give משלוח מנות – two food items to one person – on פורים day, as it is very common for boys that age to forget.
- One should set a time for learning תורה, as the גמרא (מגילה טז:) says, אורה זו תורה.
- It is most practical to daven מנחה before the סעודה. Regardless, one should not daven while intoxicated.
- Eat the סעודת פורים. The prevalent מנהג is to start the סעודה in the afternoon and to extend the סעודה past nightfall into שושן פורים.
- The רמ”א says one fulfills עד דלא ידע by drinking more wine than usual and getting drowsy.
- If one forgot על הנסים during bentching of the סעודת פורים, or any other meal on פורים, he should add ‘הרחמן הוא יעשה לנו נסים וגו, together with בימי מרדכי ואסתר. If one completely forgot על הנסים, he does not need to repeat bentching.
- When bentching, even after nightfall, one recites על הנסים. However, if one already davened מעריב, then he does not recite על הנסים.
- Daven מעריב. Just as a reminder, one should not daven while intoxicated.
שושן פורים
- At Shacharis, תחנון, קל ארך אפים and למנצח are not recited.
- One should add an item of food or drink to his meal in honor of שושן פורים.