RIGHTEOUS VICTIMS ? Jeff Hoffman
The oldest mention of a prayer for Purim ( and Hanukkah ) originates in about the 3rd-4th centuries CE , and characteristically for that era , the actual wording of the prayer is left up to the worshiper :
Any [ holiday ] on which there is no Musaf [ service ], for example , Hanukah and Purim : One mentions something about the occasion in ( the blessing in the Amidah called ) Hoda ' ah (" Thanksgiving ") in the evening , morning , and afternoon services . 43
Ultimately , a “ script ” for what one ought to mention became tradition : Al ḤaNissim , “ For the Miracles .” Al HaNissim for Purim contains language that has proven challenging for modern siddurim . The beginning of this version of the prayer emphasizes the viciousness of Haman ’ s plan , echoing Esther 3:13 :
… to destroy , massacre , and exterminate all the Jews , young and old , children and women , on a single day , on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month – that is , the month of Adar – and to plunder their possessions .
The end of the prayer describes the retribution dealt to Haman , echoing Esther 9:25 :
Let the evil plot , which he devised against the Jews , recoil on his own head ! So they hanged him and his sons on the gallows .
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Toseja Berakhot 3:14 .
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