Purim Riddles

(Originally published in 2021. A few new riddles for 2022)

1. How many hamantashen should one eat on Purim? 
2. What do COVID 19 and Purim have in common?
3. How do you know the people of Shushan were hard of hearing?
4. How do you know that Vashti was born of two mothers?
5. (From my son Medad as a child): What do Purim and Tu B’Shvat have in common?
6. What do you call a sleepy noisemaker on Purim?
7. What do Sarah and Queen Esther have in common?
8. What important Hebrew word in the Megillah does this represent:  8888888
9. What did the Israelites who listened to the Megillah in the desert snack on?
10. What does Esther have to do with the holiday of Sukkot?
11. What was Mordecai’s family’s favorite dairy dish?
12. What did Mordecai say about all the hassle involved in getting the king’s letters sent out a second time?
13. How do we know Haman’s father was a roofer by trade?
14. What is the name of the parsha that Haman had that we never read in shul?

Answers:  

1. Lots.  (The Hebrew word Purim means “lots,” as in drawing lots).
2. For both, you wear masks.
3. The first verse of the Megillah says: Vayehi bimei Ahashverosh hu [read “who?” — as if the people couldn’t hear the name] Achashverosh.  ויהי בימי אחשורוש הוא אחשורוש
4. Esther 1:9: Gam Vashti HaMalkah astah mishteh nashim.   Literally: “Queen Vashti also made a banquet for the women.”  But could playfully be read as: “Queen Vashti was also made of two women.”    גם ושתי המלכה עשתה משתה נשים
5. On both “dates” are picked.
6. A groggy grogger!
7. The number 127.  Sarah lived for 127 years.  Esther ruled 127 provinces. 
8. The Hebrew word for “tree”, עץ, etz (eights) — the gallows that Haman prepared for Mordecai and was himself hanged on.   
9. “Ha -man” — the manna, the desert food.  
10. Esther’s other name is “Hadassah.” And Hadas is one of the 4 minim that are put together to make the lulav and etrog on Sukkot.
11. Quiche. Mordecai ben Yair ben Shimi ben Kish Ish Yemini. (Esther 2:5)
12. “What a megillah!”
13. Haman ben Hamedata Ha’agagi – gag means “roof”
14. Parashat Hakesef (4:6)

Purim Math Puzzlers: What phrase from the megillah does each of these mathematical equations represent?

1. מה זה+
מה זה

2. מי = זה + אי = הוא

3. למלך ≠ להניחם

4. הצר ≠  בנזק המלך

Answers to Math Puzzlers:

1. מה זה ועל מה זה
2. מי הוא זה ואיזה הוא
3. למלך אין שוה להניחם
4. אין הצר שוה בנזק המלך