Megillah

The Book of Esther, also called the Megillah or "Scroll," was one of the books added to the Bible. It's one of the five scrolls in the Bible, and Esther is special because it's read from a handwritten parchment scroll. The story of Esther is all about Purim, where Queen Esther becomes a hero and saves the Jewish people living in the huge Persian empire from being wiped out by Haman's evil plan.

These books are really short and part of Ketuvim (the Writings portion of the Torah that comes after the Pentateuch and the Prophets). They are The Song of Songs (Shir HaShirim), Ruth, Lamentations (Eicha), Ecclesiastes (Kohelet), and Esther.

Following Mordechai's guidance, the Megillah is read twice during Purim: once at night and again the next day. Special blessings are said before and after the Megillah reading. It's a mitzvah, a good deed, to listen to the entire Megillah reading, so it's crucial to stay completely quiet during it to ensure everyone can hear every word. It's a common practice to follow along with the reader during the reading.

If you can't go to the synagogue, you can still read the Megillah at home. Just make sure it's from a real scroll and read by someone who knows the right way to say the Hebrew words. Some words might look different from how they sound, so it's important to pronounce them accurately. You can use an interactive trainer to learn how to say the words and their tunes.

Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/Megillah-Book-Esther-ArtScroll-Tanach/dp/0899060005

Link to read: https://www.sefaria.org/Megillah