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The Jewish History Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe · TORCH

The Purim Story (Rebroadcast)

·1 hr 39 min·5 clips
A rebroadcast (originally 2018) combining two episodes on Purim into one. The first ~35 minutes covers the historical backstory: the fall of the First Temple, Babylonian exile, Nebuchadnezzar's prophetic dream of four empires, the fall of Babylon to Persia, the Cyrus Proclamation allowing Jews to return to Israel, and how the stage was set for Ahasuerus's reign. The second section narrates the Book of Esther itself, including Ahasuerus's 180-day feast (his miscalculation of Jeremiah's 70-year prophecy), archaeological evidence from the excavated Shushan palace, and the approaching threat of Haman. The episode weaves together biblical text, Talmudic commentary, and archaeological corroboration.

As heard by us

A Purim primer that treats history, prophecy, and tradition as one argument.

This Purim episode follows the Book of Esther through history, Jewish tradition, and the canon debate around it. It starts with Ahasuerus and his 180-day banquet, then turns to the Talmudic reading that he misread Jeremiah's seventy-year prophecy and assumed redemption was not…

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Why you'd press play

Press play if you want the Purim story told with its backstory, historical context, and Jewish tradition.

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