The Israel Defense Forces have undertaken extensive preparations to bring the festive Purim spirit to its soldiers across Israel, including the distribution of thousands of mishloach manot food packages, “Scrolls of Esther” (Megillat Esther) and books on Jewish law (halachah) associated with the holiday, which begins after sundown on March 13.
The Technology and Logistics Division provided more than 450,000 hamantaschen in a variety of flavors, such as chocolate, poppy seed and date, in addition to vegan and gluten-free options. In addition, 5,000 mishloach manot packages were delivered to combat soldiers, of which about 500 were gluten-free.
The IDF Rabbinate distributed about 8,000 copies of its book discussing the laws of Purim and their application in various military scenarios, including to numerous outposts beyond Israel’s borders, making the holiday laws available to any IDF soldier interested in studying them.
The IDF Rabbinate distributed 125,000 copies of the book of Esther to all units for use at the various bases. This carries significant importance, as having a physical copy helps one fulfill the requirement in Jewish law to pay attention to every word in the Megillah reading.
Beyond that, the IDF Rabbinate distributed 2,000 Scrolls of Esther, handwritten on parchment by Torah scribes. The IDF Rabbinate has a unit of Torah scribes; in preparation for Purim, they have been working tirelessly in recent weeks to ensure that every base or outpost has a kosher Scroll of Esther for Megillah reading.
The unit’s experts in examining sacred texts have been inspecting the parchment scrolls, repairing damaged letters, renewing them and ensuring their distribution to all IDF units. This unit is the body responsible for the kashrut of Torah scrolls, tefillin (phylacteries), mezuzahs, and, of course, Scrolls of Esther in the IDF.
For Purim, special emphasis is dedicated to ensuring that every base has a scroll written on parchment, without deficiencies or flaws that would invalidate it according to Jewish law. The activity of the Torah-scribe unit is part of the IDF Rabbinate’s commitment to allow every soldier to maintain their religious lifestyle and experience Jewish holidays in their ideal manner, even when wearing a uniform.
In addition to distributing the scrolls, the IDF Rabbinate coordinates Megillah readings by military rabbis at various bases and outposts, including in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.
(On a personal note, this author was asked to read the Megillah at a military outpost in Lebanon. The prospect of doing so brings immense pride and gratitude.)