The biblical Book of Esther (Hebrew: Megilat Ester) contains an account of events that took place at the court of the Persian king Ahasuerus (Hebrew: Achashverosh) in the fifth century BC. To commemorate the dramatic experiences of the planned extermination of the Jews and their miraculous rescue, the festival of Purim is celebrated.
The highlight of the celebration is hearing the Book of Esther read aloud twice in the synagogue. It is the duty of the assembled to drown out with shouting, stomping, whistling, the sound of rattles and knockers the name of the court dignitary Haman, the persecutor of the Jews (A. Untermann, Encyklopedia tradycji i legend żydowskich, Warsaw 1994, p. 174).
On the festival of Purim, known as the Jewish carnival, costume parties and masquerades are held. Dancing processions can be seen in the streets and lavish parties are organised in homes. Young people prepare humorous plays (Yiddish: Purim spiel), referring to the story of Queen Esther, with which they go around houses, receiving monetary donations or gifts (for more details see in: M. Siemieński, Księga świąt i obyczajów żydowskich, Warszawa 1993, pp. 79–80).
The manuscript in the collection of the District Museum in Leszno is in the form of a scroll and consists of three parchment lumps, sewn together with thick threads. Each card is linear. The text, written in Hebrew, in black ink, is arranged in ten columns. Haman's name and the names of his sons are written in the eighth column and placed in two rows. Above the first line of the first column of text are small feather ornaments, resembling peacock feathers arranged in fans. Three similar ornaments were overwritten over the names in the eighth column.
The book entered the collection in 2018 as a gift of Jozef Skrzypek from Leszno. The previous owner verbally relayed that he received the scroll during his stay in the United States from one of his employers. It is difficult to assess how reliable the information is. The book appears to be a synagogue-used copy, and does not contain any of the images so often found in richly illuminated private copies.
Dariusz Czwojdrak