Book recommendation: Purim and the Persian Empire

We spent some time this morning looking at the book Purim and the Persian Empire by Rabbi Yehuda Landy. It puts Megillas Esther into its historical context, both according to Jewish tradition and according to secular history. Our favorite part of the book are the pictures — what Achashveirosh’s palace looked like, what kind of dishes Persian nobility ate from, the view of present day Shushan and the location of the palace. The book is fascinating. It’s not a children’s book, but even younger children can appreciate the pictures.

Have a joyous month of Adar!