Everything you need for Purim 5787 — the story of Queen Esther, mishloach manot ideas, hamantaschen recipes with Israeli jams, authentic Israeli gifts to send from Israel, and the complete guide to celebrating Purim. Order by February 20th. Shop now at KosherTop.

Purim 5787 begins at sundown on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2027.

Order deadline for guaranteed delivery from Israel: February 20th, 2027.

If Rosh Hashanah is the most solemn of the Jewish holidays and Yom Kippur the most reflective, Purim is the most joyful. It is the holiday of costumes and noise, of wine and celebration, of reading a story with a villain so hated that his name must be drowned out, and of food given freely and generously to everyone you love.

It is also, by explicit Torah commandment, a holiday of giving.

This is the complete guide to Purim 2027: the story, the four commandments, the hamantaschen recipe, the mishloach manot ideas, and the Israeli products that make a Purim gift basket genuinely special.

The Story of Purim — Why We Celebrate

The Book of Esther tells one of history's most dramatic stories of reversal and survival.

In the Persian city of Shushan, the Jewish people face annihilation. The king's chief advisor, Haman, has convinced the king to issue a decree authorizing the killing of all Jews in the Persian Empire. He has already purchased lots (purim, in Hebrew) to determine the date of the planned massacre.

Two people stand in the way: Mordechai, a Jewish man who refuses to bow to Haman, and his niece Esther — who has become queen without the king knowing she is Jewish.

The story's tension is the question of whether Esther will reveal herself to the king — "Who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Mordechai tells her. She fasts, prays, and then risks her life by approaching the king unsummoned. The king extends his scepter. The plan is reversed. Haman is hanged on the very gallows he built for Mordechai. The Jewish people are saved.

Purim commemorates this reversal — the turning upside down of a decree of death into a day of survival and celebration. The Hebrew word for lot (pur) gives the holiday its name. What Haman intended as a sign of destruction became a symbol of joy.

The Four Commandments of Purim

Purim is built around four specific mitzvot — commandments — each one expressing a different dimension of the holiday:

1. Megillah Reading (Kriat HaMegillah)

<citation index="23-1">The Book of Esther (Megillat Esther) is read aloud in synagogue on Purim night and again the next morning.</citation> The reading is participatory — noisemakers (groggers/ra'ashanim) are sounded every time Haman's name is mentioned, drowning it out. Children (and many adults) wear costumes. The atmosphere is theatrical, festive, and unlike any other synagogue experience in the Jewish year.

2. Sending Food Gifts (Mishloach Manot)

<citation index="22-1">Gifts of food and drink are traditional for Purim. Mishloach manot typically includes hamantaschen, chocolates or candies, and other treats given together in a festive basket.</citation>

The mitzvah of mishloach manot — literally "sending portions" — requires each person to send at least two different ready-to-eat foods to at least one person on Purim day. The minimum is modest. The practice, in Israel and Jewish communities worldwide, has evolved into an elaborate art form: baskets, boxes, and bags of Israeli chocolate, wine, jam, cookies, and specialty foods, often themed and beautifully presented.

For Israeli families in America, a mishloach manot basket assembled with products shipped directly from Israel carries a meaning that a locally-assembled basket cannot: these are the foods of home, of the Israeli Purim table, of a food culture that the sender and recipient share.

3. Gifts to the Poor (Matanot L'Evyonim)

Giving to at least two poor people on Purim day is a specific commandment that expresses the communal dimension of Jewish survival: the miracle was for all the Jewish people, and all should share in the celebration.

4. The Purim Feast (Seudah)

A festive meal on Purim day — with good food, wine, and celebration. <citation index="23-1">The Talmud states it is a mitzvah to drink wine on Purim, at least according to some opinions.</citation> The Purim feast is the culmination of the holiday: after the Megillah reading, the gifts, and the charity — a table of celebration, surrounded by the people you love.

Mishloach Manot — The Complete Guide

What Must Be Included

Halacha (Jewish law) requires mishloach manot to contain at least two different ready-to-eat foods. That is the minimum. In practice, mishloach manot has become much more — and the creativity and generosity with which they are assembled has become a form of expression in Jewish communities.

The Israeli Mishloach Manot Tradition

In Israel, mishloach manot preparation begins weeks before Purim. Bakeries are filled with hamantaschen in every conceivable flavor. Supermarkets stock special Purim packaging. Israeli children bring elaborate baskets to school and to neighbors. The entire country smells of baking and chocolate in the weeks leading up to the holiday.

An Israeli-style mishloach manot from KosherTop — assembled with products shipped directly from Israel — typically includes:

The essentials:

• Israeli chocolate (Elite Pesek Zman, Kif Kef, Mekupelet — the brands of Israeli Purim)
• Israeli grape juice or wine (Carmel grape juice for those who don't drink wine)
• Israeli cookies (Petit Beurre, Osem wafers, Kif Kef biscuits)

The traditional additions:

• Yad Mordechai jam (for hamantaschen filling and for spreading)
• Halva (a traditional Purim sweet in Sephardic communities)
• Israeli dried fruits and nuts (dates, raisins, golden berries, peanuts)

The thoughtful extras:

• Silan (date honey) — beautiful, Israeli, and the perfect sweet addition
• Israeli spices (for the home cook who wants something different)
• Dead Sea beauty products (for the woman who deserves something luxurious)

🛒 Order for Mishloach Manot:

• Elite Chocolate Mix Family Pack 390g →
• Yad Mordechai Strawberry Jam →
• Yad Mordechai Apricot Jam →
• Yad Mordechai Cherry Jam →
• Achva Halva Vanilla 500g →
• Medjool Dates 250g →
• Carmel Grape Juice →
• Petit Beurre Classic 1kg →
• Osem Lemon Wafers →
• Kabukim Coated Peanuts 250g →
• Black Uzbek Raisins 250g →
• Organic Cranberries 1000g →

Hamantaschen — The Purim Cookie

Hamantaschen (Hebrew: אוזני המן — "Haman's ears") are the three-cornered filled cookies that are the defining baked good of Purim. Named for Haman's three-cornered hat (or, in some traditions, his ears), they appear on every Purim table and in every mishloach manot basket.

<citation index="23-1">Hamantaschen are the most popular item for inclusion in mishloach manot — triangular cookies with a variety of fillings. Classic fillings include poppy seed (mohn), prune jam, apricot jam, and chocolate.</citation>

The Classic Hamantaschen Recipe

Dough (makes approximately 36 cookies):

• 500g flour
• 150g sugar
• 200g cold butter or margarine (cut into cubes)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 2-3 tbsp cold water or orange juice

Method: Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add cold butter and work quickly until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add eggs and vanilla. Add water or juice one tablespoon at a time until the dough just comes together — do not overwork. Flatten into a disc, wrap, refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Roll dough to 4mm thickness. Cut circles (7-8cm diameter). Place 1 tsp filling in the center. Fold up three sides to form a triangle, pinching corners tightly. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with egg wash. Bake at 175°C (350°F) for 12-15 minutes until golden.

The Israeli Hamantaschen Fillings

Classic Strawberry: Yad Mordechai Strawberry Jam — thick, not too sweet, with real Israeli strawberry flavor. Use 1 heaped teaspoon per cookie.

Apricot: Yad Mordechai Apricot Jam — slightly more complex than strawberry, the filling that Moroccan and Tunisian Jewish families have always preferred.

Cherry: Yad Mordechai Cherry Jam — dark, tart, and deeply fruity. The sophisticated option.

Chocolate: Elite Cocoa Powder mixed with butter, sugar, and milk to make a thick chocolate paste. Or a teaspoon of Hashahar chocolate spread (Israel's original, since 1948).

Halva: A small piece of Achva halva placed in the center — the Sephardic tradition. The halva melts slightly in the oven and creates a nutty, sweet filling unlike anything else.

Silan and Tahini: Mix 2 tbsp tahini with 1 tbsp silan. The Israeli combination that works as well inside a hamantasch as it does on a breakfast plate.

🛒 Order Hamantaschen Fillings from Israel:

• Yad Mordechai Strawberry Jam 340g →
• Yad Mordechai Apricot Jam 340g →
• Yad Mordechai Cherry Jam 340g →
• Elite Cocoa Powder 150g →
• Hashahar Chocolate Spread →
• Achva Halva Vanilla 500g →
• Har Bracha Tahini →
• Yad Mordechai Silan 380g →

The Purim Seudah — What to Serve at the Feast

The Purim feast is a full meal — and in Israel, it is one of the most festive meals of the year. The table is set for celebration, the wine flows, the costumes are worn, and the food reflects the joy of survival and reversal.

Traditional Purim Foods

Kreplach — <citation index="24-1">Dumplings filled with meat, cheese, or potato. Kreplach on Purim is traditional because the process of chopping the meat reflects the stamping that occurs when Haman's name is heard during the Megillah reading.</citation> The hidden filling mirrors Esther's hidden identity.

Sweet-and-sour dishes — <citation index="24-1">Certain Chasidic Jews enjoy sweet-and-sour foods on Purim because they reflect the sweet-and-sour aspects of the time: a fast day (Taanit Esther) followed by a day of celebration.</citation>

Stuffed dishes — The theme of hiddenness (Esther's identity, God's name absent from the Megillah, Haman's evil concealed) appears in Purim food as stuffed and filled dishes: hamantaschen, kreplach, stuffed vegetables.

The Israeli Purim Table

Starters: Israeli salad, hummus with za'atar and olive oil, matbucha, olives and pickles

Main course: Sweet-and-sour chicken (Yad Mordechai Sweet Chili Sauce + chicken + vegetables, 30 minutes), or Israeli-spiced roast chicken with date glaze (silan + olive oil + Jerusalem Mix)

Dessert: Hamantaschen in multiple fillings + Elite chocolate assortment + halva + Medjool dates

Drinks: Carmel grape juice + wine for adults

🛒 Order for the Purim Feast:

• Yad Mordechai Sweet Chili Sauce 300g →
• Jerusalem Mix Spice →
• Yad Mordechai Silan 380g →
• Israeli Olive Oil →
• Israeli Tahini →

Purim Gifts from Israel — For Everyone on Your List

A mishloach manot basket assembled with Israeli products shipped from Israel carries a meaning that no locally-assembled basket can replicate. These are the foods of the Israeli Purim table — the brands that Israeli children grow up associating with the holiday.

For Families with Children

Elite chocolate mix + Bamba multipack + Kif Kef + Petit Beurre + Carmel grape juice. The Israeli childhood Purim basket.

🛒 Order Elite Mix Family Pack 390g → 🛒 Order Bamba Multipack 20x15g →

For the Home Baker

Yad Mordechai jams in all three flavors (strawberry, apricot, cherry) + Elite Cocoa Powder + Achva Halva. Everything needed to make the most authentic Israeli hamantaschen possible.

For Food Lovers

Yad Mordechai Honey + Silan + Har Bracha Tahini + Israeli Spice Bundle + Kabukim coated peanuts + Golden Berries. A gourmet Israeli pantry gift that goes far beyond Purim.

For Women

Dead Sea beauty set from Sea of Spa or Spa Pharma — mud mask, body lotion, mineral scrub. The luxurious Israeli gift that arrives from the land itself.

🛒 Browse Dead Sea Beauty Sets →

Order Timeline — Purim 2027

Purim begins March 2nd, 2027. Shipping from Israel to the USA takes 7-14 business days.

Order by February 20th, 2027 for guaranteed pre-holiday delivery.

For UK, Europe, Australia, and other international destinations — order by February 13th.

Chag Purim Sameach

Purim is the holiday that asks us to remember that history can turn. That what seems permanent can change. That a people facing destruction can find, within themselves and their community, the courage and the cleverness to survive.

The Book of Esther ends with feasting and joy and the sending of gifts to one another and to the poor. Not with a victory speech or a monument. With food, shared generously, among people who are glad to be alive together.

From our team in Hod Hasharon, Israel — חג פורים שמח, Chag Purim Sameach.

Browse all Israeli Purim products at KosherTop →

Order by February 20th, 2027 for guaranteed pre-holiday delivery. All products certified kosher. Shipped directly from Israel to the USA and worldwide.

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