Scrolling Through The Megillot

The Tanakh includes five very special books called the five megillot, or scrolls. The first of the five is called the Song of Songs (שיר השירים - Shir HaShirim).

Together, these five books are called the five megillot. The word “megillah” means scroll.

Each of the megillot is associated with a different holiday and is read on that day. The five holidays are:

In this activity, you will be answering the question “How is each megillah connected to the holiday on which it is read?”

Although you will not have to read each megillah in full, you will be reading summaries and portions of text. If you would like to read more, click on the verses to open the megillah in the Sefaria library.

The first step is to connect each megillah to a holiday or special day on the Jewish calendar.

Let’s start with the most obvious connection.

The book of Lamentations describes a sad event in the history of the Jewish people. The megillah is read on the anniversary of the event which is commemorated with fasting and other customs of mourning.

We have now crossed two megillot off the list.

Megillat Ruth tells the story of Naomi and her daughter-in-law, Ruth. Naomi and her family were living in Moab. One of Naomi’s sons married Ruth, a Moabite woman. After the death of Naomi’s husband and sons, Naomi decides to return to Israel. Ruth insists on going with her mother-in-law and adopts Naomi’s religion, becoming part of the Jewish people. Since the women have no means of support, Ruth gleans in Boaz’s field. Gleaning means picking up the fallen crops that the pickers must leave in the field for the poor. Boaz and Ruth get married and their great-grandson is King David.

The connection between Megillat Ruth and its holiday isn’t so clear. There are generally three reasons for reading the megillah on this holiday. The reasons are listed below. From the clues, can you match the megillah with the holiday?

Write down the name of the megillah and the holiday.

We have two megillot and two holidays left on our list.

Song of Songs (Shir HaShirim), traditionally attributed to King Solomon, is a love story between a man and a woman. According to Jewish tradition, the man and the woman represent God and Israel and the love between them.

There are several explanations for why Song of Songs (Shir HaShirim) is read on its holiday.

Write down the name of the megillah and the holiday.

Fun Fact: In some communities, this megillah is also read every Friday night.

We have arrived at the final megillah. If everything has gone well, you should have one megillah and one holiday left over.

In Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), the author, also traditionally attributed to King Solomon, discusses the meaning of life and the best way to live one’s life. Although he has a pessimistic tone and says that much of what people do is meaningless, Kohelet believes that wisdom is an important part of life. He also encourages people to enjoy life, which is a gift from God.

Keeping in mind some of the types of connections that we have seen with the other megillot and holidays (season, theme) read the verses below from the megillah and try to think of a connection to the holiday on which it is read.

You have now learned about the overall themes of the five megillot and their connections to five special days on the Jewish calendar.