Let's HEAR those Groggers

I hope you all clicked on the title to hear that wonderful Grogger noise. We use the Grogger to block out the sound of Haman's name during the reading of the Purim Megillah. By blotting out his name, we erase the evil which Haman represents.

For many of us, a grogger was a mass produced tin toy which we spun around in the air as the Rabbi read the megillah. For children today, the grogger is something they make themselves in preschool or Sunday school. Eileen from the Chadis Craft site gives instructions for making clay and CHOCOLATE groggers.

Contemporary artists have used the grogger as a means of expressing their Jewish roots and have done so with great results.

Avi Biran who is primarily a silversmith combines various materials to make his groggers. One represents the blotting out of Haman's name (as if a rubber stamp) and the other is Broken Neck Haman (as one would have found Haman after he is hung on the gallows he built for the Jews of Shushan).


Richard Bitterman, a self-taught metalsmith and Institute of Design in Chicago educated artistsays this about his grogger. This amazing piece of art and machinery has just as amazing a story behind it. Once upon a time,a few years ago, Richard was given a most unusual commission. Could he come up with something for a synagogue that would memorialize a beloved young teacher who had died terribly prematurely. It needed to be child-oriented, as the young teacher had loved and been loved by all the children in the congregation. And the congregation wanted a piece that would make a statement all its own, a strong, vital, vibrant statement. This was not an easy request to satisfy. It took weeks just to think of a fitting memorial, and additional weeks to figure out how to make such a piece work. The actual brazing,silver-soldering, and finally the enamel-painting stretched out into several weeks more . But the final product--this delightful, noisy, joyous parade of children celebrating Purim, was the result. The congregation so loved it that they gave Richard permission to make and sell more of them, and thus we can offer it to you. Each child is individually hand-painted in a different costume. When the grogger is whirled easy to do! they seem to dance around in a circle, while a flag waves above them. What a joyful noise they make!
To see the grogger in action, check this out. Be patient. It is slow to load.

A Dr. Seuss-shan Purim Shpiel

Sh’ma yeladim and hear us well
For now is the story of Purim to tell.
It took place in Shushan so long, long ago.
Now off to Persia we all will go.

In this beautiful kingdom ruled a king
A king with no brain, who’d think such a thing?
He spent all his days and his nights having fun
Parading his wealth in the warm Persian sun.

A queen named Vashti was his loyal wife
She promised to love him all of her life.
She promised, that is, until he did ask
For her to perform an unthinkable task.

At his grandest of parties the king did command
Queen Vashti dance for royal men of the land.
"I am Not your servant, and dance I will Not!"
Vashti refused the king’s sexist plot.

For Vashti, you see, was not known as a fibber
She was, in fact, history’s first women’s libber.
Vashti was banished - away she did go.
Where did she go? That we do not know.

In this fair kingdom lived also the Jews
Who could not practice the religion they choosed
No Torah, no Challah, no Matzah Ball soup
For a villain named Haman had started a coup.

"Bow down to me now", cruel Haman did say
"For I am an important man of the day."
"I’m the King’s right-hand man - I rule all that I see
If you don’t bow down now, you will cease to be!!!"

Meanwhile back at the palace grand
An announcement went out throughout the land
A new queen to be chosen in an unusual way
In a beauty contest held the very next day.


All the maidens of the land were forced to appear
From near and from far, from far and from near
Be them skinny or zaftig, quite brilliant or dumb
From near and far they were ordered to come.

One such maiden had brains and had grace
Esther was her name…Such a pretty face!
A Jewess of humble origins and needs
With the kind of bod that would make a heart bleed!


Encouraged by her Uncle (or was it cousin?) Mordechai
"I beg you dear Esther, this you MUST try"
"With your brains and your beauty YOU he would choose
"Go, go, go, go! "Comb your hair. Wear nice shoes!"

"Besides that my dear,
With your grace and your charm
You will blow them away.
You’ll be on King Achashverosh’s arm!"

Unsure of herself but willing to go
Because she loved her Morty so
She entered the contest
But said, "Uncle dear
Promise me that you’ll always stay near."

Mordy did promise and promise he did:
“You betcha – I’ll always be here, Kid.”

The contest was held - They came one and all
And Esther of course was the Queen of the ball.
Chosen for her beauty in a contest quite shallow
Esther learned to love this not-quite-clever fellow

Though Achashverosh chose her
And she was now queen
There was one rotten rule
She had not foreseen.

Under penalty of death she had to obey
The following rule in an unbending way:
Her new husband commanded she could only see him
When HE chose to see her - and on HIS whim
by Dana Baruch and Robbi Sherwin
© 1998 all rights reserved

For more of this ballad, you have to go
To a special site, that you can know
Follow the link and open your eyes
You will be in for a lovely surprise

The story of Esther above I have shared
A story of heroes and people who cared.
Mordecai, Vashti and Haman that gorilla
All can be found inside the Megillah

The megillah is scribed by the talented sofer
Perfectly written if that we are sure
Each so precious and unique from its maker
Its not a grogger so don't shake her.

A box, container, receptacle or case
The megillah must have a special place
Yosef Davidoff the silversmith who made these
To look at such beauty makes me weak in the knees.