The book of Esther is one of the five megillot (scrolls), part of the section of the Hebrew Bible called Writings. It tells the story of Esther, a Jew who becomes queen of Persia and together with her cousin, Mordekhai, foils the plot of the evil Haman to destroy the Jews. To commemorate the transformation from “grief and mourning to festive joy” (9:22), Esther and Mordekhai establish the Purim holiday. The book of Esther is read publicly in the evening and morning of Purim.