Ask the Rabbi with Rabbi Chaim Mintz
Why do we eat hamantaschen, triangular-shaped filled pastries, on Purim? I’ve heard they’re shaped like Haman’s three-cornered hat. But why would we commemorate the wicked Haman by eating something that looks like his hat?
Rabbi Chaim Mintz responds:
What Is the Origin of Hamantaschen?
In order to understand the origin of this custom, let’s first explain the Yiddish word hamantaschen. Although today we find hamantaschen with all types of fillings, such as chocolate and assorted jams, the original hamantaschen were filled with poppy seeds. In Yiddish, mohn means poppy seeds, and tasch means a pocket, so the original name mohntaschen—poppy-seed pockets—developed.
So Why Do We Eat Hamantaschen on Purim?
Why poppy seeds? The Rema (Orach Chaim 695:2) cites a minhag (custom) to eat seeds on Purim, to remember Daniel, who subsisted on seeds and water, yet appeared more robust than those who ate the king’s food, demonstrating that strength comes not from food but from Hashem (God). Likewise, the salvation of Purim was not the result of palace politics, but of hashgacha pratit (Divine Providence). Eating poppy-seed hamantaschen is a way of fulfilling this custom.
Seeds, Salvation, and Symbolism
Hamantaschen also contain a classic Jewish food symbol: one food wrapped within another, similar to kreplach and stuffed cabbage eaten on various holidays. The reddish or blackish filling reflects din, judgement, enveloped and softened by the whitish outer layer, representing chessed, lovingkindness.
Erasing Haman and Amalek
In addition, through a clever wordplay, “mohn” became “Haman.” We symbolically erase Haman—a descendant of Amalek—first by concealing him in the pocket, and then by “consuming” him, a reminder of the mitzvah (Torah commandment) to wipe out the remembrance of Amalek (Devarim 25:19). Though we no longer know who the biological descendants of Amalek are, Hitler and others who try to destroy the Jewish people are certainly their descendants or spiritual heirs.
Amalek also represents an ideology that denies Hashem’s presence in the world. This ideology still exists today, and traces of it even exist within each of us, which we must uproot and eliminate. So each time we eat a hamantasch, we should reaffirm our resolve to remove the evil of Amalek both from the world and from ourselves.
The Three-Cornered Shape: Hat or Deeper Meaning?
Regarding the three-cornered shape, while the notion that it has to do with Haman’s hat is quite widespread, I don’t know of any source for that. “Three” often alludes to the Avot (Patriarchs), so it’s likely that the triangular shape of the hamantaschen recalls their prayers, which helped bring our salvation (as mentioned in the Krovetz on Purim).
Three Corners and the Holiness of Purim
The three corners may also allude to the Shalosh Regalim—Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot. These are not merely days commemorating past events; they are times infused with the original holiness of those moments. Each year, we relive those events and receive the spiritual gifts of those days.
Although Purim is only mid’rabbanan (a rabbinically ordained holiday), my rebbi (Torah teacher), R’ Yaakov Yitzchak Ruderman, Rosh Yeshivah of Ner Yisrael, would say that this special quality of the Shalosh Regalim applies to Purim as well. He pointed to the Gemara (Megillah 7a), which explains the expression in Megillat Esther, “kiyemu vekiblu—they instituted and they accepted,” to mean that the rabbis in this world instituted Purim, and in the heavens they sanctioned it. Accepted in the heavens means that Purim was infused with holiness for all generations, just like a Biblical festival.
The three corners of the hamantasch are a reminder that Purim stands alongside the Shalosh Regalim, imbued with the holiness of the events that took place then. It is a time not merely to remember, but to relive what happened and to grow spiritually, using the power of the day to strengthen our faith that Hashem runs the world, and to deepen our love and commitment to Torah.
In Short: What Is the Origin of Hamantaschen and Why Do We Eat Them on Purim?
Hamantaschen comes from the Yiddish mohntaschen—poppy-seed pockets. The seeds recall Daniel’s subsisting on seeds, reminding us that strength comes from Hashem, and the dough enveloping the filling reflects judgement softened by lovingkindness. It also represents Haman and Amalek being placed in the pocket and wiped out. The three corners recall the Avot as well as the holiness of Purim being like the Shalosh Regalim.
Written by Rabbi Aaron Shapiro
Have another question to ask a rabbi? You can ask Rabbi Mintz your own question by joining Ask the Rabbi Live on Tuesdays at 9PM ET. You can also submit your questions to asktherabbi@oorah.org, or head to oorah.org/asktherabbi/ to watch the latest Q&As.
