That City and that People we Call a Rose: Shushan, Shoshan and Moral Living from Purim to Pesach It is one of the low points of the Megillah. In Ch.3:15, Shushan and its Jews are dumbfounded because of the decree of death, וְהָעִ֥יר שׁוּשָׁ֖ן נָבֽוֹכָה . It is at this point in the book where the reader at our communal gatherings reads this verse in the somber tone of Eicha, reminding us of the lowest point of our people at the the destruction of the Temple. Later in the Megillah, (8:15) that same city, Shushan and its Jews are rejoicing at their redemption, וְהָעִ֣יר שׁוּשָׁ֔ן צָהֲלָ֖ה וְשָׂמֵֽחָה. It is at this point where all of the listeners in in our communal gatherings recite the verse in unison out loud to remind us of the city celebration. R. Zevin in his book LTorah vlMoadim focuses on the deep meaning of the name of the town in the Megillah, on the word Shushan. He says that it is a hinting to the word Shoshana, to a rose. It is in that spirit that we sing each P
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