Rabbis, scholars and writers used to send on Purim—in addition to the traditional Mishloah Manot—spiritual food to their dear ones: a song, a study, even an entire book, they had written.
In this article only a few of such “manot” (“portions”, “gifts”) can be mentioned.
Rabbi Shlomo Alkabetz, the author of Lekha Dodi—wrote a commentary on the Book of Esther and sent it as a Purim present to his future father-in-law.
In the introduction to the commentary, he tells us how he came to write it. It was in 1529, with the approach of Purim, the season for sending gifts, he felt extremely bad, for he did not know what present he could give to Yitzchak HaKohen, his future father-in-law, the father of his bride. Finally he decided to write a commentary on the Book of Esther and send it to R. Yitzchak. He was sure that he would enjoy the present, for the man was a lover of Torah. The commentary was, indeed, very well received by the entire family. Alkabetz’future brother-in-law Yosef HaKohen, even wrote a poem in its honor.
The commentary which the author called Manot HaLevi (“Gifts of the Levite”—Alkabetz was a Levite), was first printed in Venice in 1585.
Rabbi Moshe Isserles the great Halakhic authority of Ashkenazi Jewry served as rabbi and Rosh Yeshiva in Cracow. In 1556 he was forced to leave Cracow because a plague ravaged the city. He moved temporarily to Szydlowiec. Food was scarce and Purim could not be celebrated with “feasting and gladness.” However, Rabbi Isserles sought delight and joy by immersing himself in the study of the Book of Esther. He wrote a commentary on the Megillah and sent it as a Purim present to his father, who was one of the leaders of Cracow’s Jewish community. The commentary which was named by Rabbi Isserles Mahir Yayin, was first printed in Cremona, Italy, in 1559.
On Purim of the year 1629, Rabbi Moses Samson Bachrach who served as rabbi in Worms and in other communities, wrote a song for the welcoming of the Sabbath. He composed it for his wife, “that she might play it on an instrument.” The song was published in the periodical Shomer Zion HaNeeman in the year 5619 (1858-1859).
R. Yekuthiel (Gordon) ben R. Yehuda Leib of Vilna left his native country in order to study medicine in Padua, Italy. During his stay there he became a disciple of R. Moshe Chaim Luzzatto. After his return to Poland he resided in Grodno and Brest Litovsk. On the occasion of Purim he sent to R. Shlomo Zalman Segal Sinzheim, a communal leader, a poem telling the story of Esther. The initial letters of the words of each line of the poem form the word Megilla (in the first line, the initial letters are read from right to left; in the second line they should be read backwards from left to right; in the third line—again from right to left; in the fourth—from left to right; and so on).
The poem was printed by L. Schlossberg in Vienna in 1879. 1
1Rabbi Eliezer Ashkenazi, famous 16th century rabbi who served in various communities, dedicated his commentary on the Book of Esther, called Yosef Lekah, to Don Joseph Nassi, but we do not know whether he actually sent him a copy as a gift for Purim.
American Jewish Times