# Do many Jews regard the commemorative events (Passover, Purim, etc.) as real historical events? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 12, 2023, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-many-jews-regard-the-commemorative-events-passover-purim-etc-as-real-historical-events/983918 "2023-05-12T01:23:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-many-jews-regard-the-commemorative-events-passover-purim-etc-as-real-historical-events/983918/81 "2023-05-18T14:56:09Z")
In my limited knowledge of this subject you are the only one, but it’s not any area of the bible that caught my limited interest. The actual pillars of salt in that region are well known. I think in this case the myth was created to explain a phenomenon. Secondary meanings to biblical verses abound though. That’s as good as any of them. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-many-jews-regard-the-commemorative-events-passover-purim-etc-as-real-historical-events/983918/82 "2023-05-18T21:25:04Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Am I the only one who heard that pillar of salt bit as a metaphor for being immobilized by grief, salt being tears? Almost anything in the Bible can be considered a metaphor, but Lot’s wife definitely vanishes after that point, including when Lot is visited by his daughters. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-many-jews-regard-the-commemorative-events-passover-purim-etc-as-real-historical-events/983918.md?page=4)