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In every community in which I have heard Megillah, it seems customary to hiss whenever Zeresh is mentioned (in fact I have a mesorah from my father to do so).

Are there any sources which mention this practice and why it was done?

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    I've never heard of that
    – Daniel
    Mar 5, 2015 at 21:15
  • Possibly related Y'rushalmi (M'gilla 3:7): "רב אמר צריך לאמר ארור המן ארורים בניו, א"ר פינחס צריך לומר חרבונה זכור לטוב, ר' ברכיה... ר' יונתן כד דהוה מטי להאי פסוקא (אסתר ב) אשר הגלה נבוכד נצר הוה אמר נבוכד נצר שחיק עצמות". There is a variant of that Y'rushalmi that includes "ארורה זרש ברוכה אסתר ארורים כל הרשעים ברוכים כל היהודים" (Tosafos M'gilla 7b, s.v. דלא; Ran on the Rif 3b, s.v. מיחייב אינש).
    – Fred
    Mar 5, 2015 at 22:45
  • Possibly related: judaism.stackexchange.com/q/14675 and judaism.stackexchange.com/q/52703
    – Fred
    Mar 5, 2015 at 22:45
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    Your title doesn't match your body. Do you want to know why to hiss or who mentions it? The former seems obvious (just like we boo for haman). The latter could be interesting. Please clarify by editing
    – Double AA ♦
    Mar 6, 2015 at 1:08
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    I'm unfamiliar with this minhag. Possibly related is that we do curse her like Haman in Shoshanat Ya'akov. Makes sense as she is the one who suggested the tree to hang Mordechai. Though, to her "merit" she does warn Haman afterwards that he is already doomed against Mordechai and will not succeed against him. Perhaps, had Haman heeded his wife's advice on some level, he might have changed his mind or apologized. But, then, again, we wouldn't have Purim, would we?
    – DanF
    Mar 6, 2015 at 2:37

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Sefer Shibolei HaLeket, Siman 200 (as cited by Bachrach44 earlier) brings this custom in connection with both names of Haman and Zeresh in the piyyut after and not during the Megillah reading. Perhaps this (for some reason) has evolved later occurring also during the reading of Megillah itself.

מצאתי בשם רבינו שלמה זצ"ל יש מקומות שאומרים אחר הברכה פיוט נאה כגון אשר הניא ואומר ברוך מרדכי ברוכה אסתר ארור המן ארורה זרש ומכין ברגליהן או אבן על אבן ומשברין קדירות כשמעם שבר המן וזרש ולאחר זה עומדין הצבור ומשבחין לבורא אשר הציל את עמו ישראל

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