In the Book of Esther, a villain named 'Haman' intended to kill the Jewish people, but was thwarted and the holiday of Purim thus celebrates the saving of the Jewish people. His name lends itself to the 'haman' in Hamantaschen. The latter part has a few interpretations, the most common stating that 'tash' or 'taschen' means pocket, to indicate the folding of the dough to make a pocket. Another interpretation is that 'tash' in Hebrew means 'weaken' or 'weakening', referring to the weakening of the villain Haman.