Purim
Six Mishloach Manot Theme Ideas
Published in The Philadelphia Jewish Voice One of the most fun activities for Purim is putting together gifts of food for friends. The legal requirement for a mishloach manot is that there will be at least two types of food that are ready to be consumed immediately. This is to ensure that everyone in the community may celebrate Purim with a feast. This mitzvah is even bigger if the recipient is an orphan, widow, or financially disadvantaged. When we give these gifts to the poor (Matanot La’evyonim) we perform a mitzvah, which may “revive the spirit of the humble” and “revive the heart of the downtrodden” (Isaiah 57:15). This is an...
Read MoreCakes and Miracles : A Purim Tale
One of the most moving Purim stories is Cakes and Miracles : A Purim Tale, by Barbara Diamond Goldin. This is a story about a blind boy named Hershel who does all he can to help his widowed mother. When Purim arrives, he discovers that he has a special gift: the ability to sculpt his dreams with dough. At the end of the story, Hershel shares his hamentaschen recipe. The readers may bake and sample what they have been reading...
Read MorePut Haman In Jail, And Eat Him Too!
Published in The Philadelphia Jewish Voice Have you ever wanted to arrest Haman and put him in jail? There is a Purim specialty from the Iberian Peninsula whose preparation acts out imprisoning Haman. This Purim treat is called a folar. According to the Rhodes Jewish Museum, folares arrived with Jewish refugees who settled in Greece and Turkey, following their expulsion from Spain in 1492. The descendants of these families have preserved some of their historic foods to the present day. The traditional recipe calls for a yeast dough, which is constructed in the shape of a cage around a huevo haminado (slowly roasted egg). The egg represents Haman, and the...
Read MoreVisit Esther And Mordechai’s Tombs
In the city of Hamedan in Iran, there is a temple. Within, lie the tombs of Queen Esther and her uncle Mordechai. This short clip takes us there.
Read MoreIs Queen Esther A Good Role Model For Our Children?
The Purim story especially resonates in the Diaspora with its themes of assimilation into the surrounding culture, and the retention of one’s Jewish identity. Queen Esther internalized the inner spark of her Jewish identity at a very young age, while she still had the Hebrew name of Hadassah. She was orphaned when she was very young, and her uncle Mordechai assumed responsibility for her. He placed her in King Ahasuerus’ harem, where her name was changed to Esther, meaning morning star. “Esther” is the Hebrew for “Ishtar,” the Persian goddess of love. She hid her Judaism, and had the good fortune to have the beauty and accomplishments that were valued in...
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