A few years ago, I found myself in a bit of a Purim predicament specifically pertaining to the “to tell or not to tell” dilemma regarding Vashti, one of the oft forgotten players in our Purim tale.
The assimilationists shied away from our Jewish holidays as obstacles on the road to their submergence among the majority because they were ashamed of anything which would identify them as a distinct group, but why must we carry on their tradition?
Purim is almost here! It’s loud, it’s raucous, it’s festive, it’s colorful, and the food is great. It’s no wonder the rabbis of the Talmud saw Purim as such a high point in the calendar that they declared, “When Adar [the Hebrew month housing the holiday of Purim] enters, joy increases (Babylonian Talmud Ta’anit 29a). On the 14th of Adar, Jews around the world celebrate Purim, which commemorates the salvation of the Jews of Shushan and the defeat of the evil schemer Haman (boo!).
The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.
-Genesis 27:22
I recently attended a meeting of the Reform rabbis of the north, at the Leo Baeck School, to discuss developments at HUC, and to talk about how to locate potential
…Be strong and of good courage; be not frightened, neither be dismayed; for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
-Joshua 1:9
A few days before our recent election for county executive, an anonymous "food for thought" letter made the email rounds,
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is a concept I came to understand in my early adult years. But this was my understanding during my childhood:
The month preceding the High Holy Days is called Elul. It is a time of reflection before we “officially” begin the important process of teshuvah. In some ways this time of the Jewish calendar reminds me of Havdalah – the short but sweet service in which we say
Together, we will champion the lessons of Passover by bringing greater wholeness, justice, and belonging to our world.