I’m getting excited. The Jewish holiday of Purim starts next Wed, March 7 at sundown. Purim is the Book of Esther, the only book in the Jewish Bible that does not mention G-d in it.
There are various traditions for Purim; two of the most popular are eating (making) Hamentaschen and waving gragers.
Purim, celebrated on the 14th of Adar, is the wildest,most action-packed day of the Jewish year. 2400 years ago, Haman, the Persian prime-minister, persuaded King Ahasuerus to issue a decree ordering the extermination of all the Jews. Mordechai, the leader of the Jews, rallied his people, urging them to unite in prayer and repentance. Meanwhile, his cousin Esther, who due to a miraculous chain of events was Ahasuerus' queen, lobbied the king to spare her people. Ahasuerus acceded to her request, Haman was sent to the gallows, Mordechai became new prime-minister, the Jews successfully defended themselves against their enemies, and... we celebrate!
Though we dress up in holiday finery, Purim doesn't feature holiday work restrictions. Nonetheless, all the better if you can take the day off from work and focus on the holiday and its mitzvot.
Source: http://www.chabad.org/library/howto/wizard_cdo/aid/644343/jewish/The-Fun-Holiday.htm
"A person is obligated to drink on Purim," says the Talmud, "until he does not know the difference between 'Cursed be Haman' and 'Blessed be Mordechai'" - By Yanki Tauber
At one synagogue, we drank shots of schnaps after our aliyahs, and everyone dressed up. (We did have designated drivers). We also made Queen Esther bracelets with bells and shook them whenever the name “Queen Esther” was mentioned. We started our OWN tradition. You can too!
| Hamentashen Earrings | Blue Grager Earrings |
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| Beige Striped Purim Grager Earrings | Shalom Jewish Earrings |
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| Yellow Jade Turquoise Esther Bracelet | Blue Esther Bracelet Set |
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Hamentaschen Recipe:
Purim Recipes
Hamantashen, the classic Purim cookies, are eagerly
awaited by everyone young and old. They are versatile
and can be made from a good sweet yeast dough, flaky
dough or from a traditional cookie dough. The fillings
can be mixed and matched. Prune butter and poppy seed
are traditional but one can use any kind of jam or
preserves.
Ingredients
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
juice of one lemon
rind of 1 lemon, grated
1 tsp. vanilla extract
5 cups flour
2 tsps. baking powder
Fillings:
1 pound prepared poppy seed filling
or, 1 pound lekvar (apple or prune butter)
or 1 pound strawberry or apricot preserves
Preheat oven to 350
Grease cookie sheets.
Beat eggs and sugar. Add remaining ingredients, and
mix well. Divide into four parts.
Proceed to assemble and bake. See
http://www.chabad.org/holidays/purim/article_cdo/aid/1366/jewish/Traditional-Hamantashen.htm for illustrations.
Happy Purim
