Make Your Own Purim Gragger You will need: Popping corn; pencil; empty juice can (with only 2 holes at the top that were used for pouring; cardboard; scissors; colored felt; household cement; glue. Put a handful of popping corn into the can through the 2 holes. Trace the base of the can onto the cardboard. [...]
It’s fun to make Hamantaschen! Here is a basic recipe: Hamantaschen are delicious cookies that symbolize the three-cornered hat worn by Haman, the arch villain of the Purim story. You will need: ½ lb margarine; 8 tsp sugar; 3 ¼ cup flour; 2 tsp baking powder; ¼ tsp salt; 3 tsp orange juice; 2 eggs; [...]
Bigthan and Teresh: Besides Haman, there are two important villains in the Purim story who are sometimes overlooked. They are critical players, because without them, Mordechai could not have risen to prominence and Esther would not have been able to use her influence with King Achasverous to save her people. Their names were Bigthan and [...]
Shabbat Shekalim: The Shabbat before the month of Adar officially welcomes the Purim season. This special Shabbat is called Shabbat Shekalim, Hebrew for the Sabbath of Shekals (an ancient form of Israelite money.) Shabbat Shekalim is honored with the reading of an additional Torah portion dedicated to tzedakah, giving charity, a mitzvah associated with Esther. [...]
The central theme of Purim is celebration. Mishe nichnas Adar, marbim be’simcha. With the beginning of Adar rejoicing is increased. (Taanit 29a). The hilarity of Purim has always been a welcome respite from the grind of daily life in exile. It is almost as if G-d was telling past and future generations to stop what [...]
Purim, Festival of Lots Did you ever hear a situation being described as A Purim Story? It means a crazy, mixed up series of events that do not seem to make sense, but in the end, all work out. That is Purim in a nut shell– an ancient story of court intrigue, deception, miscommunication, drunken [...]
Modi’in used to be more famous for its past than its present. But not any more. Today, this ancient birthplace of the Maccabees is about to become Israel’s fourth largest city. Once famous for its Hasmonean roots, modern day Modi’in has more than 150,000 residents and is Israel’s first planned city. Mentioned in the Talmud [...]
I don’t know about you, but when I’m on vacation, I start thinking about Shabbat on Monday. If an invitation does not surface by Wednesday, I start to worry. By Thursday, I panic. What will we eat? Will there be enough? Will the kids like it? Will I have to cook it?? Luckily, there’s no [...]
Rabbi Joshua Ben Levi said, “Women are obligated to light the Hanukah menorah for they took part in the miracle” (Shabbat 23a) Two heroines emerge from the Hanukah story that often get lost in the heroic tales of the Maccabees. Their names were Judith and Hannah and they also symbolizes the victory of the Jews [...]
The Menorah: Candles are lit on a menorah, or Chanukiah, in Hebrew. A kosher menorah must have space for eight candles all lined up in a straight row. All eight candles must have the same height. A ninth, extra, space must be raised above the other eight candle branches. So, the fancy candelabra you may [...]
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