Purim
Rejoice When Your Enemy Falters?Friday, March 22, 2013 by Shlomo M. Brody | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Proverbs says, "When your enemy falters do not rejoice and when he stumbles do not feel glee." Does that apply even if your enemy is really, really evil?
Go to Ammon and MoabMonday, February 25, 2013 by Daniel Gordis | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Imagining themselves to be the wise men consulted on Vashti’s fate, the Rabbis deferred to the Jews’ enemies, saying, “from the day when we were exiled from our land, wisdom has been taken from us."
Purim in a New York TaxiFriday, February 22, 2013 by Viva Hammer | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
In reading the megillah together, my brother and I share a special bond of experience, family history played out against the rich backdrop of our people’s history.
Editors' Picks
Purim vs. Passover Yossi Klein Halevi, Hartman Institute. "'Passover Jews' are motivated by empathy with the oppressed; 'Purim Jews' are motivated by alertness to threat."
The Festival of Exile Adin Steinsaltz, Jewish Journal. The story of Megillat Esther, says Steinsaltz, "looks like a simplistic melodrama" but "takes on a serious meaning as the mirror of Jewish history."
Purim and Presidents Day Aaron Zelinsky, Huffington Post. Purim and Presidents Day rarely fall in the same week. They do this year, and the coincidence is appropriate—since the early presidents were fans of the Purim story.
How Drunk Should You Be? Ari Enkin, Torah Musings. "One who suspects that his drunkenness could lead to murder or other unacceptable conduct should not drink, though all others are indeed required to intoxicate themselves on Purim."
Costume Customs Akiva Males, Tradition. For Purim, Renaissance halakhist Moshe Isserles justified a custom breaching the prohibition on wearing clothes combining wool and linen. Where did this custom come from? That's what Mordecai wore.
What Makes Purim Tzedakah Different? Yossi Prager, eJewish Philanthropy. "All year long we seek to be instrumental in our giving of tzedakah. On Purim, however, we give because we feel the emotional need to do so."
Why Are We Fasting? Chaim Lindenblatt, Torah Musings. Megillat Ta'anit, the Scroll of Fasting, prohibits fasting the day before Purim. So, why do we observe the Fast of Esther?
Why Are We Still Fasting? Daniel Pinner, Arutz Sheva. Both Purim and Pesach celebrate the deliverance of the Jewish people. But the fast preceding each festival reminds us that "to achieve redemption, we first have to go through a measure of suffering."
The Esther Code Rebecca Benhamou, Times of Israel. Just before Nazi Julius Streicher was hanged, he said, “Purim festival, 1946.” A new book, claiming that the Book of Esther predicated the Holocaust, has become a best-seller in France.