Purim - Jewish holiday starts March 15
Purim is celebrated on the 14th of Adar and it celebrates the fact that Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai, the leader of the Jews, spared the Jewish people from death. Haman, the Persian prime-minister, had persuaded King Ahasuerus to issue a decree ordering the extermination of all the Jews. Ahasuerus acceded to Esther's request, Haman was sent to the gallows, Mordechai became new prime-minister, the Jews successfully defended themselves against their enemies, and... we celebrate!
The primary commandment related to Purim is to hear the reading of the book of Esther. The book of Esther is known as the Megillah, which means scroll. That's where the expression "the whole megillah" started. The story is 10 chapters long, and some Congregations have the Hebrew/Torah school children do a Purim "spiel" for the middle chapters.
We dress up in costumes in honor of Esther's banquet, in order to prevent our Jewish identities to be known. It is customary to boo, hiss, stamp feet and rattle gragers (noisemakers) whenever the name of Haman is mentioned in the service. The purpose of this custom is to "blot out the name of Haman."
*Source: http://www.chabad.org/library/howto/wizard_cdo/aid/644343/jewish/The-Fun-Holiday.htm
Purim Collection on Polyvore
"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'"
Another type of Jewish joy is the mitzvah to "Rejoice in your festivals" (Deuteronomy 16:15). Here, joy is not an accessory to another aim. The mitzvah itself is to rejoice.
This is the joy experienced in the month of Adar - in the words of the Talmud, "When Adar commences, joy increases." One who is attuned to the spiritual essence of Jewish time spontaneously rejoices when entering the month of joy. In 2014, there in an additional Hebr
ew month, so we have 2 Adars. Purim is always in Adar II.
Purim Grager Earrings
Sending Gifts of Food
One of the mitzvot of Purim is sending gifts of food, called Mishloach Manot (literally, "the sending of portions") to acquaintances. The obligation is to send a minimum of two ready-to-eat-foods to at least one person. Often this opportunity is taken to send gifts to many friends and relatives. The source for this mitzvah is in the Megillah. "Mordechai... enjoined the (Jews) to make the fourteenth day of the month of Adar... feasting and joy, and sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor."1
One of the themes of Purim is friendship and unity. When Haman asked King Ahasuerus for permission to destroy the Jews, he said "There is a certain people who are scattered and separate…" In contrast, Queen Esther knew that Jewish unity was essential when praying for G-d's help. She instructed Mordechai to "Go, assemble together all the Jews" for fasting and prayer. G-d is our father, and He loves nothing more than seeing His children unified. When we are united, we merit G-d's blessing and salvation. We give gifts of food on Purim to strengthen our bonds of friendship with our fellow Jews.
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
1. Prepare dough of your choice. Divide into four portions
2. On a floured board roll out each portion to about 1/8-inch thick. Using a round bicuit or cookie cutter cut 3-inch circles.
3. Place 1/2 to 2/3 teaspoon of desired filling in the center of each circle.
4. To shape into triangle, lift up right and left sides, leaving the bottom down and bring both side to meet at the center above the filling.
5. Bring top flap down to the center to meet the two sides. Pinch edges together.
6. Place on grease cookie sheet 1 inch apart and bake at 350 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes.
Source: http://www.chabad.org/holidays/purim/article_cdo/aid/1366/jewish/Traditional-Hamantashen.htm
Linda Blatchford Jewelry Designer www.LinorStore.com www.lindab142.etsy.com www.meylah.com/linorstore http://linorstorecom.blogspot.com Copyright 2014. All right reserved.
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