Purim!

Purim!

Lets start off with “We’re so happy happy happy its Adar!”  I could not resist that but it is a wonderful time indeed because it means it is Purim.

I am not sure if I would say that Purim is my favorite holiday but it is definitely in a close toss up with Chanukah.  Last year I was a bit taken aback by the antics that go on during the reading of the Megillah Esther with the booing of “him” and the cheering for Ester and Mordecai and the drinking!  It was fun and again so was this year and I think even more fun because I have learned so much on my journey and it made this one very meaningful to me. 

We are commanded to have a festive meal.  We are commanded to listen to the Megillah Esther twice.  We are commanded to give charity to the poor.  We are commanded to give two prepared food items to friends.  We are supposed to basically eat and drink, learn and remember, help those less fortunate than us, and to share food gifts with friends and family.  I don’t know how you could not love this holiday.

So how did I spend my Purim?  I started on the Sunday before by going over to a friends house to make the ever wonderful hamantaschen for Purim.  We made hundreds of them but was fun as always but of course you have to eat your weight in them.

I went to synagogue for the reading of the Megillah Esther and was quite touched by it and I am not sure why.  As the readers were reading their portions I was just over taken by a sense of pride (not sure if that is the best way to describe it) that these Jews overcame being destroyed once again because two people stood up for what is right.  The one thing that I have learned is that as Jews we were all there so to speak so we relive the event so that we can remember the event.  Esther and Mordecai are definitely the heroes in this story.  It was amazing to hear the story again and  take so much more from it and how we can do the same thing today just by standing up for what is right.  I found it very inspiring to say the least but I  have always had a soft spot for the underdog. 

My acts of charity we a little different.  I decided to give money to two different organizations that do wonderful things.  Unfortunately it was not anonymous but I did it online but I feel very strongly about them both so in my opinion that is going to trump being anonymous and I gave because I wanted to.

One of the aspects of Purim is the notion that things are not what they seem.  Esther hid the fact that she was a Jew.  I did not wear a costume this year because I went straight from work and didn’t have time to change.  Now that I am becoming a little more comfortable in my new Jewish skin and with the Jewish calendar I need to look ahead and start thinking of my costume for next year.  I am sure I can come up with something fun.

On this journey that I am taking it never ceases to amaze me at how much there is to learn and how your mindset can influence what you learn.  My first Purim, like I said, I was surprised and this year I learned from the reading and I had a really good time as well which has me looking forward to next year.  We will see what I learn next year. 

Happy Purim to everyone and remember things are not always what they seem so keep an open mind and heart and stand up for what is right, that is what Purim is to me!