Cleaning ladies—don’t even get me started! Once, or maybe twice a week, she is welcomed into my house to decide where everything should go and
If you were asked to rank the days in the Jewish calendar in order of importance, where would you place Purim? Probably not at the
Two groups headed out on separate roads. One accompanied a coffin to the cemetery. The other escorted a couple to their wedding. They all froze
Many sensitive people have been struggling with the precise balance to strike in Purim celebrations this year. On the one hand, there is clearly a
I am writing from base while on shemira duty (guard duty). I have just returned from Gaza for a three day rest. A recent hot
One of my favorite lessons is Rabbi Menachem Leibtag’s approach to Megillas Esther which he reads as a satire. The Megillah, a story which every
The name “Esther” is widely interpreted and commented upon. One such interpretation is that it stems from “hester—hidden,” as in “hester panim—when Hashem hides his
וַיִּ֣בֶז בְּעֵינָ֗יו לִשְׁלֹ֤חַ יָד֙ בְּמׇרְדֳּכַ֣י לְבַדּ֔וֹ כִּֽי־הִגִּ֥ידוּ ל֖וֹ אֶת־עַ֣ם מׇרְדֳּכָ֑י וַיְבַקֵּ֣שׁ הָמָ֗ן לְהַשְׁמִ֧יד אֶת־כׇּל־הַיְּהוּדִ֛ים אֲשֶׁ֛ר בְּכׇל־מַלְכ֥וּת אֲחַשְׁוֵר֖וֹשׁ עַ֥ם מׇרְדֳּכָֽי׃ “But it was demeaning in [Haman’s]
At first glance, it seems like the holiday least appropriate for the situation in which we find ourselves—totally incongruent with our mood and state of
As we prepare to celebrate Purim with Washington Habira (the Capital) pulled in opposing political directions, it is worth considering its counterpart in Megillat Esther,
Lewis Grizzard once said: “Springtime is the land awakening. The March winds are the morning yawn.” With a golden sunset on the horizon and the
Some people have a fear of snakes. Some people have a fear of heights. Some people have a fear of dogs. At least those make
