Tag: Purim

QUESTION: I have a few questions regarding the Jewish leap year. Why do we always add a second Adar as opposed to adding a second Tevet or Iyar for example? Why do we call it Adar Alef? Why is Purim celebrated in the second Adar? And which Adar is the real Adar?Shea Aronovitch(Via E-Mail)

Feldheim's motto, "Torah Literature of Quality," is well-suited to Purim and the Persian Empire: A Historical, Archaeological & Geographical Perspective. Written by Yeshivat Itri graduate Rabbi Yehuda Landy, this magnum opus is wonderfully prepared, informative and valuable to a wide range of readers. Landy teaches at Yeshivat Ohr Yerushalayim and is a certified tour guide in Israel. His credentials served his research efforts well.

QUESTION: I have a few questions regarding the Jewish leap year. Why is Adar the month that is picked for this purpose? Why do we call it Adar Alef? Why is Purim celebrated in the second Adar? Which one of them is the real Adar?Shea Aronovitch(Via E-Mail)

Something about this Purim bothered me. It seemed too relevant. Once again, a Persian Haman has emerged - Haman-nejad (nejad or nezhad is a Persian suffix meaning "descendant of"), who has again made the existence of Israel a topic for debate. Some say that the world is better off with Israel, and others say that the world is better off without Israel. "Enlightened" academia has not yet decided, but it looks like the scales are tipping in favor of a world without Israel.

Order your meat now before the prices go up. That's right, now is the time to get the best deals on Passover meat purchases. And the best part is that you don't have to take delivery until closer to Passover.

"Pesach is just around the corner," was Mrs. Adler's motto. She began planning right after Tu B'Shevat, started cleaning after Purim, and limited food to the kitchen from Rosh Chodesh Nisan.

Purim is the "topsy-turvy" day of the Jewish calendar - the day of v'nahafoch hu. Boys and girls wear costumes, and we expect children to make noise in shul. It is a festive and happy day. But Purim may also be the day a Jewish boy or girl takes his or her first drink and the first step toward alcohol abuse.

On their face, there could not be two more unlikely holidays to wed than Yom Kippur and Purim. Even the youngest child knows that Purim is a holiday meant for fun and celebration, for costumes and parties. Yom Kippur, on the other hand, is the most solemn day of the Jewish calendar, calling on us engage in deep, somber introspection as we search for forgiveness and atonement. How different they are!

If you look at an ad or a commercial, more often than not the hype will be about the "new and improved" version of a product. The emphasis is on the fact that it's "newer" and thus better than the "earlier" version.

In 1927 Captain N. Taylor Phillips1 delivered an address before Congregation Shearith Israel in New York in which he recalled some of the history and traditions of early New York American Jewry. His recollections give fascinating insight into Jewish religious life in America when the community was still in its infancy.

I know Purim is over, but Megillat Esther is so rich with lessons on how people should live their lives - along with the consequences of not doing so - that I wish to share one of the many wisdoms that I have gleaned from reading it. I believe that the world wouldn't be in the mess it is in - economically, socially and spiritually - if people would only open their eyes to the megillah's masterful insights on how to behave.

Purim, one of the most beloved Jewish holidays across the world, is also very popular in Poland. There were Purim celebrations in all the major cities including Warsaw, Krakow, Lodz, Wroclaw and many others. Wherever possible people read the Megillah, gave tzedakah and shared meals.

Remember to breathe as you read Redemption to Redemption: The VERY Deep & Intricate Connection Between the Holidays Purim and Pesach. The enlightening ideas presented by author Rabbi Pinchas Winston will boggle your mind. They're the stuff of terrific discussions in any Jewish setting.

The entire downtown business district would pour into the streets around 5:30 p.m., clogging the already congested traffic lanes of Chicago's bustling Loop. Blaring horns of Checker taxicabs and city buses made it hard to hear one's own voice, but I always heard my father's voice...

The month of Adar is the final one on the zodiacal cycle in the year that begins with the month of Nissan (Aries), which marks the birth of creation and is symbolized by the gentle white ram.

I like to put these pastries in a basket for Purim as they make ideal Mishloach Manot.

I like to put these pastries in a basket for Purim as they make ideal Mishloach Manot.

I'm not quite ready yet to shut the door on Purim. Perhaps it's my way of avoiding dealing with Pesach, and the physical and emotional effort that comes with it.

Purim is major event throughout Poland. Many marginal Jews bring their whole families to the synagogue for the festive reading of the Megillah.

You might think it odd talking about Yom Kippur just days before Purim. But actually that is exactly why I am thinking so fondly of our holy fast day.

You might think it odd talking about Yom Kippur just days before Purim. But actually that is exactly why I am thinking so fondly of our holy fast day.

Question: What will you dress up as this Purim?

QUESTION: When does a mourner complete the year of mourning during a leap year?Zev Stern(Via e-mail)

JT Waldman's Megillat Esther is brash, loud and groundbreaking.

'Provocation'    So Bishop Mixa from Germany expressed his concern over Palestinians facing "ghettoization with almost racist characteristics" (front-page news story, March 9). When asked...

'Twas the morning after Purim and in a ba'al batishe house, A bleary-eyed husband tried not to wake up his spouse,

Seidenfeld Yahrzeit    March 1, Taanis Esther, marks the second yahrzeit for the four Seidenfeld children of Teaneck, New Jersey, who perished in a fire....

It isn't fair," whined the donkey to the ox.

Question: Every year we hear about teenagers overdrinking on Purim, in some cases requiring medical attention. What can be done to combat the problem?

About That Blood-Libel Book    In light of the false and distorted interpretation given to my recently published book, I have requested the Italian publishing...