Tag: Purim

The Power of Intentional Revelation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Yu2a34PttAOriginally given as a senior sermon at JTS. I was six years old when I went thrift shopping for the perfect red button-up sweater to play ...

Anina Dassa March 24, 2025 Holidays JTS Senior Sermon

Purim’s Purpose: Get Goofy

The beautiful thing about Purim is that it allows us to take a step back, get silly, and not take ourselves too seriously.

Rabbi Alex Hamilton March 7, 2025 Holidays Observing Purim

Purim Rulings: Mythical, Magical, and Mitzvot

Silly halakhah questions answered! What do vampires eat? Can you deliver mishloah manot by Uber? Can you use your child as a grogger?

Exploring Judaism March 4, 2025 Holidays Humor

Unmasking a Queer Ancestor: Mordecai

Mordecai, Purim, and queerness come to invite all of us, queer or not, to work towards and reap the rewards of a free world.

Alex Friedman February 13, 2025 Esther Holidays

What Can the “Push/Pull” of Purim Teach Us About Antisemitism

What can the "push/pull" of Purim teach us about antisemitism? Esther teaches us a strategy that could help us find new ways to antisemitism.

David Harrison April 5, 2024 Holidays Purim

16 Facts about Purim and the Book of Esther

Learn 16 facts about Purim and the Book of Esther, including the language and the context of the megillah in the Tanakh.

Rabbi Dr. J.B. Sacks March 14, 2024 Esther Holidays

Descendants of Kings and Scholars: Leading the Revolution

Descendants of leaders steer revolutions, seen through Moshe and Mordechai. What motivates the privileged who become social justice warriors?

Rabbi Dr. J.B. Sacks March 14, 2024 Holidays Purim

Adding Some Shenanigans to your Purim

Purim is the perfect time to add some whimsy and shenanigans to your celebration. It is okay to be silly with these activities!

Exploring Judaism February 16, 2024 Holidays Observing Purim

Why I Love Hamentaschen

Making hamentaschen has been a powerful tradition for me throughout my entire life and brings me tremendous joy.

Elana Neshkes March 5, 2023 Holidays Purim

Purim: Embracing the Unconventional

Purim celebrates unexpected heroes as role models. Those heroes, Esther and Mordechai encourage us to be our full selves.

Rabbi Dr. J.B. Sacks March 5, 2023 Holidays Purim

The Four Mitzvot of Purim

Purim has something for everyone. In celebrating the Purim, our tradition outlines four special mitzvot for the holiday.

Rabbi Becca Walker February 5, 2023 Food Holidays

Special Shabbats leading up to Purim and Passover

What are the Special Sabbaths Before Purim and Passover?

A series of special Shabbatot with special Torah readings precede Purim and Passover.

Rabbi Alan Lucas, The Observant Life (Book) February 5, 2023 Observing Purim Passover

Celebrating Purim in Synagogue

Tradition dictates that Purim be observed on the fourteenth day of Adar, and begins with the recitation of the regular evening service.

Rabbi Alan Lucas, The Observant Life (Book) February 5, 2023 Observing Purim Purim

Festivities, Food, and Mitzvot on Purim

Purim is celebrated with days of feasting and merrymaking, and occasion for sending gifts to one another and gifts for the poor.

Rabbi Alan Lucas, The Observant Life (Book) February 5, 2023 Food Holidays

What is Purim and When is it Celebrated?

Purim is about the struggle of identity against assimilation, the value of tolerance, and to live proudly as Jews in an ocean of non-Jews.

Rabbi Alan Lucas, The Observant Life (Book) January 31, 2023 Holidays Purim