Posts tagged Purim
Purim Round-Up

There’s so much to learn from the Purim story - and the writers on the JWI blog have scratched the surface. Before you commence your Purim festivities, we encourage you to curl up with some hamentaschen and reflect on the varied lessons to be pulled from this joyous holiday.

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How the Purim story teaches us about gendered appearance expectations

By Rabbi Richard Hirsh

Despite the hyperbole that is characteristic of the Scroll of Esther, this  gender-specific discrepancy in how much time must be allowed to prepare oneself for public presentation remains a conundrum in contemporary teen-age culture, inside the synagogue as well as outside. There remain significant discrepancies between Bar Mitzvah boys and Bat Mitzvah girls when it comes to "how to dress."

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Ta’anit

by Sarah Barasch-Hagans

After Esther 4:16

“Go, assemble all the Jews who live in Shushan, and fast in my behalf; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens will observe the same fast. Then I shall go to the king, even though it is against the law; and if I am to perish, I shall perish!”

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Trust Issues

by L. Goodman

After a few years, he increasingly gave me additional duties; I was thrilled not to be stuck behind my desk writing all day. I would go to sales meetings with him, he sent me to a trade show, and he would talk to me about marketing and dealing with clients. It felt good. I felt that my potential was being discovered and developed. He would occasionally call me at home to talk and I enjoyed our conversations; although, I did feel uncomfortable with the fact of them, unsure how appropriate they were, though they were always appropriate. I didn’t tell my husband, afraid he would be jealous, that he would think he could decide for me with whom I could or couldn’t talk.

 

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Shades of the Present Day in Purim Megillah

by Rabbi Richard Hirsh

What an odd moment in American cultural history surrounds this coming season of Purim. The opening chapters of the Megillah are replete with narratives that resonate in contemporary terms. A husband orders his wife to appear wearing her royal diadem — and, in the midrashic imagination, “nothing else” — for the amusement of his banquet guests, none of whom speak to the inappropriate and degrading demand.

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9 Empowered Purim Costumes

Dressing as Queen Esther is never out of fashion, but we think it’s time to branch out. While one obvious choice is to pull your hair back in a tight bun, throw on a black robe, accessorize with a lace collar, and large, dark-rimmed glasses and go as the honorable RBG, here are some other empowered women worth emulating this Purim.

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