Posts Tagged: Esther
Behind the Mask
JNS.org - Purim is a serious festival. Yet many people consider it merely a children’s masquerade party. The very notion of dressing up, wearing masks...
Purim Guide for the Perplexed, 2017
Purim’s historical background 586 BCE: Babylonian Emperor Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of the First Temple on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, and his expulsion of Jews from Judea and Samaria, triggered a wave...
Esther Teaches Us Never to Judge a Jew By His — or — Her Appearance
So where do gutsy, brave, Jewish women who are willing to lay down their lives for their people, and do things that are frequently unpopular...
Prophetesses of the Jews
Rabbenu Hananel, Rashi, and the Vilna Gaon -- the rabbinic sages who engaged in typology -- all enumerated seven identical Jewish prophetesses. These included a Matriarch,...
Queens of the Jews
Most of the queens in Jewish history are either unnamed or unknown beyond their names. Yet a number of female monarchs figure more prominently due...
Redemptive Reckonings: Purim’s Cautionary Lessons Against Disobedience, Ingratitude, and Dissatisfaction
In some ways, the Scroll of Esther is an epilogue to the episode in Samuel I concerning King Saul of Israel and King Agag of...
Blotting Out Haman’s Name While Listening to the Reading of the Megillah (PHOTO BLOG)
On the subject of Purim, here's some background information from wikipedia. The first religious ceremony ordained for the celebration of Purim is...
A New Look at Purim
On the holiday of Purim, Jewish communities around the world read from the Book of Esther, traditionally known as the Megillah—the "Scroll". The Megillah tells...
Purim: Are You Doing it Right?
Purim is a festival renown for celebration, excessive drinking and wild, outlandish costumes; or, as Chasids in Brooklyn call it, Tuesday. It's the...
