This is the question that is brought up in synagogues all over the world. The Story of Esther is a Book of the Jewish Bible that has no mention of God. Was this omission on purpose, or just a divine oversight? http://www.rachaelscentre.org
Posts Tagged ‘Purim’
Where is God in the Purim Story?
Wednesday, March 7th, 2012Is Esther a Good Jewish Role Model?
Wednesday, March 7th, 2012Time and time again we look at Esther and ask if we should tell our kids to be more like Esther. After all, she married out of her faith and lied to her husband. So, is she actually a good role model? You’ll have to watch this video to hear the answer.
Are You Ready for Purim?
Wednesday, March 7th, 2012Purim is here and you have your mask, hamentashen and gregor, do you need anything else? Rachael has the answer…
Recipe for Hamentashen
Monday, March 14th, 2011As we all prepare our Mishloach Manot, Costumes and food, we thought we would share with you a great recipe for Hamentashen, courtesy of allrecipes.com
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups butter or margarine, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 6 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 (12 ounce) can poppyseed filling
Directions
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the orange juice and vanilla. Mix in the baking powder, then gradually stir in the flour until the dough forms a ball. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. I like to do mine overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into 3 inch circles using a cookie cutter or drinking glass. Place circles on the prepared cookie sheets. Spoon 1 teaspoon of filling onto the center of each circle. (Any more and it will ooze out) Pinch the sides of each circle to form a triangle, covering as much of the filling as possible. The cookies may be frozen on the cookie sheets if desired to help retain their shape while cooking.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until light golden brown. These are best undercooked slightly. Cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
Makes 36 Cookies
If you aren’t one for cooking, there’s always the grocery store!
“Mishloach Manot” – ‘Olameinu’: Our World, Our Environment
Friday, February 25th, 2011As Purim approaches, many people are busy preparing their ‘Mishloach Manot’, or the gift baskets we send to each other for Purim.
Usually the focus is on what goes into the baskets. With an eye toward Jewish environmentalism, I’d like to focus on the basket itself. When my kids were little we would take paper plates and staple them into triangles so they looked like a giant Hamentaschen. We would fill them and then put coloured tissue paper in the opening to look like the filling. As the kids grew up, they began to receive gift bags from their friends and thought of also sending gift bags.
Rather than going and buying a specific bag to be used for the Mishloach Manot, I would like to suggest a few ideas that would address the idea of recycling items from within our homes to fulfill a Mitzvah.
I am often bothered by the tangerine wooden boxes. They are large and cumbersome. I have seen people at the grocery store ask the cashier if they can empty the tangerines into a plastic bag and leave the box at the counter. Now I would like to suggest taking the boxes home and storing them for use as Mishloach Manot containers. They would be a perfect size for sending something to a family or a group of friends.
For smaller Mishloach Manot, consider saving the empty tissue boxes. They’re also sturdy, a nice size and already decorated.
Instead of using tissue paper to cover the box, it would be nice to use a bandana or kitchen towel.
This way it’s old school with charm and Jewish values.
Enjoy!
On the Breath of Children – The Purim Story
Friday, February 25th, 2011This is how the Purim story was once told to me by a little girl:
‘Long, long ago in a land far, far away there was a king who lost his wife. He decided he needed a new wife so he sent announcements throughout his kingdom asking that all the fair young maidens come to his palace for a great ball where he would choose his next wife.
‘Long, long ago in a land far, far away there was a king who lost his wife. He decided he needed a new wife so he sent announcements throughout his kingdom asking that all the fair young maidens come to his palace for a great ball where he would choose his next wife.
In a small cottage near the edge of the kingdom lived a young Jewish girl named Esther. Esther was an orphan and she was living with her uncle, Mordecai. Esther spent all her days and most of the night cooking and cleaning and sewing and didn’t have any time to herself. She used to dream of being a princess one day and meeting her prince.
When Esther heard that the king was having a ball she was very sad because she couldn’t go. She had no dress to wear and no way to get to the ball but through a great miracle, Esther not only went to the ball in the most beautiful dress but was chosen by the king to be his new queen.’
And so I give you: Cinderesther
