Book of Esther
Go to Ammon and MoabMonday, February 25, 2013 by Daniel Gordis | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Imagining themselves to be the wise men consulted on Vashti’s fate, the Rabbis deferred to the Jews’ enemies, saying, “from the day when we were exiled from our land, wisdom has been taken from us."
Purim in a New York TaxiFriday, February 22, 2013 by Viva Hammer | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
In reading the megillah together, my brother and I share a special bond of experience, family history played out against the rich backdrop of our people’s history.
Is Judaism a Proselytizing Religion?Friday, October 19, 2012 by Shlomo M. Brody | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
When Mitt Romney became the Republican Presidential candidate, some of the media attention focused on his experience as a Mormon missionary in France and asked, subtly or not so subtly, whether a member of a proselytizing religion could properly lead a pluralistic society.
Editors' Picks
The Festival of Exile Adin Steinsaltz, Jewish Journal. The story of Megillat Esther, says Steinsaltz, "looks like a simplistic melodrama" but "takes on a serious meaning as the mirror of Jewish history."
Purim and Presidents Day Aaron Zelinsky, Huffington Post. Purim and Presidents Day rarely fall in the same week. They do this year, and the coincidence is appropriate—since the early presidents were fans of the Purim story.
How Drunk Should You Be? Ari Enkin, Torah Musings. "One who suspects that his drunkenness could lead to murder or other unacceptable conduct should not drink, though all others are indeed required to intoxicate themselves on Purim."
Costume Customs Akiva Males, Tradition. For Purim, Renaissance halakhist Moshe Isserles justified a custom breaching the prohibition on wearing clothes combining wool and linen. Where did this custom come from? That's what Mordecai wore.
Why Are We Fasting? Chaim Lindenblatt, Torah Musings. Megillat Ta'anit, the Scroll of Fasting, prohibits fasting the day before Purim. So, why do we observe the Fast of Esther?
Why Are We Still Fasting? Daniel Pinner, Arutz Sheva. Both Purim and Pesach celebrate the deliverance of the Jewish people. But the fast preceding each festival reminds us that "to achieve redemption, we first have to go through a measure of suffering."
The Esther Code Rebecca Benhamou, Times of Israel. Just before Nazi Julius Streicher was hanged, he said, “Purim festival, 1946.” A new book, claiming that the Book of Esther predicated the Holocaust, has become a best-seller in France.