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tanarillIt is Purim, also known as that one Jewish holiday where the bad guy planned a genocide because one man wouldn't kowtow to him. Talk about self-obsessed.
If you like hamentaschen, which are the three-cornered cookies with jelly filling, you should hit up the Kosher bakery around now. Or make them, by first making regular cookie dough and cutting out largeish circles, followed by adding jelly, folding them into triangles, and baking. Nom nom yummy.
So, there are four things which are to be done on Purim.
1. Hear the Megilah (that is, the Book of Esther) read. To do this, I went to the local Chabad house, where they are still having a party. There is a tradition to stop and boo every time the name of the villain, Haman, is read. But if you don't do this, it takes about twenty minutes to read, easy. So I did that.
2. Have a feast. It is a Jewish holiday, after all. Chabad provided, and since it Purim, it's a costume party as well. Rachel, who is the rabbi's wife (the rebbetzin) is dressed as a pirate, specifically the kind of pirate usually only found in certain Disney movies that involve an actor Depp. Another was dressed as Waldo; to him I said, "Hah! I found you!" I also probably ate too much, especially concerning hamentaschens, as I do when faced with Rachel's cooking.
3. Get drunk. I veto this one, because I have a presentation in the morning and a diner to go to tomorrow.
4. Give to charity. Traditionally, this is done in two ways. One, you give a kind of gift basket to the local poor and also friends. The basket must contain two edible items, usually a fruit and yet more hamentaschens, and other things of a useful nature. The other thing is to give one-half of the local major currency to charity. This is because the census tax in ancient Israel was one-half of a shekel, a weight unit of gold against which things were valued. Since we cannot pay to the Temple anymore, we pay to those most in need of it instead. I have yet to do this, but I will certainly do so tomorrow.
And now I am back, a bit overfull and pretty happy.
:D
If you like hamentaschen, which are the three-cornered cookies with jelly filling, you should hit up the Kosher bakery around now. Or make them, by first making regular cookie dough and cutting out largeish circles, followed by adding jelly, folding them into triangles, and baking. Nom nom yummy.
So, there are four things which are to be done on Purim.
1. Hear the Megilah (that is, the Book of Esther) read. To do this, I went to the local Chabad house, where they are still having a party. There is a tradition to stop and boo every time the name of the villain, Haman, is read. But if you don't do this, it takes about twenty minutes to read, easy. So I did that.
2. Have a feast. It is a Jewish holiday, after all. Chabad provided, and since it Purim, it's a costume party as well. Rachel, who is the rabbi's wife (the rebbetzin) is dressed as a pirate, specifically the kind of pirate usually only found in certain Disney movies that involve an actor Depp. Another was dressed as Waldo; to him I said, "Hah! I found you!" I also probably ate too much, especially concerning hamentaschens, as I do when faced with Rachel's cooking.
3. Get drunk. I veto this one, because I have a presentation in the morning and a diner to go to tomorrow.
4. Give to charity. Traditionally, this is done in two ways. One, you give a kind of gift basket to the local poor and also friends. The basket must contain two edible items, usually a fruit and yet more hamentaschens, and other things of a useful nature. The other thing is to give one-half of the local major currency to charity. This is because the census tax in ancient Israel was one-half of a shekel, a weight unit of gold against which things were valued. Since we cannot pay to the Temple anymore, we pay to those most in need of it instead. I have yet to do this, but I will certainly do so tomorrow.
And now I am back, a bit overfull and pretty happy.
:D
no subject
Date: 2012-03-09 01:48 am (UTC)*reads plot summary of the Megilah on Wikipedia* Wow. That's like a comedy of errors, except with executions in it.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-22 04:52 am (UTC)