Lessons and Insights

The first time we're ever called "Jews" is in the Purim story. Were we not Jewish before then? Or perhaps the question is: what's the connection between Purim and Judah?

Strange is it not? A book of the Bible and not even one explicit reference to G‑d? Why is that? Perhaps we can answer this question with another question....

A challenge-free existence creates complacency and lacks depth. But when we turn challenge into an opportunity for growth we become stronger. The festival of Purim has a unique message...

When the artist sets his hands to his craft, he turns his back on perfection, as a warrior turns his back on fear...

We all know madness well--we spend a third of our lives insane

Mordechai comes across as a true 'renaissance man', respected and adored by his people. But the Talmud reveals a little-known fact...

Surely there are other, more refined and more spiritual ways of celebrating and showing joy?

Wasn’t Haman the guy who wanted to wipe us out? Why would we immortalize him by eating cookies that bear his name?

One of the traditions of Purim is dressing up in fancy dress and wearing masks. What is the reason for this custom and how does it connect to the celebration of the day?

Whereas throughout the year alcohol consumption is barely tolerated by Jewish tradition, on Purim, the boundaries fall away. Why the change of policy?

Why do we drink on Purim? As with all Jewish questions, the answer is found on four levels -- the technical, the symbolic, the homiletic and the mystical

What a heroine Vashti was! No? And a disturbing thought suddenly hits me. What about Esther? Was she also "liberated"?

When I was sixteen, I went to Israel for two months and gained about twenty pounds. I had been thin, even skinny, my whole life and never gave my weight a second thought...

Why is Adar such a happy month? Because it is so inauspicious for the Jewish nation!

Can Judaism condone hatred? Or perhaps the question really is -- does a failure to hate evil constitute a tacit approval of its existence?

The Jews were illogical. G-d was illogical. The only one who acted logically was... Haman. No wonder on Purim we try to suspend logic!

Purim, as everyone knows, falls in the month of Adar. Actually, according to the Kabbalists, it's the other way around: Adar rises in Purim...

“They all dress the same, they’re so boring.” The seemingly similarity in their outward appearance forced me to look inside and see each as person for who they really were...

All other holidays are other-worldly experiences. And then there's Purim. Gift giving and feasting. Good food and wine. Very un-transcendent.

On the surface, the Purim story is not the typical background to a Jewish festival. Seas don't split, oil does not burn longer than it should and water does not turn into blood...

Purim doesn't have any blockbuster miracle to celebrate. In the Purim story, things turned out positively, and we chose – we had the consciousness and vision – to see it as a miracle.

Happiness comes with clarity of direction from within, and the ability to give meaning to every situation and experience. Haman could not be happy because his joy was purely external...

Here's a much harder question: Would you help someone else if you weren't even sure that G‑d would appreciate it?

The Jews didn’t back down. They were worried; they prayed, they fasted and they stressed. But their commitment was strong, and they were ultimately saved. Beautiful narrative. But how is that my story?

I have always felt an affinity to Queen Esther from the Purim story. Just like me, she married a non-Jew. And because of it she saved the Jewish people...

Her face smiled but her heart cried. She charmed all, but couldn’t be charmed. She was far away from home, and only she knew just how far. But this was all for a good reason, Mordechai had said. What that good reason was, she knew not, nor when she would...

It could have been the most joyous day of the year. Instead, "Little Purim" is an almost ordinary day, with no special observances associated with it. Almost, but not quite...

Esther’s evolution seems to be one of a different nature. Her second name does not, on the surface, bring her closer to G‑d or to her people. It puts her into hiding . . .