Tidbits of Torah
Shabbat Parashat Tetsavveh
Shabbat Zakhor
February 23, 2013 – 13 Adar 5773
A Happy Purim to All!
Dear Friends,
A bit of silliness is part of Purim…So, here’s my contribution…
How many “h” words can you associate with Purim?
Here’s my (admittedly incomplete) list:
…Purim is the Holiday
of Heroines and of Heroes;
of Hoaxes and of Hocus-pocus;
of Hissing and of Hilarity;
of Happiness and of Hope;
of Head and of Heart;
of Helping and of Healing
because…mixed in with the laughter, we remember our friends with Mishloach Manot (thanks to Jody Sarfan and all who helped organize our RST Mishloach Manot bags this year); and with Matanot La’Evyonim (gifts to those in need) we remember to increase the joy not only for ourselves but for others as well!
Okay, so I haven’t even gotten to
Hamentaschen and Humor…
I’m sure there are more great “h” words associated with Purim…Want to add to the list?
And, a bit about this Shabbat…Shabbat Zakhor [Remember], is the second of four special Shabbatot that lead up to Passover. In addition to our regular weekly Torah portion from the book of Exodus, we read a special maftir aliyah from the book of Deuteronomy recalling the unprovoked attack of Amalek on the weak and weary Israelites as they traveled through the desert from Egypt toward the Promised Land.
The Torah exhorts us to stamp out the memory of Amalek. In reading this special maftir, we express our hope that senseless hatred will one day cease to exist and our belief that we can contribute to making the world a better place.
On Purim, haunting echoes of the Amalek incident described in the Torah accompany the reading of the Megillah as we “stamp out” the memory of Haman and cheer on Esther and Mordecai.
In the midst of our as yet unredeemed world, Purim invites us to remain hopeful and proactive.
I hope to see you on Shabbat and also on Saturday night at our RST Megillah reading. Let’s see how much Happiness and Healing laughter can we generate for ourselves and for others on this Purim!
Shabbat Shalom and a Happy, Happy Purim!
Rabbi Gilah Dror
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