From the Rabbi's Desk...
 
Rabbi Irwin Huberman
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February 26, 2010
Weather Update
The weather forecast for the next twenty-four hours calls for snow and some very challenging conditions.
There will be Shabbat services tonight and Saturday morning regardless of the weather. The Purim children’s dinner, the reading of the Melilla and the Purim Schpiel are “on” for Saturday night.
However, please do not push yourself, or jeopardize safety if you are uneasy about the road conditions. The concept of Pikuach Nefesh—the saving and protection of human life—is one of the most sacred in our tradition.
Better to stay safe during this Shabbat so that there can be many more healthy ones in the future.
Purim Festivities/Bring an Edible Gragger
It’s expected that the weather will clear up by Saturday night.
Here’s the Purim lineup. There is a family dinner and program planned for our Limmud Hebrew School students, which will start at 6:30pm.
We will begin the official reading of the Book of Esther at 7:00pm, and will be using the occasion to gather food for the Interfaith Nutrition Network food pantry.
Rather than use a gragger, Purim’s traditional noise maker, we ask that everyone bring a box of Macaroni and Cheese, or boxed pasta, or anything else which makes a noise when you shake it. We will gather these edible graggers at the end of the evening.
At 8:00pm, we will come together for this year’s version of the CTI Purim Spiel. Under the directorship of Rochelle Bordwin and Phil Essex, this year’s event will feature a number of vignettes, some of them written by our congregants.
There will also be a performance of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody altered to tell the story of Purim.
Come enjoy. This is one of two holidays when we are mandated to be merry.
Can you name the other? (Answer below).
Grand Opening, Holocaust Exhibit
We are blessed by the fact that our home community, Glen Cove, hosts the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County.
The center is a hub of information regarding the Holocaust, and humankind’s collective responsibility to promote tolerance and peace on earth.
This Sunday, from 1:30pm to 4:30pm, the Holocaust Center will be holding the grand opening for its new multimedia exhibit titled “A Visit to the Past that Impacts Our Future.”
This is a very compelling exhibit that is intended to teach the lessons of the Holocaust for generations to come.
Please call 516-571-8040 for more information.
Shabbat Across America
CTI will join hundreds of communities across North America on Friday, March 5 in celebration of Shabbat Across America.
Tens of thousands of Jews across the United States and Canada will come together to eat, drink, relax, dance, enjoy, and celebrate this 14th Annual communal event.
In celebration of this special Shabbat we will be joined at CTI by a number of guest musicians, and following Shabbat services we will enjoy a dessert spread. Please mark the date on your calendar.
The Lessons of Purim
One of the glorious things about the Jewish religion is that at, certain times of the year, it requires us to be happy.
It even allows us to turn the world upside down as we eat, drink, dress in costumes, and become a bit silly.
Saturday night marks the beginning of Purim, one of the two times of the year we are mandated to be happy, the other being Hanukkah.
It is also permissible (within a safe environment) to engage in a schnapps or two. The other holiday where this is extremely permissible is Simchat Torah.
There is much debate within modern Jewish tradition whether the events of Purim actually transpired as recorded in the Book of Ruth. The names Esther and Mordechai are very close to the Persian gods of Ishtar and Marduk. Even the idea that, as described at the end of the Melilla, the Jews rampaging throughout the Persian Empire killing tens of thousands of enemies, is at best a bit hard to absorb.
In all likelihood, in almost Shakespearian style, Purim is based loosely on events that transpired twenty six hundred years ago in Persia during the Jewish exile. It paints a portrait of a foolish king, bumbling villains, and a glorious victory.
Its main lesson is that there are times within our religion that it is permissible, if not encouraged, to be joyous—to eat good foods, to enjoy desserts, to laugh, and to turn the world upside down.
What a blessing this must have been through two thousand years of exile.
The primary issue is not whether it happened exactly as printed or not—rather it is a lesson to us in equality.
Whether a person is rich or poor, we are commanded to party. Whether the world around us is joyous or painful, we are mandated to sing and dance.
And when those who surround us demand we remain quiet, we are instructed to make noise, reminding the world “we are still here.”
This concept of mandated joy is so important that a community is not deemed to have completed the mitzvah of Purim unless it brings a smile to the poor, the homeless, and the needy.
One of the most important messages of Purim is that everyone deserves to be happy, at least two or three times a year.
Let us celebrate friendship. Let us make noise. Let us treasure laughter. And let us assure that no one is left behind.
Imagine a religion that demands that we become a bit foolish, at least one night year.
What an amazing way of understanding life, this Judaism. Come join this Saturday night’s Purim celebration.
And don’t forget to shake your pasta.
Chag Sameach (Happy holiday,)
Shabbat Shalom v’kol tuv (with all goodness,)
Rabbi Irwin Huberman
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