How to Bring Balance and Order to Purim’s Chaos
Purim is a holiday of excesses and extremes. For someone who thrives on control, order, quiet reflection, and decorum, it can be troubling and uncomfortable.
I Want Hamantaschen to Be Like When I Was a Kid
When I was growing up on Long Island, hamantaschen had a golden yeast dough and filling that oozed from the seams. What ever happened to those delicious treats?
Jewish Women Say Celebrating Purim in the #MeToo Era is Different
Themes relating to gender are especially relevant this Purim, as sexual harassment and assault allegations against high-profile men continue to emerge.
How We Can Channel Purim’s Giving Spirit all Year Long
At the end of M’gillat Esther, the Jewish people celebrate their survival with merrymaking, feasting, and sending gifts to one another and to the poor.
How Purim Can Fill an Emotional Need for Connection
I love the idea that one of the things we try to do on Purim is increase connection and friendship – and sending gift baskets is the perfect way to do that!
What God Is and What God Is Not
People often ask me: How could a good God allow the Holocaust to happen? The best answer to this question, I believe, lies in the biblical story of Cain and Abel.
A Blanket, a Letter, a Shoe: Searching for Meaning in Traces of the Holocaust
The artifacts displayed in a major new exhibit, “Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.,” are what remain, despite the perpetrators’ attempts to conceal their crimes.