Purim

This coming Saturday there will start Purim (at sundown).
Purim is a holiday rooted in the Book of Esther, when Persian Jews were threatened by genocide and saved by the intervention of beautiful Jewish queen.
It is very special book. The only one of Biblical books where the name of God is not mentioned. Yet He is omnipresent. Starting with Washti ceasing to be a queen after she refuses to show herself naked (as many Biblical scholars claim) before pure masculine and very drank king's party serving effectively as king's prey. She did right yet she ceased to be a queen. But the purpose might be to let Esther become queen.

When Jews are threatened by immediate danger Esther is horrified by the perspective of going  to king without being fetched by him. It is masculine world and she is but one of his many women even if a queen. Yet Achashwerosh (by some scholars believed to be Xerxes I) admits her. But earlier there is a passage about responsibility towards group and loyalty towards group and single member - Esther fasts and with her fast all Jews. It is also about our destiny and free will. Esther may choose to do nothing yet Mordecai reminds her that this plight might be the exact reason why she became queen in the first place. We have a free will and choice to cooperate with God or not. Yet this choice has its consequences for us.
We don't get to choose the time we live in but we are hold responsible for what we do with this time.

Purim is very joyful holiday. Children put on costumes (it is sometimes called Jewish festival), everybody is enjoying themselves. Children are given small presents and adults are allowed to drink more than usually. Oh, and there are served wonderful little cookies - Hamantaschen (ears of Haman) -  with different fillings made of prunes, nuts, fruit, poppy seeds or almonds an raisins. Some families have recipes for those fillings going from generation to generation.

HAPPY PURIM TO ALL WHO CELEBRATE!