Ohr Somayach - Holidays / Purim

Purim begins Monday March 9, 2009
Shushan Purim begins Tuesday March 10, 2009
The Fast of Esther is Monday March 9, 2009

The Story of Purim

The Megillah Story
A summary of the Megillat Esther story with thought provoking footnotes
Historical Overview

Behind the Scenes
The ancestry of Haman & Mordechai
The Eyes of Doves
Mordechai's vindication for 'endangering' the Jews
Boo the Villain & Cheer the Hero
Two approaches to Haman's slander against the Jewish people
127 Insights into Megillat Esther
Overview and 4 insights (Book Excerpt)
The New Israel
The purpose of Achashveirosh's Party
The Last Laugh
The Humor in the sudden 'reversal' of the Purim Story
The Hill and the Hole
Haman & Achashveirosh: 2 forms of antisemitism
Secret of the Statue
The Talmud's question, "What did the Jews do to deserve the threat of annihilation at the hand of Haman?"
Purim Timeline

Deeper Insights

Purim - History Repeats Itself

Purim: Incensed or Incense

Each To Their Own

Rabbi Weinbach's Purim Message

Purim Symbols and Cymbals

Feeding the Ducks

Which Side of Genocide
Physical Vs. Spiritual Annihilation
Esther's Choice

The Willing Suspension of Disbelief
The Megilla reveals that nothing in this world is coincidental
A Divine Whodunnit
Purim: revealing the hidden hand of the Divine Author in our cosmic whodunnit
Who is a Jew
Origin and inner meaning of this title
Pisces
The Zodiac sign of Adar & it's relationship to Purim
A Tale of Two Miracles
Women's Role in the Miracle of Chanukah
Purim Costumes The Inside Story

Purim and The Sin of Adam - Audio

Fancy Dress

Ta'anit 16 - 22

Laws & Customs

Laws of Purim

Giving to Those Who Have

Drink is the Link
Explaining the mitzvah of drinking on Purim
Under the Affluence of Incohol
More on Drinking on Purim
The Line Goes on Forever
How to increase in joy when Adar enters
Women and the Megillah
On the obligation for women to hear the Megillah read
Rembering the Land
Why walled cities from the time Joshua celebrate Shushan Purim
The Walled Cities of Eretz Yisrael

Obliterating Amalek

The No-Jackpot Lottery
Amalek and the philosophy of 'coincidence'
Purim & Amalek

The King of Comedy
The Meaning of the war against Amalek in daily life
The Last of Amaleki
Haftorah Zachor
Cholent vs. Amalek
Parshas Zachor
Not by Chance
Symbolism of Parsha Zachor

Ask The Rabbi

Why We Eat Hamantaschen

Costumes on Purim

Why We Don't Make Noise for Memuchan or Amalek

Walled Cities and Shushan Purim

No Hallel on Purim

Esther's Age

Small & Large Letters in the Names of the Sons of Haman

Queen Esther's Intermarriage

Celebrating While So Many Died

Who Is Amalek?

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Fun, Humor & Poetry

Parodies of our Publications

The Far Side of the Story

Cracks the Rabbi
Questions That We Didn't Know How To Answer
Nudge The Rabbi
Questions That We Didn't Know How To Answer...but did anyway
Alaska Rabbi

Jack's the Rabbi
Bad Baloney and Talmud?