Today began the first day of Purim (the celebration of the Jew being delivered out of the hand of Haman thanks to Esther) Read more at http://www.chiff.com/home_life/holiday/purim.htm My first thoughts about this is that, man the Jews sure are persecuted an awful lot. If their not running from one guy, they’re running from another. Then there was the walk in the desert for 40 years, but we’ll talk about that another time.
Anyway, so back to Purim being a festival. This is a fun time of year. Many shuls (temples, synagogues, etc) will hold a ball or a gala to celebrate. One thing that I absolutely love is a yummy pastry called Hamantaschen – essentially it’s a very sweet cookie filled with something – my favorite is apricot. There is also a tradition of giving out Mishloach manot which translated means the sending of portions. Typically you give out baskets of ready to eat goodies to friends and family. I just recently learned about Purim, so I didn’t have the chance to prepare anything to give out.
However, as I went through my day I realized that over the weekend I had given out a portion of myself and that others had given me a portion of themselves. For example, on Friday night, Cantor K and his wife hosted me for Shabbat dinner. I had a wonderful time, made new friends and learned about how other families celebrate Shabbat. I took a yoga class this morning and the instructor took time after the class to talk to me about my practice and what I had done right. It made me feel good and wanted to go back to yoga tomorrow! Then later I got a massage and the masseuse said “Happy Purim.” I was wondering how she knew I was a semi-Jew when she mentioned that she loved my Magen David (Star of David). As she performed the massage, she talked to me about my faith and where I go to shul. I told her about our shul and encouraged her to attend as well. She was asking ME questions and she was the “official” jew. It made me feel good to help. Then later I received a phone call from a lady named Marjorie. I met Marjorie at shul the Friday after my grandfather’s death. She had just lost her father (on the same exact day) and we bonded through our grief. When she called today, it was unexpected and yet a blessing. Mr Y has been visiting his native country and I have been getting a little lonely this week, so Marjorie’s call was a welcome surprise. She is a lovely lady and we had a very sweet chat.
After we hung up, I realized that there is a little bit of Mishloach manot in all of us. What portions of ourselves we send out into the world is our choice. I personally want my portion to be a light to anyone who sees it. I realized if I could just brighten one person’s life everyday, then that’s almost 4,000 people over the next 10 years. What portion are you sending out today?
Shalom!
JLS
Journey through Judaism 