Purim & Adar

Life’s early trajectory is not always reflective of its future course.

I looked around. Something told me to give the package to the people across the street.

I think of the many costumes you will wear as you grow and develop.

There is nothing that can hurt us, break us or be taken from us because when we are connected to our Creator, we are joined with the Source of all.

We were hesitant, but we still put on costumes, took our hamantaschen and knocked at the door.

A constant state of grief, depression, anxiety or pain is not normal. Telling ourselves that it is can create a situation where we are frozen.

We all need to work to create a joyous atmosphere in our homes and in our lives. But before we can create the right atmospheres, we often have to adjust our attitudes.

How many things have I tried to change—a situation or a chronic condition—and nothing seemed to work?

Anything negative and unbalanced that controls our actions doesn’t come from a good place; it destroys us. Any fears that paralyze us pulls us down. But when we do the opposite, miracles happen. Salvation happens.

G-d hardwired us to see our lives as mundane and contained within the so-called laws of nature, so that we are compelled to search Him out and find purpose, even where it seems there is none, within our personal life journey.

In Hebrew, the term for leap year is shanah me’uberet, which literally means “pregnant year.” It’s not just a coincidence that a shanah me’uberet has two months of increased joy. Because in order to experience joy, we need to learn the lesson of a pregnant woman—the lesson of “just” being and accepting your limitations.

Do you know what genuine joy is? Can you describe perfect joy?

Accept your emotions instead of fighting them or ignoring them. Instead of trying to dismiss the challenge, nurture yourself, treat yourself and get help as you go through the process. Do whatever you can to make it easier, but don’t deny the difficulty or the challenge.

What’s in a name? The Torah answers this question long before Shakespeare asks it.

Why does everything look so much easier for everyone else?

On the surface the book of Esther reads as a fable of sorts, filled with drama, suspense and a happy ending. However, keeping in mind that it was written under the rulership and scrutiny of the Persian king, care had to be taken to tell the story without offending sensibilities. A secret tradition passed down orally tells the real story.

I find that my new boogeying and dancing career is helping me inch closer to my own inner redemption.

Is this what Purim is all about—pretending to be something or someone you are not?

I loved having young children, but I don't miss having to dress them up for Purim.

Let’s take a step back and look at the context of the Purim story.

How is Yom Kippur like Purim in any way, shape or form, besides the fact that they’re both Jewish holidays?

Time has since passed, and so too has my incessant urge to play dress-up on a daily basis. Yet, once in a while, that little girl emerges.

Taking a cue from the Rebbe, who always stressed the importance of reaching out to every Jew everywhere, we decide to share the wealth!

Laughter comes from the revelation that in a split second, our situation can change.

The modern day concept is “if you got it, flaunt it.” Show the world what you have to offer, be out there, be public, the more the better. It just isn’t so exciting to be the heroine behind the scenes . . .

Now, thank G‑d, three children later, my perspective is obviously so different than what it was when I felt that longing, that wanting, those irrational feelings of guilt. But when a woman comes to me for a treatment, I always make myself remember. I look at her in the eyes. I see the person before me, and I try to see the whole picture . . .

Scuba diving teaches us a crucial level of faith. It’s not the faith that we won’t ever fall. It’s not the belief that it will never be dark or confusing. It’s the trust that G‑d is equipping us with tools that work . . .

Esther’s evolution seems to be one of a different nature. Her second name does not, on the surface, bring her closer to G‑d or to her people. It puts her into hiding . . .

I slip into my “just do it!” outfit and wear a smile to a wedding, even though my heart is dull. The garb and the smile carry me into their space and I end up dancing with joy for the bride (or her mom, whose circle I've suddenly become part of!). But I have other masks too, unconscious and less virtuous . . .

When I was with her, my mask was off. And being around the real me was something I realized I don’t get to do very often...

I walked past a bus stop just as a bus pulled over and opened its doors for me. “No, thank you,” I shouted to the driver, “I’m just walking. I don’t want to get on the bus.” “I know,” he replied, “I see you every morning. I just wanted to let you know that you’ve inspired me.”

Before this, I was the kind of person who never lied. I felt that honesty was truth and that I needed to engage in truth, at all costs.I have greater insight now about the issue of concealment . . .

There was a need to seek the truth. What was the truth about our parents' lives? What was it that they were not telling us? What was the hidden reality that they were concealing from us?

Wasted time counts for far more than the present moment, or even our own lifetime. This was Rabbi Akiva's message. A minute could mean a street. Think of Fifth Avenue and the loss becomes tangible...

We all wear masks. And I don’t mean the ones we slip on during Purim. Many of us think that if we could only window-dress certain aspects of ourselves, then doors would be thrown open to us, and success, love and happiness would nip at our heels . . .

This woman is like a bottomless cup of coffee. I give, and she wants more, and I give more, and she’ll want even more. I sincerely do feel badly for her. But I am equally scared to let a person who is in chronic, desperate need become dependent on me . . .

“They all dress the same, they’re so boring.” As I got to know them more and more I began to discover the uniqueness of each individual. The seemingly similarity in their outward appearance forced me to look inside and see each as person for who they really were...

When you consider the cost and lack of originality of store-bought costumes, homemade costumes are a more fun, and oftentimes more cost-effective, option . . .

When I was sixteen, I went to Israel for two months and gained about twenty pounds. I had been thin, even skinny, my whole life and never gave my weight a second thought...

One of the exciting elements of Purim is the obligatory giving of food gifts to friends and family. We are commanded to give at least two food items to at least one person . . .

The other day someone asked what my plans are for Purim. I think, like every other parent of food-allergic children, my heart skipped a beat and sunk to my feet . . .

Since I only have eyes for kosher, homemade and natural, Purim is perfect time to send a select few some fabulous, homemade, fun and useful goodies...

It’s not that I support this sneaker-clad, pink-sweatshirt-sporting, exuberant young girl in a despotic vision of absolute control. And it’s not only that I am thinking: Yes, reach for the stars, dream big. It’s just that her claim is simply true . . .

They called her names. They wanted her to believe that the thing which made her different from them was terrible. They called her ugly. It would be a lie to say that the words didn’t hurt. Those words did have some power over her. But her mother whispered other words into her ears . . .

Now, are the children or I doing something wrong? Are any of us actually out to trap the other? Are we being un-understanding? Inconsiderate? Lazy? Mean? Obviously not. We simply do not speak the same language . . .

Purim is a beautiful treasure that teaches us that even when we think that what we do won’t make a difference, it really does...

When we are awake, there is order. There is a hierarchy. Not so when we sleep. The powers conceal themselves. They go back to their source where there is no hierarchy...

This was the Purim miracle. Where there had been the disorder of sleep and exile, where evil was able to domineer the good, there was now order. The Jews could overcome their enemies...

Nobody, not even the queen, was allowed to approach the king without the king first calling for that person’s presence