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The first mishnah in Rosh Hashanah states that there are 4 times of the year that are called Rosh Hashanah, New Year. Obviously, this refers to different things and each of them ahve there own "year". The mishnah says that the 1stg of Nissan is the Rosh Hashanah for Kings. Which means that when counting the years of a king's reign the ist of Nissan is a new year. The 1st of Elul is the new year for taking the tithes of one's flock.The 1st of Tishrei is the New Year for, counting the years from creation, for Shemmitah, Yovel, etc. The 15th of Sh'vat is the new year for trees, which has ramifications for tithing. There is an interesting ommision from this extensive list and that is the 1st of January. The New Year in the Gregorian calendar. The reason for this ommision is (besides the fact that the mishanah was recored 500 years BCE) quite obviously the fact that "New Years" is not a Jewish holiday. In fact there is nothing Jewish about New Years. In truth there is not much to New Years at all, just an excuse to party and get drunk. The real New Years, Rosh Hashanah, is a day rich with meaning and substance. Our sages tell us that Rosh Hashanah is the day the G-d sits in judgement on all of mankind. It is the day whan all that will transpire in the coming year is determined. It is the day that has the potential to allow us to cleave to Him, to feel His closness. We recognize His total dominion over the whole world. Therein lies the true key to happiness. By fulfilling our full purpose in this world, we are making creation worthwhile.
Get prepared for the upcoming holiday, Purim. Start thinking about shalach manos ,and Purim cards,
What does Purim mean to you? This is a loaded question for many. Images of drunken men dancing on top of moving cars may come to mind to some, while the kid's cute costumes comes to mind for others. Still for others, it's the mountains of junk food that comes into their homes and Peasach just around the corner.. Whatever the image that is evoked, Purim is a great time for all.
But what does it really mean? Purim comes from the word pur a lottery, in reference to the lots that the wicked Haman drew to decide which day was most ominous for annhiating the Jews. While this is the classic reason given, an explanation of why was the "pur" such an integral part of the story that it deserved to have the Name of the holiday named after it. What else needs an explanation is why is it called Purim which mean multiple lots? While it could be answered that Haman did not only draw one lot but rather drew many in order to asertain tht this was really the correct day, this still does not answer the first question.One answer is that the numerical value of Purim is 336 (Peh=80+vav=6+reish=200+yud=10+mem=40=336). This is an allusion to the 336 days that the Jew's anguish lasted for. Stating from the 13th of Nissan until the 14th of Adar, almost a complete year (Shaarei Bina). Another answer given is to show the integral part of the story that the lots had in the eventual salvation of the Jews. When Haman drew the lots, he was looking for the most auspisious month in which to destroy the Jews. He was deligted when it fell in Adar as that was the month that Moshe Rabbeinu died in. What he didn't realize was that by falling in Adar, he inadvertently gave the Jews 11 months to repent and pray for their salvation. This ultimatley led to his demise and therefore the name Purim is used to remind us that what had started out as a devastating turn of events eventually was the catalyst for salvation. The use of the plural Purim instead of the singular pur, is also an indication of the 2 days of celebration depending on one's locale. As we get closer to Purim, I will be writing more Purim Torah thoughts, ideas for shalach manos ,Purim cards, and a lot more so until thenShalom, from Israel
The next Jewish holiday coming up is Purim (if you don't count Tu-B'shvat, of course) Now I realize that it is still some time till Purim but I was thinking about it as it is the next holiday. In the next few weeks, I will be discussing some interesting ideas for Purim, costumes, recipes, shalach-manos, Purim cards. I would also like to discuss some Torah thoughts on Purim. So stay tuned, and check back frequently to see what new. In the meanwhile, you can see some great sites for Purim and for all Jewish holidays.
www.purim-cards.com
www.shalach-manos.com
www.jewishcardsngifts.com
www.chanukah-cards.com
