Congregation Beth Shalom

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Amber's Message:

Our tradition invites us to celebrate the coming of spring (which will hopefully be soon!). You probably know Purim as the “Jewish Halloween,” or for being the hamentaschen holiday, or the drinking holiday. The Megilla (Scroll of Esther), suggests four ways to celebrate: reading the megilla, eating a festive meal, giving gifts, and giving to charity; indeed, the Talmud tells us that we should drink until we can’t tell the difference between “cursed be Haman” and “blessed be Mordechai.” We’ll certainly cover a few of those (you guess which ones) at our Purim party on March 9th, which starts at 6pm at Bruce and Kristi Jacobs' home. I’m excited to see some big hair and neon colors for our 80’s costume theme. Please bring a dish to share (no meat, no shellfish). Homemade hamentaschen will be provided. You can bet that Rabbi Mike has some fun songs to share, too. This party is just for adults; we plan to have another celebration for Shalom Kids.

What I like best about Purim is that it happens around the spring equinox, in the way that other Jewish holidays are connected to time and the seasons. Like Esther reveals her hidden Jewish identity, spring is a time of emerging. It’s a time to consider what you’ve been hiding, and what needs to come to the surface. Rabbi Mike will share some spiritual lessons about the holiday at his Adult Ed class on Sunday the 10th at 10:30am, including why the Book of Esther is the only biblical book not found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, and why Martin Luther tried to keep it out of the Bible.

Check out the full list of our events on our calendar, and save the date for our Community Passover Seder on April 20th. Registration is live on the homepage of our website. Please also join us for kabbalat shabbat and an oneg on Friday the 15th.

Amber

Amber Ikeman, Director of Music and Community Engagement
amber@bethshalombozeman.org
(406) 556-0528 x202

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