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March 1
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9:30 a.m. Services in the Adat Shalom Sanctuary
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March 20
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Purim and Megillah reading
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March 21-23
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Wagner Women's Weekend
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March 30
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12:30 p.m. Lev Eisha Women's Seder & Fundraiser
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April 5
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9:30 a.m. Services in the Adat Shalom Sanctuary
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April 19
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First Seder
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Purim is the most physical of the festivals. It's the day that celebrates the salvation of the physical existence of the Jewish people, thanks to a great miracle. Its observances include giving gifts of money to the poor called "Matanot L'Evyonim," sending gifts of food to friends called "Mishloach Manot," hearing the Megillah read, and eating a sumptuous feast accompanied by lots of booze.
Hamantashen, with their yummy fillings hidden inside, allude to the hidden nature of the Purim miracle and Queen Esther's secret life in the palace as a Jew. Also, the three-pointed hamantashen are said to evoke Haman's three-pointed hat or his pointy ears.
Traditional Hamenstashen pareve
Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup pareve margarine, softened
1 Tbsp. orange juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsps. baking powder
pinch of salt
1 tsp. orange rind
Fillings:
1 pound prepared poppy seed filling, chocolate chips/ peanut butter, or 1 pound of fruit preserves
Preheat oven to 350 and get on your Queen Esther costume and pour yourself a glass of the Etrog Liquor you made at Sukkot.
1. Place all ingredients in a large mixer bowl and beat together. You may add a drop more juice or flour, depending on consistency of dough.
2. Be sure your crown is on straight and dig into the dough. Roll the dough into a ball, slap it onto a floured board. Divide it into four parts using a knife.
3. On a floured board, roll out each portion to about 1/8-inch thick. Use a round glass or cookie cutter to cut 3-inch circles. Keep remushing and rerolling until all the dough is used.
4. Place 1/2 to 2/3 teaspoon of filling in the center of each circle. Sing "Oh Once There Was A Wicked Wicked Man."
5. Shape into a triangle shape by lifting and squeezing right and left sides, leaving the bottom flat. Bring both sides to meet at the center above the filling. Bring top flap down to the center to meet the two sides. Pinch edges together. You may need to moisten the edges. Use water, not that glass of Etrog Liquor you've been sipping.
6. Place on Pam sprayed cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool a bit and remove to a cooling rack. Wrap them up and give them to friends! Chag Sameach!
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Purim is a fun-filled time of carnivals, costumes, masks, Hamentaschen and groggers. This is our usual experience of this Jewish holiday.
But it is so much more! The secret of Purim comes from the "Megillah," the scroll of Esther, that will be read on Thursday evening, March 20, 2008 at 7PM. Join us at Adat Shalom for an evening to remember!
The word "Megillah" has two meanings. As stated above it traditionally means "scroll" - and we read the story of Esther from a parchment scroll.
The second meaning is from the Hebrew word "to expose" or "to reveal."
"Megillah" can mean to "reveal what is hidden."
Interestingly, this is also one of the meanings for the name of our heroine Esther. In Hebrew the name means "concealed" from the Hebrew "to hide."
Reading Megillat Esther on Purim literally means that we are uncovering what cannot be seen, revealing what is hidden.
So what is "hidden" on Purim?
First of all, God is hidden! There is no mention of God anywhere in the whole Megillah. The fact that the Jewish people are saved from the cruel Haman is a "hidden" miracle. It takes deep faith and understanding to recognize the hidden force of God in our everyday lives.
God acts in "hidden" ways. Esther was capable of great courage and inner strength to save her people. Sometimes, finding this inner strength is the "hidden" power of God. God works through us in mysterious ways.
This is one of the lessons of Purim. Not all miracles are obvious, but let us investigate our own lives to see the "hidden" miracles that do occur daily. Our lives are filled with miracles waiting to be revealed by you!
May we all find the strength, belief, hope and conviction to recognize these opportunities and make miracles happen. A joyful Purim for us all!
Look for your invitation to our unique and musical Women's Seder in the mail this month. Didn't get an invite? Contact our membership chair to make sure that you are up-to-date.
The Seder is on Sunday, March 30th at 12:30 p.m. It includes a light lunch of Pesach friendly culinary delights and your own Lev Eisha Haggadah (2nd ed.) to take home for your family. Our new Pesach cookbook will be on sale at the Seder, as well as additional copies of the Haggadah. Be sure to put in your pre-order!
Julie still has books, keychains and assorted other premiums for the following people. Please see her after the service!
Eve Axelrad
Fran Bogotch
Rochelle Brandon
Lottie Cohen
Sheryl Colby
Donna Ernstoff
Myrna Gale
Eveline Ginzburg
Barbara Haberman
Linda Kaufman
Lillian Laskin
Shayna Lester
Andrea Nitz
Cathryn Novak
Leila Rosemberg
Sherry Rothschild
Ellen Satkin
Bonita Selk
Sylvia Shapiro
Terrie Turner
Riya Zelcer
Rose Ziff
Teri Zohar
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Lev Eisha mourns the passing, last month, of our devoted member, Marilyn Berger.
Mazal Tov to Ruth Grossman and family! Her daughter, Lisa, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl last month, Rebecca Anne Ben-Tal. We look forward to Rebecca joining our service in the near future.
If you have a milestone to share please send it to: editor@leveisha.org. Our newsletter gets printed about a week before each service. Please send the info ASAP.
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