Purim is barely in our rearview mirror, and the lessons from this whacky holiday are fervently important so we’re going to hold on for a little while longer.
Our costume laden holiday actually gives us the most amazing lesson of all in only one word, "venahafochu." This literally refers to the story’s announcement to "turn the decree against the Jews on its head." There is a very literal need for this type of transformation right now.
It is hard not to make comparisons with Purim’s desire for changing outcomes to the world’s plea for the war against Ukraine to end. Writing those words feels like a dream, but then the holiday challenges us to believe in the impossible.
It is a story of a “You-know-who”, a murderous man in power who builds gallows for Mordechai but then dies by the very gallows that he constructed. He discounts the unity and bravery of the many and the few. The many fasted in unity with Esther and fought back against a murderous hoard and the few, meaning Esther and Mordechai, confront the sources of power to change the decree.
This story is a reminder that the world surprises us all the time. We do not know the time frame of change, but we do not that what we expect is not always what happens. We can get whiplash between hope and pessimism, but it does not allow us to turn away.
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Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Bernstein
CANDLE LIGHTING Friday, March 18th at 6:46 PM
HAVDALAH Saturday, March 19th at 7:46 PM
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Kabbalat Shabbat at 8:00 PM (In Person & Live Streamed)
Saturday
Nosh & Drash at 9:00 AM on (In Person)
Shabbat Service at 9:45 AM (In Person & Live Streamed)
Junior Congregation at10:30 (In Person)
REFUAH SHELEIMAH (A SPEEDY RECOVERY)
As a community, we pray for those in need of healing. May they be granted a Refuah Sheleimah - a complete and speedy recovery.
Savannah Ambrosecchio Murray Ackerman Glen Blackman Steven Nachbar Roy Friedenthal Judith Feldman Ned Hochstein Ed Hoffman Donald Lindberg Warren Siegel Fred Stern
If there is someone's name that you wish to add or we need to remove, please let us know.
Another wonderful Purim Program
Thank you to Evelyn Polay, Jamie Shiner, Peter and Francine Bloch for all the great work on the Purim Carnival. CLICK HERE to read the article from the Bellmore Herald and you may also CLICK HERE to view Purim slideshow.
Thank you to Nadine Kaufman and her committee for packing the Purim Baskets. Please make sure you pick up your Purim baskets by Monday, March 28th.
SAVE THE DATE SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2022 MORE INFORMATION TO FOLLOW
Congregation Beth Ohr Sisterhood THEATRE GROUP Enrollment for 2022 Season For more details, pleaseCLICK HERE Join us for THREE Matinees!
CELEBRATIONS & GRATITUDE
Mazel tov to Barbara and Lenny Ringel as their grandson Samuel Robert Ginsberg becomes a bar mitzvah. Proud parents are Stephanie and Joshua Ginsberg and brother Zachary.
Affiliated with United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism