Purim is the story of the Jews in Persia many centuries ago, and of an evil vizier (yemach shemoh) who planned to destroy the Jewish people. He had a position of power and armies who would come to his call. We had one very hot babe, and some help from above.
Do I really need to tell you who won?
Purim reminds us of the light and hope that can follow even the darkest hours, and the promise of Adonai Elohim who watches over us. This flash presentation is an uplifting experience for people of any faith, and leads to a treasure-trove of links and real life stories associated with the Purim holiday.
Interestingly, while the Book of Esther (without the later Greek additions used in the official Bible of the Catholic Church and some others) mentions the hot babe quite a bit, it never directly mentions the Lord. There's a possible oblique reference in 4:14, but that's about it. This isn't to say that an omnipresent deity wasn't present in Esther, just that she was the real star of the show.
This underscores a lesson I have learned well: Never underestimate hot Jewish babes.
Purim Sameach! §:-)
IIRC, Esther wasn't in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Apparently the Essines didn't feel it wasn an appropriate text for the Torah. But the falsh animation was very moving.
This Purim video makes a mockery of Purim. Using images of the Holocaust, Saddam Hussein, and Israel not only reignites spurious charges about an Israeli link to the Iraq War but skews the holiday away from its true meaning. And manipulating the Shoah like this is as obnoxious as using 9/11 images in political candidate ads.
Promote Purim, please - but not with this video.
What is the true meaning of the holiday, Shawn? I'm not a Jew, so I honestly don't know.
"What is the true meaning of the holiday, Shawn? I'm not a Jew, so I honestly don't know."
The usual: They tried to kill us, they failed, let's eat!
Yehudit's got it about right - but in this case the central narrative of the holiday is an object lesson in maintaining one's identity as a (religious/cultural/national) minority even in the face of overwhelming pressure from the majority.
So, it's definitely not about Israel.
It might be about, say, Joe McCarthy, but unless you're Iraqi it's not about Saddam.
And the Holocaust link is just in poor taste.
Apologies in advance if I offend, since I'm not Jewish. Since there is a hot babe involved, do the ladies who participate in Purim festivities dress to commemmorate this?
I wrote a modernized version of Purim just this past Friday, starring G.W. Bush as King Achashveros. Certainly it's not as moving as the flash presentation AISH put together, but if you like camp shtick and need to laugh at our lovable leader (which is part of the "meaning" of Purim, i.e., its good to laugh and leaders make for a good laugh just as often as not), this may be the thing for you. All you have to do is hear in your mind's ear the Persian King's voice with a Texas twang. Don't take it too seriously (whether you like or don't like the guy) and if you think my caricature of Dr. Kissinger as Dr. "Kissodeath" (hey, even the evil advisor, Haman, needs a little evil advice now and then) is a bit too Noam Chomsky for you just skip scene six. Too bad I didn't get it written early enough this year for it to get performed during the holiday, but it would be even worse if it's still relevant next year! Email me at dsokal@msn.com if you want a copy.