Sunday, January 27, 2013

Origins of the Purim Masquerade Custom






















Have you ever wondered when the Purim masquerade custom began?

The honest truth is that it's embedded in the Book of Esther, but we'll get to that later. If we want to stick to global custom origins, the first recorded source of dressing up in costume on Purim is a 15th century German document discussing women wearing men's clothing, drunkenness and other related Purim issues.

Any other global connections? There is a school of thought connecting Purim masquerades with the Carnival of Venice which dates back to the 11th Century. By coincidence, the calendar date of this festival famous for superb leather, porcelain and glass Venetian masks is not all that far from Purim. Hmmm...many Jewish customs have been "borrowed" from Christian neighbors, so this sounds like a definite possibility.

Speculation aside, let's take a look at the Book of Esther -- a story chock full of disguises.

The most obvious example is Queen Esther herself, depicted in this mosaic. Hiding her Jewish identity by competing in and winning Achashverosh's beauty pageant was the biggest masquerade of all. Even the name Esther, possibly taken from the Persian name Ishtar, is part of the cover up. Esther's given Hebrew name? Hadassah -- as in the name of the women's organization.

The carnival of poses doesn't end with Esther. Let's take her husband, the mighty king Achashverosh. He wears the mask of a strong ruler when actually his advisors -- most notably Haman -- rule him. Mordechai hides behind the mask of a loving uncle when he really is a mastermind pulling strings in order to save the Jewish people.

Haman? Is he as smart as he presents himself to be? Indeed, the story of Purim is one big charade. Speaking of which, maybe a good old fashioned game of charades should be part of this year's Purim curricula or family Purim feast? Not only does it enhance the masquerade custom, it sets the stage for it.

What do you think?


Mask photo credit

Queen Esther mosaic photo credit

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

From Planting Trees on Tu B'Shvat in Israel to a Bible Tree Quiz

While listening to the radio yesterday, I heard about a tree contest being run for Israelis by the Jewish National Fund. Citizens are asked to send in a photo of their favorite tree in Israel along with a detailed history. Naturally, the competition is being held in honor of Tu B'Shvat and I'm wondering if it will lead up to a traditional Tu B'Shvat tree planting event as well.

The announcement got me thinking about your running a Bible/Israel tree quiz for your family/friends/students. I've done some of the leg work to get you started, so here we go.


1. Two different trees stood in the Garden of Eden. Name them.

2. Trekking through the desert, the Children of Israel reached an oasis in Elim where there were water springs and trees. What kind of trees?

3. Among the laws handed down to the Children of Israel, the law of Bal Tashchit deals with preserving trees in times of war. What kind of trees?

4. Which of the seven species grow on trees?

5. What type of trees did King Solomon buy from the King of Tyre?

Now it's your turn. To help you branch out and develop more questions, read this article on some of modern-day Israel's ancient trees.

Enjoy the mental climb!


Answers
1. Tree of Life and Tree of Knowledge
2. Palm trees
3. Fruit bearing trees
4. Olives, Pomegranates, Dates & Figs. Grapes grow on vines.
5. Cedar trees

Photo Credit