Purim is one of the great often overlooked Jewish holidays that happens to be one of my favorite. It is essentially the story of Esther. How she came into a position to save her people by thwarting the plot of Haman to eliminate all of the Hebrews of the land (sounds like a familiar plot doesn't it? Where was Esther in the 1940's when we needed her?)
So, part of the Purim observation is to hear the whole Megillah...yup, that's where the saying comes from! Bet you didn't know that? Also, as in all great Jewish celebrations there is symbolic food. I love food and I love to cook/bake...so this is just great! We are also called to share food gifts with family/friends as a form of a mitzvah (blessing) to others. And, for the finale' we are also challeneged to get so drunk that we do not know the difference between Haman (boo/hiss the villain) and Mordachi (the hero who thwarts Haman's plans with the aid of information supplied by Esther). Seriously, could it get any better than that? A religious celebration that encourages drinking! (Some who know me may accuse me of choosing to be Jewish for the booze.....not the case, but it doesn't hurt either!)
So, I cooked, baked, etc for Purim this year. Here are some photos of my accomplishments.
This is the dough for the Challah. I love to bake Challah!
This is what it looks like after I have braided it, I finally mastered the 4 strand braid!
This is what it looks like after it is baked.....mmmm it smells SO good!
This is what Hamantashen looks like during the process. Hamantashen are jelly filled cookies that are formed to be in the shape of Haman's hat.
This is what they look like before they go into the oven.
And voila! Fresh from the oven!
The next Jewish holiday is Passover. Passover is one of my very favorite holidays. Every year we have a Seder with family and friends and go through the story of Passover complete with symbolic foods.....and 4 glasses of wine! (I swear that isn't the only reason I love it! I swear!) Stay tuned for pics of our Passover festivities! I bought LOTS of frogs for this year's Seder!
3 comments:
OOHHH....YUMMY!!! I love being your nieghbor, cuz that means I get all the yummy food! The bread never last long enough for me to get any of it~ the boys eat it straight from the bag and rarely share, but the cookies, oh so good! And thanks for the diet coke, I needed the caffine! Can't wait unil Passover!
Your Challah is beautiful! I love the way food is used to celebrate and keep traditions in the Jewish faith. I also love the story of Esther...such a woman of faith.
Esther is by far one of my favorite women in the scriptures. Such courage and faith.
Who ever said that women can't be both beautiful and intelligent!
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