Of Esther, Israel and Iran, pt. I – Purim
[ by Charles Cameron — Purim, the gift of a scroll ]
Today is the Festival of Purim in the year 5772 of the Jewish calendar, and in preparation for the event and in light of current geopolitics, PM Benjamin Netanyahu presented Pres. Barack Obama with a Megillah — a scroll containing the biblical Book of Esther, which it is a mitzvah for Jews to listen to on Purim — only last week.
Today is also International Women’s Day in the year 2012 of the Common Era.
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Purim is a festive celebration, and while I hope to post follow ups on the tangled topics of scriptural interpretation and prophetic politics in the coming days, I thought it appropriate to open this series of posts with an image of an early Megillah from the Library of Congress (see above), to raise a glass of virtual wine in honor of the dual event, and to wish all ZP readers Chag Purim Sameach.
March 8th, 2012 at 11:33 pm
Having gone to an London school that was widely regarded as Jewish (because so many from the local Ashkenazi community sent their children there) and being introduced to Vienna sausages, from an early age, may I send you my very best wishes for this feast. My own aunt will shortly be celebrating Tabernacles, though she is none too well. Hopefully, some good sense will prevail in the troubled region upon which Esther is based, but I am not hopeful…
March 10th, 2012 at 6:52 am
Pesach / Passover? — Sukkot / Tabernacles is in the autumn..
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Thanks for the good wishes, and the wish for good sense, too — not always an easy commodity to come by.
March 31st, 2012 at 11:34 pm
Just caught up with this posting. Quite right about Pesach and Sukkot. Good to follow you all on Twitter also.