Blog/March 2008/March 21st
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March 21st (See this week's devar torah)
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Hi again!
Purim is this week -- as I write this, actually -- and I can tell you that Purim is a much bigger holiday in Israel than it is outside the Land. For one thing, most cities have a "Purim parade". Kids seem to have unlimited supplies of firecrackers, which they set off late at night and early in the morning. I'm trying to get this written before we partake of the Purim meal, since afterwards it will probably be difficult for me to right coherently ...
This week has not had a lot of excitement to report, thankfully. But since it's Purim week, the news items are a little odd... like the Israeli Ministry of Tourism launching a campaign to encourage gay tourism. Do "gays" really go to different places than "straight" people? Have they been avoiding Israel for some reason? Why isn't the Ministry involved in encouraging "straight" tourism, since they constitute the vast majority of the population, and therefore are a bigger potential source of income? We'll probably never know...
Just in time for Purim, again: a group of "secular rabbis" is dedicating mental effort to untangling the knotty problem of what to do about breaking the glass at gay secular Jewish weddings. I didn't know it was even a problem, but there you have it.
And not too late, finally a voice of reason from the Palestinians. Not those Palestinians, the ones from Palestine, Texas.
As it turns out, I'm finishing this off just before Shabbat - so I can report on our Purim. It was very nice, we had a meal with neighbors of ours and drank enough to fulfill the mitsvah without going "overboard". I don't even have a headache, B"H! There was a huge "parade" going though Maale Adummim, with floats and dancers, and all sorts of odd things. We had to snake around it as we tried to make purchases for Shabbat this morning. The police were out in force, but looked a bit on the lethargic side. Maybe 'cause the weather was quite warm (probably 28 or so celsius).
Anyway, I have to finish getting prepared for Shabbat, so have a happy Purim if you're not finished yet, and as always,
Shabbat shalom!
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