Special Purim Supplement Purim and Parody
Like all the festivals of the Jewish calendar, Purim as we know
it today is the product of a long history of development.
Ostensibly a commemoration of national deliverance from
danger, we should have expected solemn ceremonies of
An exceptional passage in the "Bavli", the
thanksgiving such as characterise Passover and Hanukkah.
Babylonian Talmud, (Hullin 139b) serves as a model for
The victory over Haman is, however, distinguished by a
subsequent "Purim-Torah" - that is, playfully using some of
unique mood of high-spirited frivolity, coloured by high
the far-fetched methods of Talmudic logic and Biblical
alcoholic content and a general tendency to make light of
exegesis in order to reach absurd conclusions.
matters which would be treated more reverently at other
From these Talmudic beginnings we can trace the
development of a whole genre of Purim parodies, wherein
The earliest descriptions of Purim celebrations, from the
Jews would affectionately poke fun at the world of Talmud
Second Temple and Mishnaic eras, offer no indication of the
and halakhah. From the 12th century, Jews in Italy,
irreverence that we associate with the festival. The emphasis
southern France (Provence) and elsewhere were producing
is on the formal reading of the Scroll of Esther, which was to
parodies on the Talmud, liturgy and other familiar pillars of
be conducted with great care and seriousness.
The events of the Megillah are interpreted as reflections of the
Particularly among German Jews there also developed the
religious behaviour of the Jews of the time, and within the
institution of the "Purim-shpiel," a rowdy play on the Megillah
context of broader historical themes, especially the destruction
story (or other theme) traditionally performed on Purim. To
of the First Temple and the beginnings of the building of the
German Jewry we also owe the adoption of the
Second (which the Rabbis believed was delayed by
Hamantasch, an adaptation of the German mahn-tash
("poppy-pocket") pastry, given a new meaning for the
It was the Jews of Babylonia who seem to have introduced
some of the more frivolous customs into the observance of
In our observance of Purim we are thus drawing from a long
Purim. Two main factors can be traced to the Babylonian
line of historical precedents and developments.
*************************************************************************** Ha Ha Ha. Purim is fun because you can drink and drink and
A man is having a problem with his son and goes to see his
drink until.
rabbi. "I sent him to Hebrew School and gave him a very
10. You hold a volume of the Babylonian Talmud upside down,
expensive Bar Mitzvah," says the man, "and now he tells me
thinking “Hey, they finally decoded the human genome!”
he's decided to be a Christian! Rabbi, where did I go wrong?"
"Funny you should come to me," said the Rabbi. "I also
7. You ask people how many candles they lit last night.
brought my boy up in the faith and gave him a fancy Bar
6. You begin speaking Yiddish with a Sephardic accent.
Mitzvah. Then one day he, too, tells me he's decided to
5. You've drunk Mr Schon under the table.
4. You begin singing Shoshanat Yaakov to the tune of "How
"So what did you do?" asked the man.
"I turned to God for the answer" replied the Rabbi.
3. You begin to encourage Jack Gottleib to make more noise
"And what did he say?" pressed the man.
"God said, 'Funny you should come to me.'"
2. Leibish Schachna gets an aliyah. without a hat!
1. Hersh Ya'acov releases they golden key to the whisky
Eternal Jewish Truths from "Bubbie's Talmud"
- The optimist sees the bagel, the pessimist sees the hole.
- If you can't say something nice, say it in Yiddish.
Kosher for Passover: Everything you need to
- If it tastes good, it's probably not kosher.
- One mitzvah can change the world; two will just make you
1) Clear all family members, pets, and valuables from the
- Never take a front-row seat at a Bris.
2) From a safe distance, ignite a suitable incendiary device
- No meal is complete without leftovers.
3) When the fire dies down, collect the insurance money,
WHO AM I ???????
build a new house and restock the kitchen.
Your kitchen will now be kosher for Pesach, with all hametz
purged by fire. Note: You will have to tovel (immerse in a
- Followed by what Benyomin, Laibl, Shimon and Akiva have
mikva) any new metal or ceramic utensils that you buy.
in common (Besides being members of the Boys Minyan!)
If that doesn't work, then pack up and go to Marysville and
It’s Purim - Next is second last in Elkus
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Special Purim