songbird's crazy world

  Definition of a Jewish holiday: they tried to kill us, we won, let's eat. Today is Purim, a minor Jewish holiday.  So in  this  case, "they" means Haman and "we" means Queen Esther and her Uncle Mordechai. You'll recall that the Bible tells how King Ahaseurus of Persia grew dissatisfied with his Queen Vashti, and sought to replace her.  How Esther was chosen from among all the eligible maidens of Shushan.  How Esther's uncle Mordechai foiled a plot against the King.  How the King's evil advisor Haman plotted to kill all the Jews of Persia.  And how Esther, at her uncle's bidding, intervened and save the lives of her people. Purim is a happy holiday, sort of a cross between Mardi Gras and Halloween. Costumes are involved, fun activities like carnivals and shows are planned. and you get to eat Hamantaschen, triangular pastries designed to represent Haman's tricorner hat. during the reading of the Megillah, the story of Esther, you can use you...

A couple of weeks ago we stopped at a local take-out restaurant.  When we’d made our purchases and walked out to the car … The colors of the sky that night … #skywatchfriday

 Sometimes we just chill … And sometimes we play dominance games…

 While I usually work from home, occasionally I like to spend time at the office.  Our offices are located a very short distance from  Nassau Community College , which is a great place to take a walk on your lunch hour. It’s a pleasant campus, very functional.  It’s not unattractive, but it’s certainly no architectural wonder either.      I do like the gazebo …   Planes overhead here, too. I’m wondering what’s going on with this building Water tower and office building, not part of the campus …    And near the railroad tracks  Not a bad place to walk.

 

 Passover is the quintessential Jewish holiday.  The story of the  Exodus from Egypt forms the theological base from which all Jewish practice springs.  Passover is also a family-oriented holiday, with observance based in the home rather than in the synagogue. If you’ve been reading my blog for a long time, you’ve heard me reminisce about my family’s Passover celebrations.  Do a search and you’ll find over a dozen posts devoted to the holiday.   You’ll find several posts devoted to a family heirloom.  My paternal grandparents were born in Ukraine and immigrated to the United States just before World War I.  Sometime in the 1920’s my grandfather bought a Seder plate.  The Seder is the home-based service we conduct in observance of Passover, and a Seder plate is designed to hold the symbols of the holiday. My father inherited the Seder plate,  and it made an appearance at every Passover during my childhood, and during my daughters’ childho...