Did your dad ever dress up as Superman? Mine did… The most embarrassing part was when he jumped off
the roof of the family Chevy Venture in the synagogue parking lot. I’d rather not recall that incident!
What’s the funniest costume you’ve ever seen? I’ve seen lions and tiger and bears… oh my!
Are your kids dressing up this year? I’m sure there will be tons of little Pokemon GOs running around, alongside Doras and Hello Kittys…
In my community, children are encouraged to dress up as biblical figures only. No Haman, no Vashti.
Think of it this way- every person identifies with their clothing. A punk rocker identifies with punk rock-style clothing. A gothic person usually prefers black. A businessman feels most comfortable closing a deal in a Hugo Boss suit and tie.
We want our children to identify with the heroes of our nation. Therefore, they are encouraged to dress up
as Mordechai, Esther, Aaron the High Priest, etc… May sound strange to you, but I kind of like the idea! What was the best Shaloch Manos you ever got? I once received a neatly wrapped bottle of beer with a plethora of Osem products. (Osem is the Israeli junk food manufacturer). I kind of scratched my head-scarf for a while until I finally caught on. (Luckily for me, the friendly sender had included an explanatory note in the package!) “Beer-osem yachad, techeles Mordechai” On this Purim day, enjoy beer and Osem yachad!
Ok, ok.
Here is the English explanation: After the Megilla reading, a beautiful poem, Shoshanas Yaakov, is sung joyfully by the congregants (who may or may not already be drunk!) The poem, written centuries ago by Rabbi David Chai HaCohen, begins, “Shoshanas Yaakov, tzahala vesamecha, beerosem yachad techeles Mordechai”.
Literally- “The rose of Jacob, happy and rejoicing, when they saw them together, the techelet of Mordechai.”
My friends made a play on the words beerosem (when they saw them) and yachad (together) and anglicized them
into beer and Osem, yachad-together! Yum… or not!
Whether or not you decide to dress up or send Shaloch Manos this year- I wish you all a very very happy
Purim!
