Workshop at the Alliance on one of the four mitzvot of Purim

Make your own unique Mishloach Manot containers to fulfill one of the four essential customs for the cele-bration of the Purim. An adult workshop will be held in the Alliance Creativity Center on Monday, March 3, 2014, 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. Come for an hour or stay the entire time, but please RSVP with the time you will ar-rive to ensure that enough space and materials will be available. Respond by Monday, February 24, 2014, to Diane Cerep at dcerep@jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 182. Read on to learn about the mitzvot in more detail.

Purim is celebrated on Sunday, March 16, 2014 (beginning at sunset on March 15). Some may wonder why Purim seems relatively late even though Rosh Hashanah was so early this year. In order to keep the Jew-ish holidays in their proper seasons, the Jewish lunar calendar adds a second month of Adar seven times every 19 years. This is one of those Jewish leap years. The four mitzvot associated with the holiday are: Me-gillah reading, gifts to the poor, festive meal and gifts of food.

Megillah reading from the Book of Esther occurs twice on Purim – at night and during the day. Proper mitzvah fulfillment involves hearing every word during the reading. Of course, we make a lot of noise at each mention of Haman’s name.

Gifts to the poor (Matanot La’evyonim) – While tzedakah is a mitzvah we do all year long, helping the poor during Purim is an additional good deed that entails providing a meal for two individuals. You may do so by donating to an organization that will distribute the money on the holiday.

Seudah – festive meal – Taking part, at minimum, requires that one ritually wash (netillat yadayim), eat bread and then recite the Birkat Hamazon, the grace after meals. The Purim feast, during which we drink wine and eat krepchen, usually follows the study of Torah. The passage “Ve’al Hanissim” should be said af-ter meals because the feast was begun during the day.

Gifts of food – Mishloach Manot requires us to send at least two ready-to-eat foods to someone. Many see this mitzvah as an opportunity to send gifts to friends, relatives and acquaintances. Megillah reveals Mor-dechai as the source of this custom – he encouraged the Jews to offer gifts on the 14th day of Adar.

Friendship and unity are the underlying themes of Purim. When Haman asked King Ahasuerus for per-mission to destroy the Jews, he described them as scattered and separate. In contrast, Queen Esther knew that Jewish unity was essential when praying for God’s help. She instructed Mordechai to unite the Jews for fasting and prayer, thus earning God’s blessing and salvation. We send gifts of food to strengthen our bonds of friendship with our fellow Jews.

TO RSVP, CONTACT DIANE CEREP AT DCEREP@JEWISHALLIANCERI.ORG OR 401-421-4111, EXT. 182.