Exactly one month separates the holiday of Purim and the holiday of Passover–and both are coming up soon. Around this time of year, the folksinger and storyteller Shlomo Carlebach would tell people this story:
A rabbi used to go around wishing everyone he met “a kosher Purim and a happy Passover.” Someone stopped him and said, Are you crazy or are you drunk? Don’t you have it backward?
The rabbi shook his head. “Not at all,” he said. “Purim is a festive day, with music and costumes and singing. It’s impossible not to be happy. And on Passover, people clean nonstop, scrubbing away their hametz, and everyone is very nitpicky.
“But on Purim, people sometimes can get carried away with being frivolous and festive, and indulge in improper behavior, and they need to remember to keep themselves kosher. And on Passover, everyone gets so stressed that it can be difficult to remember to keep yourselves happy.”
As we get our costumes and our megillot ready, we hope you’ll have a great, frivolous, and–of course–a proper Purim.
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