Happy Erev Purim and International Women's Day. Happy 100th birthday to Hadassah and 100th anniversary of the successful resolution of the Lawrence textile-workers' strike that gave us the song "Bread and Roses."
On this last full moon of the winter, at a time when women's rights are again under increasing attacks in this country, we celebrate not only Queen Vashti who dared to say No, but Queen Esther aka Hadassah, a courageous Jewish beauty queen. The Megilla is a made-up story (so we don't have to feel guilty about all the senseless slaughter at the end-- the gantse megilla is an over-the-top tall tale), and Queen Esther is a legend. A legend whose name and persona is intertwined with goddesses of love and beauty ranging from Middle Eastern Ashtoret to Greek Aphrodite to Roman Venus-- all associated with the beautiful blue planet (in the days before we knew about planets, simply a Super Star) that often makes a brilliant appearance at this time of year. Ashtoret/ Aphrodite/ Venus is a goddess of love whose crown is made of flowering Myrtle (Hadassah in Hebrew), a starry-flowered, glossy leaved shrub with medicinal uses for healing and purification-- and also aphrodisiac properties appropriate to a goddess of love and beauty.
Not many who observe Purim are aware of the links between Esther and Venus; but for me, eating sweet seed-and-fruit-filled triangular pastries under the full moon at a time of masked merriment and unfettered dance has everything to do with the divine feminine and nothing whatsoever to do with Haman's hat.
This Purim marks the Jewish lunar calendar's 100th anniversary of the founding of Hadassah by Henrietta Szold and friends. Named in honor of Hadassah (the Jewish Queen and the healing plant-companion of the goddess of love), the Hadassah hospital that Szold envisioned not only exists but continues to offer health care to Jews and Arabs in need. Szold (along with Judah Magnus and Martin Buber) also dreamed not only of a Jewish homeland, but a bi-national state, where Jews and Arabs would live in peace and mutual respect. At a time when we are weary of war and war-mongering, at a time when we celebrate ancient miracles and dreams come true, may it be so.
Happy Erev Purim and International Women's Day. Happy 100th birthday to Hadassah and 100th anniversary of the successful resolution of the Lawrence textile-workers' strike that gave us the song "Bread and Roses."
On this last full moon of the winter, at a time when women's rights are again under increasing attacks in this country, we celebrate not only Queen Vashti who dared to say No, but Queen Esther aka Hadassah, a courageous Jewish beauty queen. The Megilla is a made-up story (so we don't have to feel guilty about all the senseless slaughter at the end-- the gantse megilla is an over-the-top tall tale), and Queen Esther is a legend. A legend whose name and persona is intertwined with goddesses of love and beauty ranging from Middle Eastern Ashtoret to Greek Aphrodite to Roman Venus-- all associated with the beautiful blue planet (in the days before we knew about planets, simply a Super Star) that often makes a brilliant appearance at this time of year. Ashtoret/ Aphrodite/ Venus is a goddess of love whose crown is made of flowering Myrtle (Hadassah in Hebrew), a starry-flowered, glossy leaved shrub with medicinal uses for healing and purification-- and also aphrodisiac properties appropriate to a goddess of love and beauty.
Not many who observe Purim are aware of the links between Esther and Venus; but for me, eating sweet seed-and-fruit-filled triangular pastries under the full moon at a time of masked merriment and unfettered dance has everything to do with the divine feminine and nothing whatsoever to do with Haman's hat.
This Purim marks the Jewish lunar calendar's 100th anniversary of the founding of Hadassah by Henrietta Szold and friends. Named in honor of Hadassah (the Jewish Queen and the healing plant-companion of the goddess of love), the Hadassah hospital that Szold envisioned not only exists but continues to offer health care to Jews and Arabs in need. Szold (along with Judah Magnus and Martin Buber) also dreamed not only of a Jewish homeland, but a bi-national state, where Jews and Arabs would live in peace and mutual respect. At a time when we are weary of war and war-mongering, at a time when we celebrate ancient miracles and dreams come true, may it be so.