The goal of this blog is to lighten up the Purim table in good taste. Please forward, like, tweet or at least print and share.
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT - The Amazing Jewish-Fact-a-Day Calendar app has not been updated. Someone complained to me today about this and I'm sorry for the delay in updating it. Please watch this space for a future announcement regarding this most amazing app.
Many times I've asked readers to submit their best Jewish jokes.
To date, the "two guys in Argentina joke" remains at the top.
In the meantime, hamantasch (that favorite Purim cookie) factories big and small have been at full-steam, leading us to a question for your table:
What would you guess are the three most popular hamantasch flavors?
(Answer below.)
That question leads us to some good news, some bad news, and some yummy news.
The good news is more people than ever before are doing Purim this year.
Why is that good news?
Because one of the main ways to celebrate Purim is to give gifts (money and food). So more people celebrating = more giving.
The bad news is that the world still has a few Haman-wanna-bes. The current front-runner is the president of Persia/Iran, Mr. Rou-Haman-i (who took over for Mr. A-Haman-nijadad in 2013).
Still building the bomb, still wants to kill the Jews.
Note that Persia happens to be the setting of the ancient Purim story.
(In case the face doesn't ring a bell, click on it and learn something about the Haman of our day. Or click here, or here.)
The yummy news is what these modern Hamans have taught us about hamantaschen.
We have all wondered why are they shaped like that, and what does hamantash mean, anyhow?
When I was a kid, we used to call them “Haman’s hat”. But that’s because we didn’t spreken Yiddish. Then I went to Israel where they call them “Oznay Haman” - Haman’s ears. So I thought that tashen meant ears.
(Do Israelis imagine themselves as cannibals when they munch on their hamantashen?)
In fact, if you look in your Yiddish dictionary or talk to your Bubbe, you will learn that a tasch is a purse or bag.
There you have it. Hamantashen = Haman-bags.
Maybe they’re called “bags” because they are folded over with fruit inside, and “Haman” because they do look like Haman’s hat.
Or maybe he carried a triangular handbag.
Or maybe he did have triangular ears.
And then I stumbled upon these photos, hard evidence that the ear theory is correct:
So I'm guessing you're thinking, "What are supposed to do, Rabbi, defeat our enemies by mocking them?"
This calls for a Monty Python line:
“We spit on you, you silly Persian. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries. Now go away or we will taunt you a second time!” (say with French accent) (For context, here's a video clip.)
Like I said, more people are doing Purim this year. Here are the stats from Israel alone:
+ An estimated forty million hamantaschen have been baked.
+ Israelis are able to buy goat cheese and onion hamantaschen.
+ Goat-cheese-and-onion (my personal favorite) has a ways to go before it overtake the most popular flavors of poppyseed, chocolate and date.
(For the adventurous, here are some other interesting flavor innovations.)
One more question for your table: What's your favorite hamantaschen flavor? What flavor would you never want to try?
But if you look in that Yiddish dictionary again, you'll learn that man means "poppy". So the word mantaschen means "poppy-pockets" and therefore "Hamantaschen" is punny.
Hamantaschen remind us that the truth is sometimes hidden, and that sometimes it helps to laugh.
....Even at ourselves.... Here's an oldy:
How many Jews does it take to change a lightbulb?
Just one — but whoever it is, we make them feel guilty for not changing it earlier.
Badum-dum.
The time to eat them is of course today! ... remembering that every Haman has his hour, and his downfall.
Happy Purim
and
Shabbat Shalom
PS - All kidding aside, two of the great Purim mitzvot can be done online:
Gifts to the poor - Here or here or here or ....
Like this email? How about putting your gelt where your gab is: Like it, tweet it, or just forward it
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT - The Amazing Jewish-Fact-a-Day Calendar app has not been updated. Someone complained to me today about this and I'm sorry for the delay in updating it. Please watch this space for a future announcement regarding this most amazing app.
Many times I've asked readers to submit their best Jewish jokes.To date, the "two guys in Argentina joke" remains at the top.
In the meantime, hamantasch (that favorite Purim cookie) factories big and small have been at full-steam, leading us to a question for your table:
What would you guess are the three most popular hamantasch flavors?
(Answer below.)
That question leads us to some good news, some bad news, and some yummy news.
The good news is more people than ever before are doing Purim this year.
Why is that good news?
Because one of the main ways to celebrate Purim is to give gifts (money and food). So more people celebrating = more giving.
The bad news is that the world still has a few Haman-wanna-bes. The current front-runner is the president of Persia/Iran, Mr. Rou-Haman-i (who took over for Mr. A-Haman-nijadad in 2013).
Still building the bomb, still wants to kill the Jews.
Note that Persia happens to be the setting of the ancient Purim story.
(In case the face doesn't ring a bell, click on it and learn something about the Haman of our day. Or click here, or here.)
The yummy news is what these modern Hamans have taught us about hamantaschen.
We have all wondered why are they shaped like that, and what does hamantash mean, anyhow?
When I was a kid, we used to call them “Haman’s hat”. But that’s because we didn’t spreken Yiddish. Then I went to Israel where they call them “Oznay Haman” - Haman’s ears. So I thought that tashen meant ears.
(Do Israelis imagine themselves as cannibals when they munch on their hamantashen?)
In fact, if you look in your Yiddish dictionary or talk to your Bubbe, you will learn that a tasch is a purse or bag.
There you have it. Hamantashen = Haman-bags.
Maybe they’re called “bags” because they are folded over with fruit inside, and “Haman” because they do look like Haman’s hat.
Or maybe he carried a triangular handbag.
Or maybe he did have triangular ears.
And then I stumbled upon these photos, hard evidence that the ear theory is correct:
So I'm guessing you're thinking, "What are supposed to do, Rabbi, defeat our enemies by mocking them?"
This calls for a Monty Python line:
“We spit on you, you silly Persian. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries. Now go away or we will taunt you a second time!” (say with French accent) (For context, here's a video clip.)
Like I said, more people are doing Purim this year. Here are the stats from Israel alone:
+ An estimated forty million hamantaschen have been baked.
+ Israelis are able to buy goat cheese and onion hamantaschen.
+ Goat-cheese-and-onion (my personal favorite) has a ways to go before it overtake the most popular flavors of poppyseed, chocolate and date.
(For the adventurous, here are some other interesting flavor innovations.)
One more question for your table: What's your favorite hamantaschen flavor? What flavor would you never want to try?
But if you look in that Yiddish dictionary again, you'll learn that man means "poppy". So the word mantaschen means "poppy-pockets" and therefore "Hamantaschen" is punny.
Hamantaschen remind us that the truth is sometimes hidden, and that sometimes it helps to laugh.
....Even at ourselves.... Here's an oldy:
How many Jews does it take to change a lightbulb?
Just one — but whoever it is, we make them feel guilty for not changing it earlier.
Badum-dum.
The time to eat them is of course today! ... remembering that every Haman has his hour, and his downfall.
Happy Purim
and
Shabbat Shalom
PS - All kidding aside, two of the great Purim mitzvot can be done online:
Gifts to the poor - Here or here or here or ....
Like this email? How about putting your gelt where your gab is: Like it, tweet it, or just forward it
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