I Just Went To A Purim Megillah Reading At A Conservative Synagogue

[Lisa]

A neighbor of mine invited me to go to a Purim Megillah reading at a nearby Conservative Synagogue.  So I went with her, just to get out of the apartment.  Now what I saw there horrified me. 

The Megillah (which is the reading of the Book Of Esther) was done to the theme of the Broadway show Cabaret.  The "Rabbi" was a woman who was dressed as the Master of Ceremonies in Cabaret.  The Cantor was in drag.  He wore a bright red sleeveless dress with a matching red boa.  The Book Of Esther was read by some old lady who was dressed as Elvis Pressley. 

So in between the reading of the Book Of Esther, this "rabbi" and "cantor" started singing tunes from Cabaret, but with different words.  They threw in stuff about Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Joe the Plumber and Sarah Palin (whom they made fun of).  My neighbor enjoyed it.  But I was horrified.  When she told me the guy in drag was the cantor, I told her it wasn't funny. 

Then to top it off the "rabbi" started singing the Kadish, then Aleinu, with the cantor in drag stanind right next to her. 

When it was over, I quickly got out of there.   

[Lewinsky Stinks, Dr. Brennan Rocks]

Oh my freaking word. I almost want to ask why you went in the first place. What a bunch of dreck.

[Abben]

I am surprised you lasted throughout the entire act

[Lisa]

I'm surprised I lasted through the whole act as well.  I would have, but my neighbor lives right next door to me.  So I was afraid of coming across as rude to her.

[Lewinsky Stinks, Dr. Brennan Rocks]

Sounds like a good shul for Roni the Nazi.

[DownwithIslam]

Lisa, that is not a shul. It's precisely why Chaim always recommended people to go to a real orthodox shul. At least there, their will no be a mockery made of the services. Of course mark schneirs congregation claims to be orthodox and that beast has "interfaith dialogue" in the shul every other day,

[SavetheWest]

isn't it a violation for a man to dress as a woman?

[Lisa]

isn't it a violation for a man to dress as a woman?

Yes!

[Lewinsky Stinks, Dr. Brennan Rocks]

I would not be surprised if that so-called "rabbi" and "cantor" were covertly engaged in relationships with Arabs of the same sex.

[muman613]

isn't it a violation for a man to dress as a woman?

Yes!

Actually this question came up the other day. I talked to my Chabad rabbis young son who told me a friend of his, a boy, was dressing as Queen Esther... I suggested he was wrong but he insisted this was the case. I have found that according to Halacha it is OK for a man to dress as a woman for Purim.

http://www.ou.org/shabbat_shalom/article/mm_purim

One of the most prominent customs practiced today on Purim is to dress up in costumes, and this custom is mentioned already in the Rishonim. The Rema mentions that it is acceptable even for men to dress up as women (although there are dissenting opinions), even though this seemingly violates the prohibition of "A man's clothes shall not be on a woman, and a man shall not wear women's clothes" (D'varim 22:8). Others mention that is customary to dress up as non-Jews, although this seemingly violates the prohibition "don't go in their ways" (Vayikra 18:3).

http://koltorah.org/ravj/The%20Propriety%20of%20Purim%20Entertainment.htm

A Man Dressing as a Woman
The Rama (O.C.696:8) quotes a practice of some Ashkenazi men to dress as women and women to
dress as men on Purim. The Rama defends this practice by stating "there is no violation of
Torah Law involved since their intention is merely for entertainment." This explanation appears
odd. When does a prohibition not apply if it done for entertainment? In fact, the Rambam
(Hilchot Ginaiva 1:2) and Shulchan Aruch (Choshen Mishpat 348:1) rule that we may not steal even
as a joke.

The source of the Rama's assertion seems to be Rashi's comment on the Pasuk (Devarim 22:5) that
forbids men and women to wear the clothes of the opposite sex. Rashi writes, "this is done to
gain access to areas that are off-limits to them, and the intention is for promiscuity."
Accordingly, one could say that if one's intentions are honorable, such as creating Simchat
Purim, then he does not violate the prohibition. The Rama notes that there are those who forbid
this practice, but he writes that the practice is to be lenient.

The Taz (Yoreh Deah 182:4) cites his father-in-law the Bach who vigorously opposes the practice
of cross-dressing on Purim. The Taz writes, "one who listens [to the Bach] will be blessed,
because many problems are created when one cannot differentiate between men and women." The
Bair Hagola (YD. 282:7) adds to the Taz, "many evil decrees have befallen the Jews as punishment
for this practice, and praised be one who puts an end to it." The Mishna Berura (696:30) cites
the Shla and the Knesset HaGedola who urge all to refrain from engaging in this practice. In
fact, the admonitions of the Bach, Taz, Bair Hagola, Shla, and Knesset Hagedola succeeded, as
the Aruch Hashulchan (O.C. 696:12) writes that Jews no longer follow this practice.

Rav Ovadia Yosef also vigorously opposes this practice. It seems that this bizarre custom never
took root among Sephardic Jewry. He notes that the Chida (Shiyurei Beracha Y.D. 3) cites a
Teshuva of the Rambam where he strenuously objects to the practice of some to cross-dress at
weddings to create a festive atmosphere. The Rambam notes that the people adhered to his ruling
and ended this practice. Accordingly, the Minhag quoted by the Rama is defunct. Hence, one
should not attempt to resurrect a controversial Minhag that took the Poskim hundreds of years to
eliminate. Rav Ovadia adds that one should not even permit one's small children to wear the
clothes of the opposite sex for Purim. One might have thought that for children we may rely on
the Rama. However, Rav Ovadia's strenuous objection to this practice leads him to conclude that
it is forbidden even for children. He thus objects to children's plays on Purim where the boys
or girls wear outfits of the opposite sex. Rav Ovadia believes that this is poor Chinuch for
children.

[eb22]

So in between the reading of the Book Of Esther, this "rabbi" and "cantor" started singing tunes from Cabaret, but with different words.  They threw in stuff about Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Joe the Plumber and Sarah Palin (whom they made fun of).  My neighbor enjoyed it.  But I was horrified.  When she told me the guy in drag was the cantor, I told her it wasn't funny. 

  

  I'm confident that so called rabbi and cantor wouldn't make fun of Barack Hussein Obama in front of their congregation.     

[Chaim Ben Pesach]

This just proves that there is no difference whatsoever between the Conservative, Reformed and Reconstructionist branches of self-hating assimilationism.

Only Torah-true Orthodox synagogues have any value.

[Spectator]

This just proves that there is no difference whatsoever between the Conservative, Reformed and Reconstructionist branches of self-hating assimilationism.

Only Torah-true Orthodox synagogues have any value.

I am happy that these assimilants don't have any power in Israel. There are several their synagogues but nationwide their influence is close to zero.
I think that's because even secular Israelis understand that they are liars.
In my mind it's much better to be secular than their member. Better not to accept the law than try to twist it according to one's own needs.

[Zelhar]

These people have a compulsion to turn every tradition into a shameful grotesque.

[Lewinsky Stinks, Dr. Brennan Rocks]

This just proves that there is no difference whatsoever between the Conservative, Reformed and Reconstructionist branches of self-hating assimilationism.

Only Torah-true Orthodox synagogues have any value.

As usual Chaim alone is right, and all the pseudo-cons are left eating crow because they're wrong, again. This so-called "shul" might make for a good clown college to churn out a new generation of Bozos, but it's a horrible house of worship.

[AsheDina]

 

[Lewinsky Stinks, Dr. Brennan Rocks]

Maybe someone could interest that female "rabbi" and that "cantor" in a career with Ringling Bros., if they are hiring right now.

[White Israelite]

A neighbor of mine invited me to go to a Purim Megillah reading at a nearby Conservative Synagogue.  So I went with her, just to get out of the apartment.  Now what I saw there horrified me. 

The Megillah (which is the reading of the Book Of Esther) was done to the theme of the Broadway show Cabaret.  The "Rabbi" was a woman who was dressed as the Master of Ceremonies in Cabaret.  The Cantor was in drag.  He wore a bright red sleeveless dress with a matching red boa.  The Book Of Esther was read by some old lady who was dressed as Elvis Pressley. 

So in between the reading of the Book Of Esther, this "rabbi" and "cantor" started singing tunes from Cabaret, but with different words.  They threw in stuff about Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Joe the Plumber and Sarah Palin (whom they made fun of).  My neighbor enjoyed it.  But I was horrified.  When she told me the guy in drag was the cantor, I told her it wasn't funny. 

Then to top it off the "rabbi" started singing the Kadish, then Aleinu, with the cantor in drag stanind right next to her. 

When it was over, I quickly got out of there.   

Sounds like conservative Judaism has changed a lot, it wasn't always like that. I think in the 70's and 80's, it was pretty traditional but now it's anything BUT conservative.

[Lewinsky Stinks, Dr. Brennan Rocks]

This would be mighty fine comedy if it weren't a desecration of the noblest religious tradition in the world.

[SavetheWest]

The sad thing is that these synagogues (and churches) turn some people away from religion.  People go to services for a variety of reasons but most won't return to services if it becomes a joke or immoral.  Many people may not consider an Orthodox synagogue because they aren't sure how they would be accepted or may not know anyone who goes to an Orthodox service. Their only experience with Judaism would be with a reform synagogue and could be turned off by these types of services when they may be a righteous person.

[muman613]

On a more lenient note Purim is a time of partying, getting a bit drunk, and eating. There should be learning about the story of Purim and I have learned quite a lot about Purim this year. I think that it is OK for the Rabbi to dress up. I just got back from my Purim feast with Chabad and the Chabad had an India Night theme for the party. The Rabbi was dressed up as an Indian swami and there were many others wearing indian style dress. The Indian food was fabulous too. There was no talk of politics and everyone had a great time.

[Lisa]

Not to beat a dead horse, but why does Purim have to have any specific theme?  Why can't it just be a Jewish celebration? 

[muman613]

Not to beat a dead horse, but why does Purim have to have any specific theme?  Why can't it just be a Jewish celebration? 

The Theme of Purim is the Hiddeness of the Hand of Hashem. Hester Panim {Hidden Face of Hashem} is the message of the megillah. By dressing up and acting different than we are we take part in the MASK of reality which is this world. Remember that in Hebrew the word "Olam" which we translate into "World" really is based on the word for "Hiddeness" or "Concealment".

[Lisa]

Not to beat a dead horse, but why does Purim have to have any specific theme?  Why can't it just be a Jewish celebration? 

The Theme of Purim is the Hiddeness of the Hand of Hashem. Hester Panim {Hidden Face of Hashem} is the message of the megillah. By dressing up and acting different than we are we take part in the MASK of reality which is this world. Remember that in Hebrew the word "Olam" which we translate into "World" really is based on the word for "Hiddeness" or "Concealment".

Fine, but why is it necessary to link the holiday to a secular theme?  Why not just dress up as either Queen Esther or Mordechai? 

[muman613]

Not to beat a dead horse, but why does Purim have to have any specific theme?  Why can't it just be a Jewish celebration? 

The Theme of Purim is the Hiddeness of the Hand of Hashem. Hester Panim {Hidden Face of Hashem} is the message of the megillah. By dressing up and acting different than we are we take part in the MASK of reality which is this world. Remember that in Hebrew the word "Olam" which we translate into "World" really is based on the word for "Hiddeness" or "Concealment".

Fine, but why is it necessary to link the holiday to a secular theme?  Why not just dress up as either Queen Esther or Mordechai? 

Read this from aish.com...

http://www.aish.com/purimthemes/purimthemesdefault/Purim_The_Holiday_in_Hiding_.asp

Purim: The Holiday in Hiding_
by Rabbi Emanuel Feldman

Revealing why the story of Purim is wrapped in a disguise and concealed behind a mask.

Poor Purim. It has become the Jewish mardi gras, a day of revelry, drinKing, and masquerades. But it is much more than this.

Purim is the holiday in hiding. One has to probe beneath the surface to find the spiritual dimension that lies underneath. In fact, the disguises and the masks are all designed to underscore the essential hiddenness of this day.

This theme of concealment is found in the very name of the heroine of Purim. "Esther" derives from the root str, which in Hebrew means "hidden." In the Torah (Dt. 31:18), God says to Israel: "I will surely hide (hastir astir) My face from you..." The sages see this Hebrew phrase as a subtle suggestion of the hiddenness of God during the time of Esther.

Take Esther herself. No one except Mordecai knows who she really is. Even King Ahashveros is kept in the dark. "Ein Esther magedet moledetah," says the Megillah in 2:20. "Esther did not reveal her origins..." This is the theme of the day: nothing is revealed.

Note also the lineage of the protagonists of the Purim story. It is the lineage of hiddenness. Mordechai and Esther are descendants of mother Rachel. Rachel, the mother of Yosef, is the very essence of hiddenness and concealment. When her sister Leah is substituted for her in marriage to Yaakov, why does Rachel not cry out and protest that an injustice is being done? Because to do so would have humiliated her sister. Rachel knows how to conceal things, including her bitter disappointment.

Rachel's son Joseph is also a master of concealment. His essential qualities of holiness are concealed from his brothers, who do not recognize his greatness because he effectively hides them. And when the brothers come down to Egypt 22 years later, they again fail to recognize him, for he is now concealed behind his garments. The Talmud (Sotah 10) underscores the hidden qualities of Joseph when it states that -- in the case of Potiphar's wife -- Joseph sanctified the name of God in private, in a hidden way. And Saul, from the same lineage as Joseph, feels unworthy of becoming King of Israel: he hides among the vessels when they search for him to become King.

It is thus fitting that Esther and Mordechai, who stem from the same lineage, should also do their saving work quietly, secretly, in a hidden and concealed manner.

Even God himself is hidden in the Purim story. Search the Megillah from beginning to end, but you find no mention of His name. Is this not strange for a biblical book? The closest we come to a reference to God is when Mordecai says to Esther that redemption for the Jews will come from makom aher, "another place."

To underscore the hiddenness of God, the entire story seems to be one of chance, happenstance, and coincidence -- the very things that the Bible tells us the world is not! In the Megillah, the role of God is unseen, His hand invisible. Queen Vashti just happens to refuse to appear at the royal feast; the King just happens to rid himself of her and to search for a new queen; Mordecai just happens to be in the right place at the right moment to foil a plot against the King's life; the King just happens to have a sleepless night and his courtiers remind him that Mordecai saved his life; Haman just happens to be in the Queen's chambers when the King walks in. Even the date on which the Jews are to be exterminated is determined by the casting of lots: hipil pur hu hagoral, "he cast a pur, that is the lot..." (Esther 3:7) and it is this "pur" that gives us the name of the holiday. All these echoes of randomness and chance suggest anything but the guiding hand of God.

Even the miracle of Purim is a hidden one. Contrast this with the miracle of Hanukah. There, the oil that is enough for one day burns instead for eight days, which is a nes niglah, an open miracle that everyone can see. But the Purim miracle -- whereby the entire Jewish community is saved from destruction -- is a hidden miracle, a nes nistar. The interceding hand of God is invisible. It could easily be ascribed to happenstance, the way everything else in the story seems to be happenstance.

Gradually we begin to understand the role of masks in the Purim story. The entire deliverance of the Jewish people is masked. It is a story wrapped in a disguise, hidden behind a costume, concealed behind a mask.

Even that strange dictum in the Talmud (Megillah 7b) that ordains us to become intoxicated on Purim ad delo yada, "until we know not the difference between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordecai" -- even this is part of the theme of hiddenness. For how strange is the Talmudic advice. Ours is, after all, a tradition that abhors drunkenness. We are a people of the mind, discernment, analysis -- all those things that fall under the rubric of data, knowledge. But on Purim we are bidden to become intoxicated and conceal our vaunted data -- to the point of ad delo yada --"until there is no data" -- and to enter a universe where reality has no meaning and we begin to realize that it is not our intellects that guide the world but the One Intellect above that guides the world.

There is another strange hiddenness about Purim. This is the most physical of all our holidays. The festive Purim meal, the sending of food gifts, the encouragement to drink to excess -- these are matters that deal with the body. What by contrast, is the most spiritual of our holy days? Obviously it is Yom Kippur. Our observance of these two days are in diametric opposition to one another. But upon closer examination we perceive that the two are closely related in a very hidden but real way. The official name of Yom Kippur is Yom HaKippurim. Literally, this means, "a day like Purim." This is stunning. Yom Kippur is like Purim? How can this be?

It can be, because Purim and Yom Hakippurim are mirror images of one another. On Yom Kippur we are forbidden to eat or drink; on Purim we are bidden to eat and drink. Yom Kippur is overwhelmingly spiritual; Purim is overwhelmingly physical. But on each day we are required to serve God fully, with our bodies and with our souls.

The lesson is clear: God can be served not only in the solemnity of a Yom Kippur, but also in the revelry of a Purim. God is present not only in the open ark of Yom Kippur when spirituality seems so close, but also in the open food and drink of Purim when spirituality seems so remote. It is much more of a challenge to remember God amidst the revelry than to remember Him in the midst of the solemnity. To imbibe and to feast and to remember the Author of all; this is the great challenge of Purim -- perhaps a greater challenge than any other holy day.

Purim is the holiday in hiding. But its message need not be concealed from us.