Author Topic: Dress like Putin for Purim  (Read 14731 times)

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Offline muman613

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Dress like Putin for Purim
« on: March 07, 2014, 07:51:22 PM »
Purim is coming up in a little over a week (a week from this Sunday)...

Purim is the holiday we celebrate to remember the miraculous survival of the Jewish people in Persia in the face of certain destruction at the hands of Haman and the wicked king.

I just noticed that the word Purim is very similar to the word Putin ('r' is 2 letters before 't' and 'm' is one letter before 'n')...

I think I have figured out what I will dress up as for Purim. One of the fun things we do on Purim is dress up with masks and costumes...





Maybe others can also dress like Putin...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/partiesandgifts-Vladimir-Putin-Party-Mask/dp/B007FD4S4Y
You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline nessuno

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Re: Dress like Putin for Purim
« Reply #1 on: March 07, 2014, 11:41:24 PM »
Why would you dress up as Putin?
Be very CAREFUL of people whose WORDS don't match their ACTIONS.

Offline Ephraim Ben Noach

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Re: Dress like Putin for Purim
« Reply #2 on: March 07, 2014, 11:56:25 PM »
I think they dress up as the bad people as well, but I'm not 100%...
Ezekiel 33:6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the horn, and the people be not warned, and the sword do come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.

Offline Sveta

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Re: Dress like Putin for Purim
« Reply #3 on: March 08, 2014, 10:04:54 PM »
That would be an interesting costume!
Yes people dress as bad characters too but others wear any type of costume. Not "halloween" type of costumes.

I wanted to dress up as Ruth but I left this for the last minute as always so now I have no idea what I will wear. 

Offline muman613

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Re: Dress like Putin for Purim
« Reply #4 on: March 08, 2014, 10:13:13 PM »
Shalom Shalom, Good Week to everyone...

Yes BC3, the dressing up of Purim has very deep meaning. Let me post a couple of articles on the topic of why we dress up, and how the whole world view of the Jewish people should look behind the hands of history.

Rabbi Berel Wein posted this incredible essay on the Purim celebration and Jewish/Israel history:

http://www.rabbiwein.com/blog/costume-or-disguise-18.html

Quote
COSTUME OR DISGUISE

 
One of the favorite customs of Purim is that people – otherwise apparently sane and normal – dress up in costumes and masks. For one day a year at least they are allowed to pretend to be what they are not. One can be a pirate or an Arab, a charedi or a sports hero, a kibbutznik or a police officer – just as long as the person realizes that it is only a costume that one wears and not the real thing.
 
However many psychological studies have indicated that perhaps the costume that we wear on Purim is in actuality an expression of the real person. It illustrates the innermost desire to really be what the costume represents. As such this subliminal understanding transforms our everyday appearance into being a disguise, masking our true self and ambition.
 
It is as though all year long we are masquerading as someone that we are not and only on Purim do we really reveal ourselves. This play acting is an integral part of life, especially in our current societal mode of behavior and appearance. We are to be judged by our appearance, by a kippah or lack of it, the length of our jacket and the choice of our clothes. But who is the real person? Which is the costume and which is the disguise?
 
As the great rebbe of Kotzk, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Morgenstern (Halperin) phrased it: “If I am I and you are you, then I am I and you are you. But if I am you and you are me then I am not I and you are not you.” As such, Purim represents our almost eternal state of confusion about our real selves and our purpose in life. Purim challenges us to reveal what the real really is.
 
The rabbis indicate that on Purim one should arrive at a state were one does not know the difference between blessing Mordecai and cursing Haman. Even more troubling is the fact that we find it difficult to identify who is the real Haman and who is the real Mordecai in our lives. Haman often dresses in the clothing of Mordecai and disguises himself ably. And Mordecai is often seen wearing kingly, non-Jewish clothing that is but a costume and not his reality.
 
In a world of disguises and costumes it certainly is difficult to identify heroes and villains, the good and the not so good. Is the professed love of Israel proclaimed by J Street and Peace Now a disguise that hides their true enmity to Israel’s current existence as a Jewish state? Or maybe they really love Israel and their harmful anti-Israel statements and policies are only a costume but not their real agenda and identity?
 
How is one to know definitely? The European Union, the American State Department and the American President and administration all profess their loyalty to Israel’s rightful existence. Is that what they really think and believe? Can they ever be relied upon when moments of truth and hard decisions arrive? Are they cursed Haman or blessed Mordecai? And how are we to be able to discern this difference? Difficult Purim questions exist in our world.
 
At the end of all matters, the Lord apparently decides. We can only do our best and act as reasonably and rationally as possible to protect our own self interest. Purim points out to us that in all instances regarding the Jewish people - and certainly the Jewish state - are existential in their very nature. Wrong decisions and misreading the true face of events will always result in wrong policies, painful defeats and the spilling of Jewish blood.
 
The last twenty years of Israeli diplomacy points out the truth of this statement. Rabin and Peres did not see Arafat as Haman. They were dead wrong. Netanyahu originally misjudged Abu Mazen. He was also wrong. The whole world mistook the Arab Spring as a positive thing and threw long time allies under the revolutionary Islamic bus. They are being proven wrong daily. And what would be our position today if Assad, the father, accepted Ehud Barak’s offer of almost all the Golan to be returned to Syria?
 
Only the Lord has saved us from our mistakes and errors of wrong identification and poor judgment. And we all know that the hidden miracle of Purim is the Lord’s actions, so to speak, behind the scenes and through the behavior of various human beings. So, we are once again returned to Purim like circumstances in our own times. Look carefully to see who is wearing the costume and who is wearing a disguise. Our future depends upon this.
 
Shabat shalom.
 
Berel Wein     
You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline muman613

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Re: Dress like Putin for Purim
« Reply #5 on: March 08, 2014, 10:15:24 PM »
This one is a bit long, but it is a very good insight into lessons of dressing up on Purim and how life is a masquerade.


http://arachimusa.org/ArticleDetail.asp?ArticleID=1392

WHY MASKS ON PURIM?
arachim

The Purim story is the decision that weighs the balance in favor of Mordecai and disproves the theories of Haman.

When we think of Purim, the first thing that probably comes to mind is masks and costumes.  Did we ever ask ourselves why we dress up on Purim?  In the Megillah (Book of Esther) the Purim story is related in detail, but we find no mention of disguises or masks.  Neither is there any commandment that calls for masquerading. Nonetheless, it remains a fact that no Purim celebration is complete without costumes and masks galore.  Why should this be so?  What is the connection between Purim and dressing up?

Here's another Purim puzzler: As we read the narrative of Haman's diabolical scheming against the Jews, we see that everything is planned and premeditated.  This was no amateur, fly-by-night anti-Semite taking an impetuous pot-shot at his adversaries.  It is no simple task to organize an empire-wide, one-day act of genocide. In addition, we see that Haman offered to compensate Ahashverus for the loss of income he would incur through the demise of the Jews, another indication that his plot was well thought out. Haman obviously possessed skill as an administrator.  He also secured key positions throughout the empire for his many sons in order to ensure that his orders were carried out efficiently.  It would seem that Haman overlooked no detail; he took everything into account, laid his plans carefully, and proceeded to carry them out, step by step.

If so, does it not seem odd - to say the least - that he leave a key element to a casting of lots?  The structure of his evil plot was left to anything but chance.  What went through his diabolical mind and made him resign the choice of a date to pure "fate"?  Could we imagine the head of the CIA or any modern commander-in-chief determining the best day to open his offensive by throwing a pair of dice?  "Timing is everything" the saying goes.  Why did Haman leave the timing of a project that was obviously of prime importance to him to blind fate?

Yet, at no point do we find Haman accused of being foolish, or even reckless.  Again, we find ourselves in need of an explanation.

A third question about Purim: We find that the Jewish festivals and special days have names which hint at their significance.  For instance, Pesach-Passover is so called because G-d "passed over" the homes of Israel when He smote the first-born children of the Egyptians.  It is also called "The Season of Our Freedom" because it marks our liberation from enslavement.  Shavuoth is referred to as "The Season of the Giving of the Law" to recall the Giving of the Torah at Sinai;   Succoth, the Feast of the Tabernacles, recalls the temporary dwellings in which the Jews made their homes while in the Wilderness.  The New Year, Rosh Hashanah, and the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, both bear names which are self-explanatory.

And Purim?  The word means "lots."  The Megillah specifically states that the name was chosen to recall the lots which Haman cast to fix the day for his proposed annihilation of the Jewish People.  On Purim, we rejoice at our reprieve from a decree of genocide and the downfall of our arch-enemy who authored the plan. Wouldn't it seem more appropriate to refer to Purim as the day of our salvation, rescue, redemption, or the like?  Or perhaps the Season of the Reversal, or Turnabout, when the evil plot against us was turned upside down and inside out, so that Haman ended up on the very same gallows he had prepared for Mordecai?

The casting of lots by Haman seems so trivial a component of our celebration that it leaves us wondering at the very name of the day.

To answer all three questions, we must delve more deeply into Haman's background.  The antagonism Haman displayed against Israel was not his original invention. As a descendant of Amalek, Israel's enemy from its very inception as a nation at the time of the Exodus, Haman was heir to a long tradition of arrogant anti-Semitism, imbibed with his mother's milk.

Haman was motivated not only by a drive for status and revenge; there were powerful ideological motives for his enmity, as well.  The Israel-Amalek conflict had its roots in a basic culture clash going back thousands of years.  Shortly after the Exodus, Amalek attacked the new nation as it encamped on the sands of the desert, intruding on no one and posing no threat to Amalek's territory or power.

In connection with the original confrontation in the wilderness, the Sages note that Amalek traveled a considerable distance in order to wage war against Israel.  Their concern was obviously not a territorial threat or expansion of its borders.  Amalek was there to fight a battle of extermination before the Jewish people had a chance to grow too powerful to overcome.  But why?  What difference would it make to them if a new nation came into existence in a distant corner of the globe?

Amalek attacked not in hope of political or economic gain; there were far wealthier and more prestigious nations closer at hand.  This attack was a matter of principle and a confrontation of ideologies to be fought to the bitter end.  The Torah exhorts us to "Remember what Amalek did to you on the way, when you went forth from Egypt; how he met you on the way, and he smote the stragglers at your rear, when you were faint and weary, and he did not fear G-d..."

The Sages explain that Amalek derives its existence from the power of happenstance.  From the point of view of Amalek, all the phenomena of the universe are the result of random chance. Amalek categorically denies the existence of any purpose to the creation as a whole or any part of it. There is no plan, no master plan, and no Master to the world as we know it. Everything is the consequence of chance alone.  Nations rise and fall, succeed, prosper or founder, all depending on the laws of blind fate.  In the world structure of Amalek, there is no Judge, and consequently, no judgment.  Man's actions and accomplishments are neither censored nor rewarded.  Only one rule prevails, that of the jungle: victory goes to him who is most powerful.

In diametric contrast, Israel affirms the continuous supervision of the Creator over each and every individual Jew and his actions.  Israel knows that the world was created with a specific, clearly defined purpose and goal.   For the believing Jew, history is not a series of unrelated incidents, but rather an ongoing narrative of events which are interrelated and interdependent.  Each stage of history brings our world that much closer to achieving its ultimate purpose.

The battle in the desert was a confrontation of two super-powers in the ideological sense.  Each antagonist represented a world outlook diametrically opposed to the other.  Two civilizations clashed.  The echoes of the thunder of that collision rumble in the atmosphere yet today.  The most basic issues of man's existence were at stake.  Is man an accidental conglomeration of molecules that chanced to coalesce at some point in a cosmos which is oblivious to his fate, his very existence?  Or is man the climax of G-d's creation, endowed with a sublime, spiritual soul which has been assigned an essential, one-of-a kind mission in this world?

Haman was a loyal son of Amalek.  When he set the date for the extermination of his enemies, he did so using blind chance.  Thus he hoped to convey an ideological message: man's fate is blind.  There is no purpose to man's existence, and no Captain to the Ship of the universe.  He was convinced that the Jews would be destroyed, (Heaven forbid) and that future historians would explain their defeat as the result of a set of random circumstances.  Everything "happened" to occur in this way, but might just as easily have been different, or even the opposite.  As proof of his stance, he could point to the fact that even the timing was the result of pure accident, like the fall of the dice.

ברירת מחדל - לא למחוק
As we know from the narrative of the Megillah, Haman's plans did not reach fruition. As the liturgy describes it, “Haman's lottery was transformed to our holiday of Purim.” His evil plot was foiled through a most striking set of “circumstances.” Years of meticulous planning and political maneuvering disintegrated like a tower of sand, and disappeared in only a few hours. And it all came about through an amazing chain of “coincidences” which no one could have foreseen.

The very night that Haman planned to set in motion his plan to topple Mordecai and eliminate him altogether, an old document gathering dust in the royal archives came to light. Its discovery brought about an electrifying transformation of the relationship between Haman and Mordecai. For nine years, the record of Mordecai's crucial role in preventing the kings assassination lay unread and untouched. Why was this night, and no other, chosen for it to come to Ahashverus' attention? Why was Haman the very first person to approach the king after he had been reminded of the decisive report submitted nearly a decade beforehand, so that it was he who was charged with demonstrating his majesty's appreciation for Mordecai's loyal services?

That night was an object lesson for the Jewish people in how to interpret "coincidences", "accidents", and "strokes of good luck."  The Jew sees the events in this world not as Amalek views them, but as a direct expression of G-d's will. Behind every event, the Jewish people learned to perceive the guiding hand of their Guardian above.

Haman's lottery gave us a winning ticket

This insight also explains the extreme rejoicing we experience on Purim.

Haman's world is one of alien, hostile forces which control my life, not caring in the least whether they make me happy or sad, wealthy or destitute, healthy or tortured by painful wounds and disease.  In short, blind fate does not care about me, or, for that matter, about anyone else.

As Amalek views life, Man is but an empty nutshell tossed about by the waves.  At times, the waters may rock him gently to and fro. Other times, they toss him about heartlessly.  At no time do they act upon his fate with a purpose, much less for his benefit.  Amalek is doomed to a pitiful existence in which he sees himself as helplessly and hopelessly powerless to control his fate.  Life has no point to it.  There is no motivation to achieve moral perfection, to help one's fellow-man, or seek contentment.

The Jew's outlook is just the opposite.  Confident that his Creator is watching his every move and seeking only his good, the Jew lives in a sheltering cloud of caring, loving concern which affords him inner joy and peace.  There is no doubt in his mind that in every event, every seeming "coincidence", there lies a higher purpose which will eventually be revealed to him.  What is more, each event, even what appears today to be tragic or catastrophic, takes place for a reason, and for his ultimate benefit.

This awareness leads directly to the consequence described in the Megillah: "For the Jews there was light and rejoicing."  The Jew knows that his Father is looking after him; he has full confidence that his Father can and will do whatever is best for him.  What greater joy can a person experience?

We now see Haman in a new perspective, and realize that his plot is but a continuation of Amalek's initial attack, thousands of years beforehand.  This leads us back to our original question: Why the masks and the masquerading on Purim?

Let us concentrate on the hero of the Megillah.  To whom do we refer?  Our first answer might be Mordecai.  On second thought, Mordecai was but the agent of the true Hero, our Creator.  As mentioned above, none of the persons who played a major role in the Purim story made use of disguise, but one of them did manage to remain hidden to the untrained eye.  Throughout the entire Megillah, there is no mention – even once – of the name of G-d.

However, to those who have learned how to read the Megillah, He appears throughout the narrative, from beginning to end!  His "costume" is called "Nature" and His mask, "coincidence."  He is always there, furnishing the power for the world to continue; He is always there, directing events, pulling the strings, and manipulating man's affairs, but He chooses to remain behind the scene.

When the final act is over and the curtain falls, all the pieces fall into place.  The curtain rises again, and we see all the actors unmasked.  Suddenly, we understand that there was a Guiding Hand which directed all the "chance meetings" one after the other.  Between the lines of the Megillah, we suddenly come to see the Creator smiling at us again and again.  We realize that all the sequences of "natural cause and effect" are one immense disguise which the Creator wears in order to test our "vision" − will we see the truth, or will we just make do with a superficial glance at the events around us, and, like Haman, attribute everything to "chance?"

On Purim, we re-enforce our awareness of the fact that this world is actually one immense camouflage for G-d's loving, guiding intervention in human affairs.  Even the "lots" chosen by Haman are not mere chance.  This is the central theme of Purim which gives the day its name.  If G-d Himself chose, so to speak, to disguise Himself on Purim, is it any wonder that we, His people, follow His lead, and also dress up on this day of rejoicing?
You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline Binyamin Yisrael

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Re: Dress like Putin for Purim
« Reply #6 on: March 08, 2014, 11:03:00 PM »
When I was a kid I would dress up as Haman or Mordechai. Now I don't care about dressing up. I would rather pay attention to the religious and Halachic significance of the holiday.

I always felt that Purim was not serous enough when I would go to a Conserved synagogue as a kid. They would have kids walk around the sanctuary in costumes in between chapters of the Megillah as if it was a hakafah on Simchat Torah. Now I know that anyone at such a Megillah reading was not yotzei for the mitzvah since there has to be interruption during the reading. I always liked going to the Sfardic synagogue in the rabbi's better even if there were less people or not even a minyan. In Israel, it's even worse in some ways because you see Israeli kids and even adults post pictures of themselves dressing up on Purim on Facebook but they think that's what the holiday is all about. They don't care about the mitzvot of Purim. Also, kids will shoot some type of gun during the Megillah reading rather than just make noise with a grogger. It kinds of reminds me of how on Yom Ha'Atzmaut, they like to act silly rather than celebrate the holiday. As a kid I was accustomed to go to the Israel celebration Downtown. In Israel it didn't seem like a connection to the meaning of the holiday. I didn't know about the synagogue ceberation. Now in the US, I know what synagogue has a religious Yom Ha'Atzmaut service and celebrate it correctly with Hallel and Al HaNisim.

As a kid I didn't even know what a Purim seudah was and I was first exposed to it at Chabad when I was 20 something years old.


Offline Binyamin Yisrael

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Re: Dress like Putin for Purim
« Reply #7 on: March 08, 2014, 11:07:18 PM »
I heard that some Sfardic rabbis ban costumes because they think the influence came from the Pre-Lent carnivals of Catholic Europe.

Also, last year I got the El Al magazine in February with masks on the covers. On the Hebrew side, it talked about carnivals in Europe for Israelis flying abroad and in the English side, it mentioned Purim and the "Adloyada" parade in Holon, as if it as appropriate to compare the two holidays. The magazine made no mention of the real religious significance of Purim.


Offline nessuno

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Re: Dress like Putin for Purim
« Reply #8 on: March 10, 2014, 07:51:48 AM »
Thanks Muman.
But I understood all that.
I was asking you why you would choose Putin.
Be very CAREFUL of people whose WORDS don't match their ACTIONS.

Offline muman613

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Re: Dress like Putin for Purim
« Reply #9 on: March 11, 2014, 12:44:48 AM »
Shalom BC3,

I have not replied to this thread because I have been trying to think how best to answer it. I want to keep it short, but the explanation is hard to explain.

According to my understanding our G-d, Hashem, is the absolute master of everything (Adon Olam). He creates both dark and light, both good and bad, beauty and not-so-beautiful. Everything in creation was created for a purpose, and Hashem gives his creations the ability to influence the entire creation.

Once the concept of Emmunah (faith) is understood, we also need to understand the concept of Bitachon (trust). It is one thing to say 'I believe in G-d' but an entirely different thing to say 'I believe that G-d is looking out for me' and 'I trust him' even when things aren't going my way. Trust means that we have the knowledge that Hashem will ultimately pick us up, dust us off, and restore us to our former glory.

The story of Purim is especially important in understanding the balance of Emmunah and Bitachon. We all know that the Jewish people of that time had fallen once again into a lowered state. They attended the party of Achashveros where immorality and drunkenness was occurring. The only Jew who did not attend was Mordechi... For all intent and purpose the Jewish people failed Hashems test and they deserved the evil decree with Haman and the king devised against us.

But because of events which ultimately took place through the 'Hidden face' (Hester Panim) of Hashem, the Jewish people did Teshuva (fasted for three days, wore sack-cloth, and repented their ways) and the entire plan of Haman and the king was turned upside down.

Now where does Putin fit in.... Well in my mind he represents the Amalekian ideal, like Haman, and he is a puppet on the stage of Hashem's creation. I listen to a Rabbi (Rabbi Shafier) who explains this concept very well (and I posted his video in the Torah section previously). The dictators of the world (like Pharoah) are just pawns in Hashems game. They have no power of their own (once we start believing they have power, then they gain power by our granting them it).

On Purim we laugh at the powers in the world which rise up against us. Russia is arming Iran and trying to subvert American interests around the world. I think that the fact that the words Purim and Putin are similar is because it should remind us that Putin is just another puppet on Hashems stage.

If you have any questions I would be glad to answer...
You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline muman613

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Re: Dress like Putin for Purim
« Reply #10 on: March 11, 2014, 12:49:07 AM »
The words to this prayer, 'Al Tira' which we recite after the Mussaf Amidah comes from the Megilla Esther. This song is by a musician I have met by the name of Saul Kaye...




From Sichos In English @ http://www.sichosinenglish.org/books/vedibarta-bam/megillat-esther-04.htm

"And went out into the midst of the city." (4:1)

QUESTION: The Midrash Rabbah (7:16) relates that after Haman had the evil decree written and signed, Mordechai met three children returning home from yeshivah and asked them, "What did you learn today?" The first child quoted the pasuk, "Al tira mipachad pitom" — "Do not fear sudden terror" (Proverbs, 3:25). The second one mentioned the pasuk, "Utzu eitzah vetufar dabru davar velo yakum ki imanu Keil" — "They will make plans, but it will be foiled; they will discuss plans, but it will not materialize, for G-d is with us" (Isaiah 8:10). The third child quoted the pasuk, "Ve'ad ziknah ani hu ve'ad seivah ani esbol...ve'amaleit" — "Until old age I am with you, to your aged years I will sustain you ... and deliver you" (Isaiah 46:4). Upon hearing this Mordechai was very happy. What good tidings did Mordechai see in the words of the children?

ANSWER: The Jewish people were confronted by Amalek three times:

1) Upon leaving Egypt, they were suddenly attacked by Amalek (Devarim 25:18, Rashi).

2) Years later Amalek again attempted to wage war against the Jewish people. To prevent the Jews from identifying his people in their prayers for Hashem's assistance, he ordered his soldiers to use the Canaanite language (Bamidbar 21:1, Rashi).

3) Haman was a descendant of Amalek, and he viciously planned the annihilation of the Jewish people.

Mordechai understood the words of the first child, "Do not fear sudden terror..." as an allusion to Amalek's first attack. The second child's message, "dabru davar velo yakum" — "they will speak, but it will not materialize" — was that regardless of Amalek's attempts to disguise himself and change his dialect, it would be to no avail because Hashem was with the Jewish people.

When Haman discussed his evil plans for the Jews with his advisors, they told him, "Don't be a fool! Whenever someone has sought to harm these people, their G-d has come to their salvation and destroyed the enemy. Stay away from them or you will suffer the consequences." Haman presumptuously told them, "There is nothing to fear; their G-d is now old and weak and unable to help them" (Midrash, ibid.). Mordechai understood the words of the third child as a message from Hashem: "Although Haman thinks that I am old, I have not changed; I will carry, sustain, and save the Jewish people now and at all times."

You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline Tag-MehirTzedek

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Re: Dress like Putin for Purim
« Reply #11 on: March 11, 2014, 12:52:32 AM »
I heard that some Sfardic rabbis ban costumes because they think the influence came from the Pre-Lent carnivals of Catholic Europe.

Also, last year I got the El Al magazine in February with masks on the covers. On the Hebrew side, it talked about carnivals in Europe for Israelis flying abroad and in the English side, it mentioned Purim and the "Adloyada" parade in Holon, as if it as appropriate to compare the two holidays. The magazine made no mention of the real religious significance of Purim.

   I don't know anyone who BANN's them, but yea the whole "costume" thing came from Europe during the renaissance period. Its goyish in nature and not really Jewish. Of-course you will find later Hassidim (mostly) find nice "vorts" about costumes and how they are connected to Purim and such, but if you dig deeper and look at the source of this, you will find its goyish and not Jewish.
 I don't really mind though especially for the kids. Let them have fun. (Its almost like the Xtians and Santa Clause, they know their isn't 1 but for the kids its fun).
.   ד  עֹזְבֵי תוֹרָה, יְהַלְלוּ רָשָׁע;    וְשֹׁמְרֵי תוֹרָה, יִתְגָּרוּ בָם
4 They that forsake the law praise the wicked; but such as keep the law contend with them.

ה  אַנְשֵׁי-רָע, לֹא-יָבִינוּ מִשְׁפָּט;    וּמְבַקְשֵׁי יְהוָה, יָבִינוּ כֹל.   
5 Evil men understand not justice; but they that seek the LORD understand all things.

Offline muman613

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Re: Dress like Putin for Purim
« Reply #12 on: March 11, 2014, 12:54:03 AM »

You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline muman613

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Re: Dress like Putin for Purim
« Reply #13 on: March 11, 2014, 12:55:27 AM »
   I don't know anyone who BANN's them, but yea the whole "costume" thing came from Europe during the renaissance period. Its goyish in nature and not really Jewish. Of-course you will find later Hassidim (mostly) find nice "vorts" about costumes and how they are connected to Purim and such, but if you dig deeper and look at the source of this, you will find its goyish and not Jewish.
 I don't really mind though especially for the kids. Let them have fun. (Its almost like the Xtians and Santa Clause, they know their isn't 1 but for the kids its fun).

There is nothing goyish about costumes. There are many reasons, but you don't really want to hear them.

It is a custom of Ashkenazi Jews, has been for many centuries. If you don't like it, don't do it... But don't give us the 'it's goyish' crepe...

Please show us the 'source' that proves it is goyish..

You are still on this Jew hatred thing Tag and as you can expect I don't really consider you an ally anymore.

For those interested in the real reasons we dress up on Purim see http://www.chabad.org/holidays/purim/article_cdo/aid/1456808/jewish/Why-Do-We-Dress-Up-on-Purim.htm

See also : http://ohr.edu/4676

You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline Tag-MehirTzedek

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Re: Dress like Putin for Purim
« Reply #14 on: March 11, 2014, 01:03:21 AM »
There is nothing goyish about costumes. There are many reasons, but you don't really want to hear them.

It is a custom of Ashkenazi Jews, has been for many centuries. If you don't like it, don't do it... But don't give us the 'it's goyish' crepe...

Please show us the 'source' that proves it is goyish..

You are still on this Jew hatred thing Tag and as you can expect I don't really consider you an ally anymore.

For those interested in the real reasons we dress up on Purim see http://www.chabad.org/holidays/purim/article_cdo/aid/1456808/jewish/Why-Do-We-Dress-Up-on-Purim.htm

See also : http://ohr.edu/4676

 Why not? I just read the Chabad link you put up. Ookay, some nice points, but still that's AFTER the fact of the it being made. Still doesn't take away the source of it.

 And your own words proved that it wasn't from the beginning but came much later under the Askenasim.

 Anyway I'm not big time against it, I don't care and don't mind it either, let people especially kids have some fun.
 
.   ד  עֹזְבֵי תוֹרָה, יְהַלְלוּ רָשָׁע;    וְשֹׁמְרֵי תוֹרָה, יִתְגָּרוּ בָם
4 They that forsake the law praise the wicked; but such as keep the law contend with them.

ה  אַנְשֵׁי-רָע, לֹא-יָבִינוּ מִשְׁפָּט;    וּמְבַקְשֵׁי יְהוָה, יָבִינוּ כֹל.   
5 Evil men understand not justice; but they that seek the LORD understand all things.

Offline Binyamin Yisrael

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Re: Dress like Putin for Purim
« Reply #15 on: March 11, 2014, 01:04:43 AM »
The problem is that for some Israelis, Purim is just a time to dress up and have a party. They don't even go to the Megillah reading.


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Re: Dress like Putin for Purim
« Reply #16 on: March 11, 2014, 01:10:14 AM »
Is that a reason to not wear Costumes, even if you do all the Purim Mitzvot? Every year I do them all (With Hashems assistance)

There are four mitzvot associated specifically with Purim. They are:

1) Read or hear the Megillah (Scroll of Esther) at night and by day.
2) Give charity to at least two needy people.
3) Send a minimum of two ready-to-eat foods to at least one person.
4) Sit down for a royal feast.

Most years I do not wear a costume, but I was thinking of it this year..
You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline muman613

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Re: Dress like Putin for Purim
« Reply #17 on: March 11, 2014, 01:15:45 AM »
I found the following, Tag, which talks about the Sefardi ban on costumes:

And yes, it is a long standing custom of Ashkenazi (and some Sefardi) Jews... It is not a mitzvah to dress up, but it is a fun thing to do (especially if it helps get in the spirit of the day)...




http://download.yutorah.org/2014/1053/Purim_To-Go_-_5774_Rabbi_Sharbat.pdf

Purim is our holiday of dressing up and having fun. We all associate the day with images of masks and costumes. Parents and children spend time deciding upon themes around which to base their colorful and creative attire. What is the source for costume wearing and does it pose
any halachic issues?

Surprisingly, the practice of wearing masks and costumes on Purim is not mentioned in the Talmud, Midrash or Geonim. The first to record the custom is R. Yehuda ben Eliezer ha-Levi Minz, (c. 1405-1508) Teshuvot Mahari Minz no. 15; however, he does not provide the origin or reasons for dressing up in costume.

There are those who find allusions in the custom of masquerading to the Purim story. R. Eliyahu Shapira (1660-1712), Eliya Rabba, O.C. 696, assumed that by wearing costumes, we commemorate the moment that Mordecai was dressed in regal clothing and led by Haman through the city. R. Menashe Klein (1924-2011), Teshuvot Mishne Halachot, 7:92, says that dressing up is a way to remember the miracle of Purim. When Achashverosh agreed to Haman’s plan of Jewish genocide, many Jews dressed as non-Jews. When the plan was reversed and the Jews were permitted to attack their enemies, many of the non-Jews disguised themselves, pretending to be Jewish in order to evade death. This idea is alluded to in Megillat Esther:

… And many of the people of the land professed themselves to be Jewish, for the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them.
Esther 8:17
... וְרַ בִּים מֵ עַמֵּ י הָאָרֶ ץ מִ תְ יַהֲדִים כִּי־נָפַל פַּחַד־הַיְּ ִהוּדים עֲלֵיהֶם.
 אסתר ח:יז

They pretended to convert to Judaism, but didn't actually. Since they hid their identity and masqueraded as Jews, we commemorate this miracle by wearing costumes and hiding our identity. Another reason is given by R. Ephrayim Greenblatt (1932-2014), Teshuvot Revivot
Ephrayim, 6:386, who assumed that the tradition is based on a halacha found in the Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, 694:3, that whoever stretches their hand out on Purim to ask for charity is given money. On Purim we mask our identity so that the poor who go around collecting will not be embarrassed.

Costumes: Permitted or Prohibited?

While Ashkenazic poskim permit one to wear costumes on Purim, many Sephardic poskim were against dressing up of any kind on Purim. R. Yosef Messas (1892-1974) and R. Meir Mazuz (b. 1945), Sansan L’Yair, no. 12, believed that it is prohibited based on chukat hagoyim (following in the ways of the gentiles). They concluded that the origins of this custom stem from the pre-Lent festivity of Carnavale. [R. Yaakov Kanievsky (Steipler Gaon) (1899–1985) Orchot Rabbeinu, 3:104, disagreed with this notion and to the contrary said it was the gentiles who got it from the Jews.] R. Messas speculated that the Mahari Minz allowed it only for young children and thus it is completely prohibited for adults. Nonetheless, R. Messas concluded that even young children should not dress up in costume. The notion of wearing costumes on Purim is not mentioned in the works of the famed Sephardic rabbi, R. Yosef Chaim of Baghdad (1832-1909). What is mentioned in his Ben Ish Chai (Parshat Ki Tisa, no. 22) is that the common practice on Purim is to wear Shabbat clothes. However, R. Ovadia Yosef (1920-2013), Chazon Ovadia, Purim p. 199, upholds the tradition to wear costumes on Purim and does not see any reason to prohibit it.

.
.
.

Conclusions

The custom of wearing masks and costumes and people dressing up as the opposite gender is first recorded in the 15th century. The Talmud Yerushalmi, Baba Metzia 7:1, states “minhag mevatel halacha,” that a minhag (custom) overrides halacha. R. Ovadia Yosef (ibid) noted that  this statement only applies to a minhag that has consistent rabbinic approval throughout every generation. As noted, despite the Rama’s leniency, rabbis throughout the centuries were reluctant to approve this minhag and override the prohibition of cross-dressing. While  Ashkenazic poskim have allowed costumes, few permitted cross-dressing for adults and even for children who have reached the age of chinuch. Even if one relies on Rav Ovadia Yosef’s conclusion that costumes are permitted for Sephardim, it is clearly prohibited for Sephardim to cross-dress, whether they are adults or children.
You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline Binyamin Yisrael

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Re: Dress like Putin for Purim
« Reply #18 on: March 11, 2014, 01:20:19 AM »
For me, costumes are for kids. I don't like to dress up. I like the mitzvot of the holiday.

I just find it silly for Israeli adults to dress up for Purim but don't do the mitzvot. They just think it's a time for a Secular party like in a dance club.


Offline muman613

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Re: Dress like Putin for Purim
« Reply #19 on: March 11, 2014, 01:22:33 AM »
For me, costumes are for kids. I don't like to dress up. I like the mitzvot of the holiday.

I just find it silly for Israeli adults to dress up for Purim but don't do the mitzvot. They just think it's a time for a Secular party like in a dance club.

At least they know they are Jewish (I hope)...

They should be taught about the mitzvot of Purim.
You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline muman613

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Re: Dress like Putin for Purim
« Reply #20 on: March 11, 2014, 01:23:34 AM »
And Tag, I am sorry I was so harsh in my previous post. I may be a little quick to lash out myself...

You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline Tag-MehirTzedek

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Re: Dress like Putin for Purim
« Reply #21 on: March 11, 2014, 01:24:08 AM »
Muman- I will read all it t later (perhaps s tomorrow), I will also provide the source of the practices (renaissance Europe)
 I skimmed your last post and this
 "and people dressing up as the opposite gender is first recorded in the 15th century."

 :o  WTF?
.   ד  עֹזְבֵי תוֹרָה, יְהַלְלוּ רָשָׁע;    וְשֹׁמְרֵי תוֹרָה, יִתְגָּרוּ בָם
4 They that forsake the law praise the wicked; but such as keep the law contend with them.

ה  אַנְשֵׁי-רָע, לֹא-יָבִינוּ מִשְׁפָּט;    וּמְבַקְשֵׁי יְהוָה, יָבִינוּ כֹל.   
5 Evil men understand not justice; but they that seek the LORD understand all things.

Offline muman613

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Re: Dress like Putin for Purim
« Reply #22 on: March 11, 2014, 01:25:28 AM »
Muman- I will read all it t later (perhaps s tomorrow), I will also provide the source of the practices (renaissance Europe)
 I skimmed your last post and this
 "and people dressing up as the opposite gender is first recorded in the 15th century."

 :o  WTF?

Yes, this was the first reference to the custom of dressing up on Purim. The question was whether a man was permitted to dress as a woman.

Let me see if I can find more on the topic.
You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline muman613

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Re: Dress like Putin for Purim
« Reply #23 on: March 11, 2014, 01:27:38 AM »
Here is a discussion of this question:


http://www.chabad.org/holidays/purim/article_cdo/aid/483409/jewish/Is-a-woman-allowed-to-dress-up-as-a-man-on-Purim.htm

I will repost Halacha.com's answer here:
http://www.dailyhalacha.com/m/halacha.aspx?id=513

Purim – May Men Dress Up as Women, or Vice Versa, on Purim?

There is a widespread custom to wear costumes on Purim. This practice is mentioned already by the Rama (Rabbi Moshe Isserles, Poland, 1525-1572), and thus has a clear, explicit basis in Halacha.

Numerous different explanations have been offered for the reason underlying this custom. One approach, perhaps, emerges from the Gemara’s comment in Masechet Megila in explaining why God subjected the Jews to the terror of Haman’s edict. The Gemara gives two reasons, including the fact that many years earlier, the Jews in Babylonia had bowed to the idol built at the command of the emperor Nebuchadnesar. The Jews did not intend to worship the statue, but were nevertheless guilty of giving an outward expression of idol worship. God therefore punished the Jewish people by making an outward appearance that they would be annihilated. He never intended for Haman to succeed in his plan to kill the Jews; it was rather arranged that it would appear as though they would be killed, to atone for the Jews’ giving the outward appearance of worshipping an idol. We therefore commemorate the Purim miracle by wearing masks, giving an outward appearance that is different from our true appearance.

Is it permissible for a person to dress up on Purim as a member of the opposite gender? May a man dress up as a woman, or a woman dress up as a man, on Purim?

This question was addressed by the Mahari Mintz, who wrote that he saw many people dress as members of the opposite gender on Purim in the presence of leading Hachamim, and the Hachamim did not object. He therefore concludes that although wearing the clothing of the opposite gender is explicitly forbidden by the Torah (Debarim 22:5), the Rabbis allowed this practice for the purpose of the Purim festivities. The Mahari Mintz compares this practice to the custom he observed of allowing children to grab candies from each other on Purim. Even though Halacha clearly forbids taking other people’s possessions even in jest, and considers this outright theft, in the context of the Purim celebration it is deemed permissible. Similarly, the Rama, in his Darcheh Moshe, records a custom to allow wearing on Purim clothes that contain Shaatnez on the level of Rabbinic enactment; these enactments were waived for the purpose of the special joy of Purim. Likewise, the Mahari Mintz writes, cross dressing was permitted on Purim as part of the holiday festivities.

However, there are a number of Rishonim (Medieval Halachic scholars), including the Rambam and Rabbi Eliezer of Metz, who write explicitly that dressing as a member of the opposite gender is forbidden under all circumstances, without exception. In their view, this is forbidden even if it is done only temporarily and as a joke. The Rambam, for example, decries the custom to cross dress at weddings as part of the festivities. It stands to reason that the Mahari Mintz would not have ruled as he did if he had seen the comments of these Rishonim. As for the custom to allow children to grab each other’s candies, this practice does not provide a basis to allow cross dressing on Purim. The principle of “Hefker Bet Din Hefker” grants the Rabbinical Court the authority, when it deems it appropriate, to designate someone’s property as ownerless. Therefore, for the purpose of the Purim festivities, the courts designated the children’s snacks as ownerless to allow the children to grab each other’s treats for fun. The Rabbis certainly have no power to suspend the explicit Torah prohibition against wearing the clothes of the opposite gender.

Therefore, Hacham Ovadia Yosef rules that one may not dress up as a member of the opposite gender on Purim, or allow his sons to dress as girls or his daughters to dress as boys.

Summary: It is customary to wear costumes on Purim, and this custom has strong basis in Halacha. However, it is forbidden for men to dress up as women, and vice versa. Children, too, should not be allowed to dress up as the opposite gender.
You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline muman613

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Re: Dress like Putin for Purim
« Reply #24 on: March 11, 2014, 02:03:26 AM »
This video is a 'crash course' in Purim from Aish.com..

You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14