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Poppy Seeds
By Yanki Tauber
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We'll probably never know who was the first to make the association between mohntashen (Yiddish for "poppy pockets"--a three-pointed poppy-seed-filled
pastry) and hamantashen (Yiddish for "Haman pockets"--a three-pointed
poppy-seed-filled pastry eaten on Purim and named after the villain of the Purim
story). Had Jews been enjoying mohntachen on Purim for many years when
a certain Purim-nosher made the mohn/haman association? Or was it the
other way around?
One thing we know: like the poppy seeds in the hamantacs, the richness
of Purim comes to us hidden in an envelope of flaky
dough. But when we penetrate the cookie of external events, dots of wisdom,
concise and potent, excite the taste-buds of the spiritual mind.
So let us sample and savor a few seeds:
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| A Throw Of Dice
With all the events and actions that contributed to the miracle of Purim, why is the festival named after the seemingly minor detail that Haman picked the date for his decree by casting lots? | |
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| Masquerade!
Why do we disguise ourselves on Purim? | |
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| A Momentous Year
Come to think of it, the idea of a "moment of truth" is almost an oxymoron. If it's true, shouldn't it always be that way? | |
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| The Extreme Jew
Push yourself to your limits and beyond, and if you do it with all the integrity and devotion and goodness of your Jewish soul and your Jewish body, there you will find G-d | |
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| The Underhand Spin
There are two holidays on which we spin: on Chanukah it is customary to play with a dreidel, and on Purim we spin the gragger. The dreidel is spun from above, while the gragger is turned from below | |
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| Oil and Wine
An inside-out festival
When a thing is what it is, it's the same from the inside looking out and from the outside looking in | |
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| Unkown Joy
"If you're happy and you know it," then you can clap your hands -- but you are not yet in a Purim state of mind. | |
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| Think Now
If you are not relating to the words of the Megillah, then you are experiencing a backwards Purim. | |
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| Why Men Drink on Purim
I tried talking to my inner woman about Purim. "Haman?" I asked. "Haman is your authority on how to be a Jew?" She said I didn't get it | |
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