Passover 2016

By MJL Staff

Passover 2016 begins Friday evening, April 22, and ends Saturday evening, April 30.

What is Passover?

Passover is a festival of freedom.

It commemorates the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt, and their transition from slavery to freedom. The main ritual of Passover is the seder, which occurs on the first night (or, outside of Israel, the first two nights) of the holiday — a festive meal that involves the re-telling of the Exodus through stories and song and the consumption of ritual foods, including matzah and maror (bitter herbs).




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9 Things You Didn’t Know About Purim

By Julie Wiener for MyJewishLearning.com   

From Esther's vegetarianism to the Jewish leap year, things that might surprise you.

With costumes, spiels and lots of drinking, Purim, which this year starts at sundown on Wednesday, March 23, is one of Judaism’s most raucous holidays. You might know about beautiful Esther thwarting evil Haman’s plans, the custom of getting drunk and what hamantaschen are. But we’re guessing there’s a few things about this holiday that might surprise you.

1. Esther was a vegetarian (or at least a flexitarian).
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QUIZ: What Kind of Hamantaschen Are You?

 Holly Lebowitz Rossi for Kveller

Purim is almost here, which means it’s time for hamantaschen. From dulce de leche, poppy, jam, and nutella–there’s an option for everyone! Which one are you? Find out by taking the quiz below:


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For more great Purim ideas, check out our Purim Holiday Spotlight Kit

Haman in the Garden of Eden

From AlephBeta

Purim: Redeeming the Sin of Eden

The holiday of Purim seems like a kids’ holiday, full of costumes, fun, and a fairy-tale like story. In this series, Rabbi David Fohrman urges us to take a closer, more grown-up, look at the megillah - beginning with a curious connection between Haman and the Garden of Eden.

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