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PAGE 18 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE March 21, 1986
Ask the Rabbi
Rabbi Joe Comprendo Answers
Your Most Frequently Asked Questions
Rabbi, why do we eat hamantashen on Purim?
Why not?
Rabbi, why do we wear costumes on Purim?
Just as we drink wine on the Sabbath, but not as a general rule on
other days; and just as we eat in booths on Succot but not as a
general rule on other days; so too do we wear non-stylish, unattrac
tive clothes on Purim, but not as a general rule on other days. We
call these garishly colored, ill-fitting garments “costumes,” and
often when we wear them we are moved to dance and behave in an
uninhibited manner.
Rabbi, why do we wear masks on Purim?
See the above for a clue.
Rabbi, is there any historical significance to this holiday?
Certainly. At this time, we commemorate the devotion to Ha-
Shem of Mordecai, the bravery and cleverness of Esther, and the
force of Ha-Shem in history, the utter incompetency of Ahashve-
rosh, and the centrality of the white horse in Persian life.
Rabbi, is there a mystical or more elusive meaning to Purim?
You’ve got to be kidding.
Rabbi, why do people exchange gifts of baked goods and delica
cies on Purim?
It is my considered opinion that they do this all the time, but on
Purim they put the food into fancy containers they bought on sale
at Tuesday Morning.
Rabbi, what is your favorite Purim story?
My great-grandfather, of blessed memory, was known for his
extravagant Purim costumes, usually adapted from my great
grandmother’s old clothes. He began to sing and dance on his way
to the synagogue, so great was his joy; and his jovial attitude was
even more enhanced by his wearing a disguise. Or so he thought.
Since he was one of only three men in his village who were under
four feet ten, he was hard to miss. Except for his shoes, that is.
Yes, go on.
There’s no more to tell. Such was life in the shtetl.
Rabbi, do you have any advice about Purim for our younger
readers?
Indeed I do. If you eat poppy seed hamantashen and prune
hamantashen at a steady two-to-one ration, you’l! be all right!
Editor's note: Rabbi Joe Comprendo will answer questions
about Passover next month.
0gp Pupiwspielep
Student reaches ‘weathering heights’
Poring through historical re
cords at the Atlanta Historical
Society last month, an Emory
University sophomore, Beth Dinn,
discovered a misfiled document,
which proves—beyond any rea
sonable doubt—that The Temple
on Peachtree Road is indeed The
Temple of ancient times.
As part of a term paper she is
researching on tornadoes and
intercontinental air currents, Beth
was led into a quiet corner of the
Atlanta Historical Society ar
chives, where documents concern
ing edifices which have been
moved by cataclysmic weather
conditions are stored. She had just
finished taking notes on the site
changing of a large pink-colored
home on Peachtree Battle, when
her eyes became riveted to a yel
lowed drawing of The Temple on
Peachtree Road, but in slightly
altered form, indeed looking very
much like a drawing that hangs in
her grandparents’ home in Miami.
That drawing is of The Temple
which stood in Jerusalem 2,000
years ago, and which was sup
posedly destroyed by the Romans.
The paragraph under the photo
graph which Beth found in the
archives described a large, beauti
fully classic structure, which sud-
Tired of cruises for the
svelte and the toned?
Tired of the Love Boat and
her mesmerizing Mermaids?
Forget them and relax in the company
of those less up-tight
and less tightened up!
Now you have the chance to belly up
to the maiden voyage of the
BAGEL
BOAT
and her mouth-watering Matzoh Belles!!
Your cuisine-catered cabin awaits you...Ports of Call to tantalize all tastes.
•Borsch Bay
•The Straits of Gefilte
•The Infamous Nova Lox of the Panama Canal
Morris Bette-Hur, agent for Koshercabana Cruises
sailing the first Sunday of every month with an “R” in it
TELEX: MORE IS BETTER
Beth Dinn
denly appeared on Peachtree
Road, during a two-day tornado
siege, and which Atlantans had at
that time considered the result of a
record-breaking construction
phenomenon, especially in the
midst of bad weather.
Her curiosity piqued, Beth in
vestigated further and learned
that, as recorded in city records of
that time, the sudden appearance
of The Temple did cause people to
marvel and in some cases increase
their pledges to Federation, but at
no time was there any suggestion
that this newly arrived building
was one and the same as The Tem
ple of ancient times. She also noted
that Atlanta and Jerusalem share
the same latitude.
Beth continued her research and
ended up in Jerusalem, Israel,
where she convinced curators at
the Shrine of the Book to open
their vaults to her and three other
Emory sophomores, whose par
ents had given them trips to Israel
for maintaining a “B” average. To
the total amazement of all con
cerned, it was determined that The
Temple was not totally decimated
by the Romans, but that in the
midst of the destruction a tornado
appeared, referred to in scholarly
texts as “ruach Ha-Shem,” first
removing the structure to Easter
Island, then to an island in the Gulf
of Mexico and finally to Atlanta.
“This process took 2,000 years,”
commented Paul Plotnick, presi
dent of The Temple Men’s Club,
“but it was worth it. Atlanta, one
of the most historic of cities, is the
proper resting place for such a sig
nificant building, which has played
an undeniably pivotal part in the
ethical past of the Judeo-Christian
world, indeed of all mankind. How
appropriate to have The Temple
on Peachtree Road, conveniently
located near other landmarks, like
the High Museum and The Center
for Puppetry Arts!”
For the role she played in this
high drama, Beth Dinn will be the
recipient of the Young Investigator
Award by the Rabbinic Court of
the Atlanta Chamber of Com
merce. A plaque in her honor is
being presented to Emory Univer
sity by The Temple, inscribed with
the following: “To Beth Dinn for
her contribution to the continuing
search for improved weather con
dition information.”
“If it weren’t for my natural
interest in universal weather pat
terns, and the support of all my
devoted professors, I never would
have found my way to the Histori
cal Society Archives!” Beth ex
claimed. Beth’s parents are Dr. and
Mrs. Gregor (Gunga) Dinn of
Hauppauge, Long Island.
Knesset konfidences
Our correspondent, Ami Ha
Aretz, writes from the Holy Land —
We are happy to let our readers
in, concerning secret issues that are
now on the desk of the Israeli
government:
• Nearing completion is the
establishment of an investigative
committee to determine if Morde
cai was a Sephardic Jew or an
Ashkenazic Jew. At first glance, it
would appear that he (a Persian)
was Sephardic, but in a special dig
in the ancient capital of Persia,
Shushan, a famous archaeologist
unearthed documents that confirm
that Mordecai’s parents came to
Persia from Minsk in Russia.
A possible resolution to this
conflict would be an understand
ing that Christopher Columbus be
henceforth considered Ashkenazic
by all parties so the Sephardic
community can claim Mordecai as
one of their own. Or vice versa
1 his issue will be decided by a spe
cial Knesset subcommittee consist
ing of representatives of both
communities, the United States,
West Germany and France.
• During the coming Purim,
there will be an official public read
ing of “Megillat Esther” Part II,
the continuing saga of what really
happened in the palace after the
saving of the Jews from Haman.
It’s certain that producers are neg
otiating about a movie and Leon
Uris has received an “advance” to
write a new book about the deeds
of the descendants of the heroes of
“Megillat Esther,” Part I.
• A final tidbit from the
Knesset that will surely reverberate
in the halls of the U.S. Congress. ..a
proposal will be presented, by Naf-
tali Blitz of Shomer Ha Tsair of
Mapam, to celebrate Purim
monthly or at least bi-monthly,
instead of once a year. There are
many good reasons for this, most
of them self-evident. Straw polls
taken in Kiriat Arba and Afula
show strong support for this
change. What are your reactions!