Purim 2013 is on its way! Starting the evening of Saturday, February 23rd, the holiday that celebrates the clever salvation of Persia’s Jews is nearly upon us. Are you ready to make some noise, get dressed up, give gifts, and donate to charity? Don’t worry; we can help.
Make Some Noise / Groggers
The classic Purim accessory is a noisemaker, used to block out Haman’s name during the megillah reading on Purim eve and Purim day. We love this whimsical grogger in the shape of a Hasid, this silly clown grogger that comes with a display stand, this hand-painted grogger that depicts Jerusalem and has two separate noisemakers, and this simple and affordable tricolor wooden grogger.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Hasid Grogger with stand, $280 | Clown Grogger with stand, $280 | Jerusalem Grogger with stand, $28 | Simple wooden grogger, $3 |
Get Dressed Up / Costumes
It’s long been customary to dress up in costumes on Purim. You can go the traditional route, and get yourself this awesome nun costume, the perfect ironic getup for any megillah reading. It goes perfectly with this monk costume. Or you can go quick and easy with this beautiful (and realistic) unicorn mask, or this comprehensive set of mustaches, lips and glasses on a stick, which allow you to mix and match your costume as the holiday progresses.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Deluxe Nun Costume, $63.75 | Medieval Monk Costume, $28.99 | Magical Unicorn Mask, $23.77 | 30-piece Mustache-on-a-stick set, $59.99 |
Give Gifts / Mishloach Manot
You might not associate gift-giving with Purim, but in fact it’s right there in the megillah, where we read that on the day that the Jews were saved from Haman’s clutches Mordechai decreed that Shushan’s Jews should “send portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.” Check out these great, kosher pre-assembled “portions,” like this one with peanut butter cups, English toffee, chocolate covered pretzels, and more. We also love this blue and white basket, with chocolates, hamantaschen, and blue Terra chips. If you’re going to make your own mishloach manot, try including some lovely Wissotzky Tea and a little honey stick.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Kosher Gift Arrangement, $26.95 | Purim Basket: True Blue Temptation, $54.99 | Wissotzky Tea, from $3.99 | 100 Honey Sticks, $23.80 |
Give Gifts / Books
A good book is always an appropriate Jewish gift. On Purim, you can go back to the source text, and get your friend a copy of the JPS Commentary on Esther, which is comprehensive and fascinating. For the kids, there’s the new and wonderful The Purim Superhero. And for the fiction lover in your life, we highly recommend The Gilded Chamber, a novelization of the story of Esther, and Good for the Jews, a modern retelling set is Madison, Wisconsin.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| JPS Commentary on the Book of Esther, $26.40 | The Purim Superhero, $7.55 | The Gilded Chamber, $13.60 | Good for the Jews, $12.48 |
Donate to Charity / Tzedakah
A central component of celebrating Purim is giving tzedakah, money to the poor. Why not make a donation in honor of your friends to a local food pantry, Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger, American Jewish World Service, the Joint Distribution Committee, Yad Eliezer: Breaking the Cycle of Poverty in Israel, or JBFCS which supports Jews struggling with alcohol and drug dependency? And you can also always support our work here at MyJewishLearning.com, a not-for-profit organization.
Happy Purim to you and yours!
kosher
Pronounced: KOH-sher, Origin: Hebrew, adhering to kashrut, the traditional Jewish dietary laws.
megillah
Pronounced: muh-GILL-uh, Origin: Hebrew, meaning “scroll,” it is usually used to refer to the scroll of Esther (Megillat Esther, also known as the Book of Esther), a book of the Bible traditionally read twice during the holiday of Purim. Slang: a long and tedious story or explanation.
Purim
Pronounced: PUR-im, the Feast of Lots, Origin: Hebrew, a joyous holiday that recounts the saving of the Jews from a threatened massacre during the Persian period.
