Keeping Jewish - March 2024 (Purim issue)

Haman to Hamas

10 lessons from Purim for today’s struggle

Welcome to town

Eric Garfinkle has a reason to learn

Meat hamantaschen

Embrace two holiday traditions in one bite

Fulfilling a dream

The bottle of wine that waited 14 years

From burnout to balance

Happy Purim: The story, the customs and why we don’t wear costumes year-round

Dr. Esther Sternberg’s approach to workplace wellness

The Jewish outreach and education network of Southern Arizona 2443 E 4th Street, Tucson, AZ 85719

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Rabbi Yossie Shemtov

REBBETZIN

Chanie Shemtov

OUTREACH DIRECTOR

Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin

PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Feigie Ceitlin

Affiliates:

Congregation Young Israel, Chabad at the University of Arizona, Chabad on River, Chabad of Oro Valley, Chabad of Sierra Vista, Chabad of Vail and Lamplighter Chabad Day School of Tucson

EDITOR

Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin

COPY EDITOR

Suzanne Cummins

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Zalman Abraham, Phyllis Braun, Seymour Brody, Feigie Ceitlin, Tzemach Feller, Mendel Kalmenson, Menachem Posner, Mordechai Schmutter, Benjamin Weiss

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Note: “G-d” and “L-rd” are written with a hyphen instead of an “o .”This is one way we accord reverence to the sacred divine name. This also reminds us that, even as we seek G-d, He transcends any human effort to describe His reality.

OPINION

10 critical lessons from Haman to counter hate

By Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin

The name of Haman, the adversary of the Jewish people in ancient Persia, brings to mind the current villain in the Jewish narrative, the Hamas terror apparatus in Gaza. And it’s not just their names that sound similar.

Haman sought to “destroy, kill and exterminate all the Jews, young and old, infants, and women, in a single day,” the Book of Esther recounts. Hamas sought to do the same on October 7, 2023. Following their 1988 charter, Hamas acted in accordance with its belief that “the Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems [kill] the Jews.”

It is only natural to look to the story of Purim to draw inspiration from how the Jewish leader Mordechai and his heroic cousin Queen Esther dealt with the antisemites of the Persian Empire, as we face those who want to destroy the Jewish people today.

1. Hate Proliferates

The Persian Prime Minister Haman was furious that Mordechai refused to bow to him. Despite this, he did not want to punish Mordechai alone, as he considered it beneath him. Instead, Haman decided to plot the destruction of all the Jews in Ahasuerus’ kingdom. Hate starts with one individual yet quickly spreads to encompass an entire group of people.

2. Start With Spiritual Support

After King Ahasuerus approved Haman’s plot to annihilate the Jews, Mordechai “cried a loud and bitter cry,” and led the Jews to engage in “fasting, weeping and lament.” They understood that their transgressions had given the green light for this threat to materialize. So they began by repenting to make good with G-d.

3. Tell the World

When Esther sent a chamberlain to report on what was transpiring, “Mordechai told her everything that had happened to him.” When there are atrocities about to happen, this isn’t the time to mince words. It is the time to sound the alarm and tell

“everything.”

4. Stand Up for Others

While the plot was against the entire nation, Mordechai referred to it as something that “happened to him.” That’s because he had a deep level of empathy and responsibility. He could have been spared from the decree due to his associations, yet he made the plight of others his own. When even one Jew is under threat, we all feel under attack.

5. Utilize All Connections Available

Mordechai could have just lobbied the king as leader of the Sanhedrin, the Supreme Court of ancient Israel. Instead, he begged Esther to “come before the king to appeal to him and to plead with him for her people.” When she hesitated, worried about appearing before the king uncalled, Mordechai said: “Perhaps you have attained your royal position for just such a time.” Use any connections you have to save lives.

6. Unite the People

Before embarking on her critical visit to the king, Esther asked Mordechai to “go and assemble all of the Jews.” Haman’s original claim was that the Jewish nation was “spread and scattered.” Esther recognized that in order to storm the heavens into

annulling the decree, unity was needed and insisted on bringing together everyone. A united front is critical to facing an enemy.

7. Take the High Road

Even after Haman was eliminated, the decree against the Jews remained in effect, and the antisemites of the day were more than eager to carry it out. So the Jews fought to “avenge themselves on their enemies.” The king even allowed them to “plunder their possessions,” but the Jews didn’t take a thing. They were here to defend their right to exist.

8. Don’t Let the Job Go Unfinished

The king had originally granted the Jews one day to defend themselves. But in the capital city of Shushan, there were so many days that another day of fighting was needed. The Jews petitioned for another day of fighting so that they could finish the job, which they did.

9. There Will (Continue) to be Hate “Upon Esther’s request, this account of Purim was rectified, and it was canonized in the scriptures.” Esther wasn’t looking to aggrandize her name. “These days will be remembered and observed in every generation,” the verse says. It wasn’t just the holiday that she was granting the future generations, but the reminder that antisemitism will continue to haunt the Jewish people. The secret to Jewish survival is to remain proud and Jewish.

10. Believe in Miracles

Things looked bleak for the Jews of the Persian Empire. But in almost no time at all, the tables turned completely. Their arch-enemy was dead and the Jews were free to live and prosper the words of the Megillah, “It was reversed, the Jews should rule over their enemies.”

May it happen today. Amen!

- Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin is the Outreach Director of Chabad Tucson, the Jewish network of Southern Arizona

Firefighter to share what he witnessed after October 7

By Phyllis Braun - Arizona Jewish Post

When Captain Jeff Hamblen of the Northwest Fire District signed up to train with Israel’s Emergency Volunteer Project, he expected to help his Israeli counterparts put out fires. He didn’t expect to be flying into a country at war.

Hamblen’s travel date was October 7, 2023, the day Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people, taking 240 men, women, and children hostage, and starting a war that is still being fought.

As he was traveling, he had access to the news. Friends and family members reached out, urging him to change his plans. But Hamblen never considered canceling his trip, which was sponsored by the Firefighters Beyond Borders project of the Greater Tucson Firefighters Foundation.

“I’d signed up for the program to help them in their time of need,” he says. “And although this was scheduled just to be a training, I couldn’t find it in myself to turn around and not go help them. I put on a uniform every day to go help people in need.”

A paramedic fire captain for almost 18 years, Hamblen’s varied experiences have included search and rescue, special operations, such as swift water rescue, and working with a regional SWAT team as a tactical medic.

Hamblen’s flight to Israel was canceled, but he managed to get on a flight to Turkey.

Once he reached Israel, his contact took him to the Nof Hagalil fire station outside of Nazareth, in the north. Tensions were high. Five Israeli firefighters had been killed on the morning of the attack while commuting to work in the Gaza border area, and a fire chief had lost his son, who was in the Israel Defense Forces.

Hamblen and two other visiting American firefighters “tried to blend in and support them with daily operations,” he says, assisting with fires and other calls for

service, such as elevator rescues. Unlike their U.S. counterparts, Israeli firefighters do not handle medical calls. The Americans also toured other regional fire stations and Hamblen shared his experience with hazardous materials and technical rescue.

Due to personnel reporting for IDF reserve duty, the fire service changed its schedule from three shifts to two, with firefighters working 24 hours on and 24 hours off.

“They were completely capable without me being there. They were proud to have us there — they were very happy to have that small representation of American firefighters,” Hamblen says.

After eight days in the north, he was sent to the Israel Fire Authority Training Center in Tel Aviv. One of his hosts invited him to visit the scenes of the October 7 attack, along with Fire Commissioner Eyal Caspi and other command staff. “I

didn’t realize it was going to be such an experience,” Hamblen says.

They were outfitted with body armor before heading in a convoy toward the attack sites, which included two kibbutzim, Nir Oz and Kisufim, and the Supernova music festival site. “We’re passing tanks and troops; we’re going through empty highways, but you look out in the field, and there’s full battalions of troops staging and getting ready. It was kind of surreal,” he says.

Walking through the kibbutz neighborhoods, he saw yards with children’s toys “and then bullet holes throughout all the buildings, and buildings burned out,” he says.

The group’s briefings were interrupted several times by sirens, forcing them to shelter inside the abandoned homes’ safe

rooms while rockets fell nearby.

The safe rooms were usually children’s rooms. As a father of two, Hamblen felt a deep personal connection. “You could see the signs of murder and death and destruction inside these regular homes,” he says. “The devastation was beyond anything I’ve seen in my career.”

As they drove back to Tel Aviv amid more rocket attacks, Caspi asked Hamblen, the first U.S. civilian to visit the sites, to share what he’d seen “because people need to know what happened here.”

Hamblen will be doing that at Chabad Tucson’s communal Shabbat experience on Friday, March 15, at 6:00 PM at The Shul - 2443 E 4th Street. It will include candle lighting, services, a delicious meal, songs, and a talk by Hamblen. Registration is required at ChabadTucson.com/

Jeff Hamblen (right) with Israeli firefighter Moshe Tagania from the Nof Hagalil fire station

From burnout to balance

Dr. Esther Sternberg’s approach to workplace wellness

By Tzemach Feller

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a standard of working for many employees in the United States. The ability to work from home has become a popular choice for a significant percentage of the workforce, leading to a reduction in office space and a shift in the way businesses operate.

While this change has been difficult for some, it has also presented new opportunities for individuals to achieve a better work-life balance and to be more productive. As companies continue to adapt to this new reality, we can expect to see more innovation and creativity in the way we work, which can ultimately lead to a brighter future for everyone.

But is that a good thing?

Dr. Esther Sternberg, Professor of Medicine, Psychology, and Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Planning and Research Director of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona in Tucson, knows it’s not.

That’s because she has dedicated more than 20 years to comprehensive research on the importance of a shared workspace—and how to enhance the wellbeing of the people who inhabit those spaces. Her solution to the downtown apocalypse is to design workspaces that will attract people to come to the office.

“There are benefits to being with other people as opposed to just seeing them on Zoom calls,” she said. “There is burnout from online working. We need to enhance the sense of community, so people want to come back to work.”

Sternberg, who has advised the World Health Organization, the US Institute of Medicine and briefed high-level government officials, knows how to design such offices— she wrote the book about it.

Sternberg’s newest book, titled Well at Work: Creating Wellbeing in Any Workspace, focuses on enhancing emotional and physical health through integrative medicine. Each of the seven domains of

survive better not

Sternberg turning of gratitude the begins

“Before calls, quiet community the positives

This express world

“Giving but altruistic, The when stress

integrative health is addressed: stress and resilience, movement, sleep, relationships, environment, nutrition, and spirituality.

Sternberg’s view of the spiritual is deeply influenced by her parents’ experiences. Her mother grew up in Stefanesti, a small town in Romania. In 1938, as the clouds of war darkened the European continent, her family fled their hometown. They were still on the train to freedom when the borders closed behind them. Her father, who lived in Bucharest, Romania, was transported to a Nazi concentration camp in Transnistria.

“My parents informed my own gratitude for being alive, for knowing — my parents were very explicit about this—that we didn’t

Dr. Sternberg presents at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ

survive the war not to make the world a better place, not to appreciate every day, not to value the sunsets,” Sternberg said.

Sternberg emphasizes the importance of turning the workplace into a sanctuary, of taking time for moments of mindful gratitude at the start of the day—”Like the Modeh Ani prayer, in Judaism, which begins the day with gratitude,” she says. “Before you’re inundated with emails and calls, start the day in a centered, calm, quiet way. It also helps to create a sense of community and relationships; think about the other person and be grateful for the positives they bring.”

This emphasis on gratefulness should also express itself in giving, in improving the world around you, Sternberg explains. “Giving is good not only for the recipient but for the giver,” she says. “The more altruistic, the healthier it is for your brain. The positive parts of the brain light up when people give to others. It reduces the stress response and enhances the dopamine

reward regions of the mind.”

Creating a habit of giving in the workplace is something the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem

M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, often emphasized. “A charity box in a home or office,” the Rebbe taught, “redefines the entire space. It is no longer just a home,

just an office. It is a center of kindness and caring.”

The Rebbe emphasized, too, the value of a moment of silent contemplation at the start of the day—something that can ground the individual, creating a moral and ethical mindset that informs the day’s actions.

So the next time you walk into the office, take a moment to think, focus on being thankful, and channel that thankfulness into giving to others. “People are desperate for these kinds of sanctuaries, for getting into that sense of thankfulness,” Sternberg said. “It’s without a question that giving and getting into a habit of giving is a wonderful idea.”

Sternberg is a featured presenter at the upcoming Tucson Festival of Books on Sunday, March 10, from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM at the Science CityMain Stage at the University of Arizona Mall. She will lead a discussion titled “Wellness at Work” and interact with attendees during a signing session. For more, visit: tucsonfestivalofbooks.org.

Dr. Sternberg at the Tucson Festival of Books in past years

All

How to celebrate Purim

you need to know about the 4 mitzvahs of Purim and the other observances

Purim, celebrated on the 14th of Adar, begins Saturday night, March 23 and continues through Sunday, March 24. It is the most fun-filled, action-packed day of the Jewish year. It commemorates our nation’s miraculous salvation more than two millennia ago.

Before Purim: Torah Reading of Zachor

A special reading is held in the synagogue on the Shabbat before Purim (this year, March 23). We read the Torah section called Zachor (“Remember”), in which we are urged to remember the deeds of (the nation of) Amalek (Haman’s ancestor), who sought to destroy the Jewish people.

Before Purim: The Fast of Esther

We fast on the day before Purim to

commemorate the prayer and fasting that the Jewish people held during the Purim story. This year, we fast on Thursday, March 21. The fast begins approximately an hour before sunrise and lasts until nightfall.

Before Purim: The “Half Coins” (Machatzit HaShekel)

It is a tradition to give three coins in “half” denominations—e.g., three half-dollar coins—to charity, to commemorate the half-shekel that each Jew contributed as his share in the communal offerings in the time of the Holy Temple. This custom, usually performed in the synagogue, is done on the afternoon of the “Fast of Esther” or before the reading of the Megillah.

The Purim Story in a Nutshell

The Persian empire of the 4th century BCE extended over 127 lands, and all the Jews were its subjects. When King Ahasuerus had his wife, Queen Vashti, executed for failing to follow his orders, he orchestrated a beauty pageant to find a new queen. A Jewish girl, Esther, found favor in his eyes and became the new queen—though she refused to divulge the identity of her nationality.

Meanwhile, the antisemitic Haman was appointed prime minister of the empire. Mordechai, the leader of the Jews (and Esther’s cousin), defied the king’s orders and refused to bow to Haman. Haman was incensed and convinced the king to issue a decree ordering the extermination of all the Jews on the 13th of Adar—a date chosen

by a lottery Haman made (hence the name Purim, “lots”).

Mordechai galvanized all the Jews, convincing them to repent, fast and pray to G-d. Meanwhile, Esther asked the king and Haman to join her for a feast. At the feast, Esther revealed her Jewish identity to the king. Haman was hanged, Mordechai was appointed prime minister in his stead, and a new decree was issued granting the Jews the right to defend themselves against their enemies.

On the 13th of Adar, the Jews mobilized and killed many of their enemies. On the 14th of Adar, they rested and celebrated.

How We Celebrate Purim

Though we dress up in holiday finery,

Purim performance at the Jewish Theatre in Warszawa, Poland *

Photo: Henryk Kotowski

Purim doesn’t feature holiday work restrictions. Nonetheless, all the better if you can take the day off from work and focus on the holiday and its four special mitzvahs:

1. Hear the Megillah

Head to your synagogue to hear the whole Megillah. The Megillah, a.k.a. “The Book of Esther,” is the scroll that tells the Purim story. Listen to the public reading twice: once on Purim night, and again on Purim day. This year, that’s Saturday night, March 23 and Sunday, March 24. Pay attention—it is crucial to hear every word.

When Haman’s name is mentioned (Chabad custom is that this is only when it is accompanied with a title), you can twirl graggers (noisemakers) or stamp your feet to eradicate his evil name. Tell your kids that Purim is the only time when it’s encouraged to make noise during services!

The Megillah is read from a handwritten parchment scroll, using an age-old tune.

2. Give to the Needy (Matanot LaEvyonim)

One of Purim’s primary themes is Jewish unity. Haman tried to kill us all; we were all in danger together, so we celebrated together, too. Hence, on Purim day, we place special emphasis on caring for the less fortunate.

Give money or food to at least two needy people during the daylight hours of Purim, March 24. If you can’t find any needy people, your synagogue will likely be collecting money for this purpose, at least place two coins in a charity box earmarked for the poor.

On Purim, we give a donation to whoever asks; we don’t verify his or her bank balance first.

As with the other mitzvahs of Purim, even small children should fulfill this mitzvah.

3. Send Food Gifts to Friends (Mishloach Manot)

On Purim, we emphasize the importance of friendship and community by sending gifts of food to friends.

On Purim day, March 24, send a package containing at least two different readyto-eat food items and/or beverages (e.g., pastry, fruit, beverage) to at least one Jewish acquaintance during the daylight hours of Purim. Men send to men, and women to women.

It is preferable that the gifts be delivered via a third party. Children, in addition to sending their own gifts of food to their friends, make enthusiastic messengers.

4. Feast!

During the course of Purim day, March 24, gather your family, maybe invite a guest or two, and celebrate with a festive Purim meal. Traditionally, this meal begins before sundown and lasts well into the evening.

The table should be festively bedecked with a nice tablecloth and candles. Wash for bread or challah, and enjoy a meal featuring meat, wine, and plenty of Jewish songs, words of Torah, and joyous Purim spirit. Sing, drink, laugh, have fun together.

Special Prayers

On Purim, we include the brief V’al Hanissim section in all the day’s prayers, as well as in the day’s Grace after Meals. This prayer describes the Purim story and thanks G-d for the “miracles, redemptions, mighty deeds, saving acts and wonders” that He wrought for our ancestors on this day many years ago.

In the morning service, there is a special Torah reading (Exodus 17:8–16) describing the battle Joshua waged against Amalek— Haman’s ancestral nation—almost one thousand years before the Purim events unfolded. If you did not hear this reading on the Shabbat before Purim, make sure to listen now.

Masquerade!

On Purim, children—and some adventurous adults too—traditionally dress in costumes, an allusion to G-d’s hand in the Purim miracle, which was disguised by natural events. Make sure your children masquerade as good, cheerful characters, such as Mordechai and Esther.

Dress up your kids before taking them to the synagogue for the Megillah reading. Many synagogues have a masquerade party, along with prizes for the children, during or after the Megillah reading.

Shushan Purim

In certain ancient walled cities—Jerusalem is the primary example—Purim is observed not on the 14th of Adar (the date of its observance everywhere else), but on the 15th of Adar. This is to commemorate that in the ancient walled city of Shushan, where the battles between the Jews and their enemies extended for an additional day, the original Purim celebration was held on the 15th of Adar.

The 15th of Adar is thus called “Shushan Purim,” and is a day of joy and celebration also in those places where it is not observed as the actual Purim.

Purim events across Southern Arizona

Sunday, March 24, 2024

11:30 AM - Carnival-themed Purim Party at Chabad of Sierra Vista, 597 E Fry Blvd.

12:30 PM - Purim in Israel at Chabad of Casa Grande. RSVP at ChabadCasaGrande.org/PurimIsrael

4:00 PM - Purim in the Shuk with Chabad Tucson at The Shul, 2443 E 4th St. RSVP at ChabadTucson.com/ PurimParty

4:00 PM - Purim at the Wild West at Chabad of Oro Valley. RSVP at JewishOroValley.com/purim

5:00 PM - Purim in the Wild West at Chabad on River, 3916 E Fort Lowell Rd.

Welcome to town:

Eric Garfinkle

By Benjamin Weiss

A little about yourself: I was born in Houston, Texas, and attended Texas A&M University for my undergrad. I completed my degree in computer engineering and worked in web development in Dallas. Wanting a change of pace, I accepted a job offer at Raytheon, where I specialize in embedded software design.

Moving to Tucson: I relocated in November 2023. The most significant difference from my hometown of Texas is waking up in the morning and being greeted by the breathtaking mountain ranges every day. It’s something that fills me with excitement about being here.

Currently reading/learning: I’ve always enjoyed studying the Talmud. Since recently getting engaged, I’ve been eager to delve into Tractate Kiddushin, which focuses on engagement and marriage. I hope to deepen my Jewish learning while in Tucson.

Favorite Mitzvah/holiday: Chanukah—I have fond memories of enjoying the food during that time of year, which are some of my best childhood memories.

Cherished Jewish memory: Studying in a Yeshiva in Jerusalem during the month of Elul. Immersing myself in learning during one of the holiest times of the year is an experience I will always treasure.

Jewish app on the phone: I use the Siddur when wrapping Tefillin and Duolingo for learning Hebrew, if that counts.

Go-to Yiddish or Hebrew word: Meshugenah (Yiddish for lunatic or crazy person) or balagan (Hebrew for a mess or chaos) are incredibly useful terms in the workplace.

Historical Jewish figure: As an engineer, I feel compelled to mention Albert Einstein—a proud Jewish figure who pushed the boundaries of science and thought.

October 7: I’ve come to realize how quickly people’s views on the Jewish people and Israel can change and how easily people respond to misinformation. Growing up, I believed that anti-Semitism was on the decline, but recent events have shown

otherwise. Some individuals now use antiZionism as a cover for antisemitic rhetoric. Witnessing this has strengthened my personal connection to Judaism and Israel in response to the hate.

Define Chabad: A Jewish home away from home that encourages you to grow in your Jewish learning and feel proud of who you are.

Define Tzedakah: Giving time and resources to those in need. It’s about using one’s resources, including time, to help others in the most meaningful way possible.

Define Happiness: Finding joy in the simple moments, whether relaxing with a book and my cat or spending quality time with loved ones.

Hobbies: I enjoy cooking and trying new recipes with my fiancée. Recently, I’ve also been spending time playing video games and hiking. I aim to explore as much of Tucson’s hiking trails as possible this year.

Comfort food: A properly cooked Texas

brisket. For an authentic experience, I recommend Izzy’s Smokehouse in Brooklyn.

Kvetch: While some complain about the drivers here, I’ve driven in worse places like Manhattan, Dallas, or Miami. However, some potholes here need fixing.

Kvell / nachas: Attending my brother’s wedding this past month was a joyous occasion. Seeing family and friends come together to support the newly married couple was heartwarming.

Your claim to fame: Winning a golf tournament at HP in Plano despite being terrible at golf. I proudly display the trophy of my 1st place finish on my desk, even though none of my shots contributed to the final score...

Something you’re looking forward to: Enjoying the warm weather in Tucson. Having grown up with heat in Houston, I’m curious to experience the drier heat here. Additionally, I’m excited about my upcoming wedding early next year.

Eric Garfinkle and his fiancée Anna Goldenberg

Beef hamantashen wontons

By Feigie Ceitlin

The hamantaschen cookie is a favorite for both adults and children on the holiday of Purim. The triangular pastry is traditionally filled with sweet fillings such as chocolate, poppy seeds, and jellies. In recent years, there have also been fillings of caramel and halva.

That’s why it almost sounds sacrilegious to suggest a savory version of the hamantaschen.

But if Lotus Biscoff cookie butter is an acceptable filling, why not venture completely out with this meat-filled hamantaschen? After all, we’re meant to eat meat during the Purim feast, according to Jewish law. So why not embrace two customs in one bite?

Ingredients:

- Round dumpling wrappers (also known as gyoza or potsticker wrappers)

- 1 pound ground beef

- 1 medium onion, diced

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 1 teaspoon garlic powder

- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. In a skillet, sauté the diced onion until

golden brown. Add the ground beef, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper to the skillet. Mash and cook until the beef is thoroughly cooked and there are no large chunks.

2. Remove the meat mixture from the pan and clean it. Add oil to the pan, about 1/2 inch deep, for frying the hamantaschen.

3. Place a tablespoon of the meat mixture onto a round wrapper. Bring up the sides of

the wrapper to form a triangle, resembling a hamantaschen. Ensure that the edges are sealed well.

4. Repeat the process until all of the meat mixture is used. Fry the hamantaschen in the skillet until they are golden brown.

* The blessing: Mezonot

Baruch atah A-donay, Elo-heinu Melech Ha’Olam borei minei mezonot.

Blessed are you L-rd our G-d, King of the Universe, Who creates various kinds of sustenance.

B’tayavon!

— Rebbetzin Feigie Ceitlin is the program director of Chabad Tucson and head of school of Lamplighter Chabad Day School.

Photo: OvertimeCook.com

Written in Heaven, Translated on Earth

By Mendel Kalmenson and Zalman Abraham

Mazal tov is the colloquial Jewish expression of congratulations, the traditional felicitation given at a wedding, bat mitzvah, or brit. It is also the standard response to hearing good news from or about another person. But what does this familiar Jewish expression really mean?

The word mazal is sometimes translated as “luck,” something that happens perchance. According to this interpretation, mazal tov would mean good fortune or good luck.

In fact, the real meaning of mazal tov is the very opposite of luck. The literal translation of the word mazal means a constellation of stars. Instead of luck, therefore, mazal implies a kind of fate or some form of predetermination, alluding to the idea that what happens on earth is initiated and orchestrated by higher, cosmic forces.

Indeed, according to the Jewish view, everything that happens on earth is first articulated in the heavens. As the Midrash teaches: “R. Simon said: ‘There isn’t a

single herb or spice that doesn’t have a constellation in the heavens that strikes it and tells it to grow.’”

There are a number of examples of Jewish astrological tradition throughout the Talmud. One fascinating passage describes various temperaments likely to be found among people born during various hours of the day. These personality traits and dispositions are specific to the qualities associated with the dominant planets at the time of their birth.

“One who was born under the sun will be a radiant person; he will eat from his own and drink from his own, and his secrets will be exposed. If he steals, he will not succeed.

“One who was born under Venus will be a rich and promiscuous person. Why? Because fire was born [during the hour of Venus].

“One who was born under Mercury will be an enlightened and expert person, because

Mercury is the sun’s scribe [it is closest to the sun].

“One who was born under the moon will be a person who suffers pains, who builds and destroys and destroys and builds. Who eats not from his own and drinks not from his own, and whose secrets are hidden. If he steals, he will succeed [like the moon, which constantly changes form, whose light is not its own, and which is at times exposed and at times hidden].

“One who was born under Saturn will be a person whose thoughts are for naught. And some say that everything that others scheme about him will be for naught.

“One who was born under Jupiter [tzedek] will be a righteous person [tzadkan]....

“One who was born under Mars will be one who spills blood. R. Ashi said: He will be either a bloodletter or a thief, a slaughterer of animals or a circumciser.”

Furthermore, the Talmud tells of numerous

Sages whose destinies were informed by Chaldean astrologers. For instance, R. Akiva was told by an astrologer that his daughter would pass away on her wedding day. R. Yosef declined the position of head of the Rabbinic Academy because astrologers informed him that he was destined to pass away two years after taking the position.

The Talmud clearly associates the concept of mazal not with random luck but with a kind of astrologically-based predetermination, as in “The blessings of health, children, and livelihood do not depend on merit; rather, they depend on fate (mazal).”

Indeed, the Jerusalem Talmud recounts a fascinating custom practiced by the Amalekites that highlights the power of mazal. “They would place soldiers at the frontline on their birthday in the belief that a soldier would not fall easily on his birthday.” From this, the Talmud derives that a person’s mazal is dominant on their birthday.

Interestingly, mazal is an etymological cognate of the word nozal, which means a downward flow.

This follows the Jewish belief that every person has a reservoir of spiritual energy in the higher realms that can either remain “above” in the ethereal realms as dormant potential, or descend “below” and translate into actual physical blessings in the form of children, health, wealth, or other blessings, depending on our actions and input.

For instance, Rosh Hashanah is the day of judgment when our annual allotment of good fortune for the coming year is determined. However, the Talmud explains that although our future was already decided on Rosh Hashanah, we continue to pray each day of the year to assure that our allotted fortune will reach us and manifest in a concrete and positive manner. If it was decreed, for example, that a certain amount of rain would fall throughout the year, the same volume of rain could fall all at once as a destructive deluge, or it could be spread over time in a manner of blessing—meaning, in the right increments to ensure that the crops will flourish.

Herein lies the Jewish twist on ancient astrology: Our “fate” may be decreed “above,” but our “destiny” is determined by our actions “below.” The concept of mazal is the active mediation between these two dimensions, the manner in which what is decreed in the heavens is brought down and materialized on earth in the form of blessing or its opposite.

The idea that blessing is not a function of luck but of actualizing one’s heavenly

destiny is alluded to in many Jewish sources.

For instance, Chasidut states that the Hebrew word for blessing, brachah, is etymologically associated with the word hamavrich, to lower down, as in, “if one has lowered a vine down into the ground.”

Other Jewish sources understand the word brachah to be a derivative of the word breichah, a reservoir or pool, referring to the above-mentioned spiritual reservoir of potential blessing that exists in the upper realms and can be channeled into this world through our positive actions.

The expression mazal tov, therefore, is not an acknowledgment of one’s good luck; rather, it expresses our wish that what is stored up in heaven should manifest on earth in a manner of revealed goodness.

It is important to note that some Jewish sages reject the notion that Judaism subscribes to any form of astrology whatsoever. In the aforementioned Talmudic passage that discusses the temperaments determined by the planets under which one was born, R. Yochanan concludes that, ultimately, “the Jewish people are not governed by mazal.”

Maimonides seems to understand R. Yochanan’s words to mean not only that “Jews are not governed (and their fate is not predetermined) by astrology” but that “there is no place at all for astrology in the Jewish faith.”

Unlike Maimonides, however, the predominant stance among Talmudic commentators is that Judaism does accept the governance of astrology to a certain degree, with the caveat that while mazal does have an influence, we are not powerlessly bound by that influence

and can, in fact, change the outcome or expression of that influence through prayer and by overcoming our inclinations. If one transforms themselves in some substantial way, they can transform their predetermined fate and manifest their higher destiny.

Based on this perspective, the accepted view is that, while there are natural and cosmic forces at play in our lives, we always retain the freedom and ability to choose our own paths and influence our own outcomes. Reflecting this idea, the Talmud relates a conversation between Abraham and G-d, in which Abraham tells G-d, “I looked into my astrological destiny, and I am not fit to have a son.” To which G-d replies, “Emerge from your astrology, for Israel is not governed by mazal.” Appropriately, G‑d then tests and refines Abraham’s faith and character until he is given a new name by G-d, indicating that he has sufficiently transformed himself enough to change his destiny, at which point he does indeed have children.

Similarly, the Talmud tells us that R.

Akiva’s daughter, mentioned above, did not end up dying on her wedding day, because, while everyone else was preoccupied with the wedding feast, she took notice of a poor person in need and gave up her own portion of food to feed him.

Based on the above, one’s mazal is not something to be passively received but proactively achieved.

When we wish each other mazal tov, therefore, it is not an expression of surrendering to random luck or faceless forces beyond our control. Instead, it is a wish that our story, as written in the stars, translates on earth in ways that are positive, just, and life-enhancing.

The Big Idea: According to the Jewish take on astrology, one’s mazal is not simply a matter of chance but a matter of choice.

—An excerpt from People of the Word, by Mendel Kalmenson and Zalman Abraham, exploring 50 key Hebrew words that have been mistranslated and misunderstood for centuries.

The wine bottle waited 14 years

Eduard and Alina Ashurov married on a sultry June evening in 2008 in Brooklyn, NY. That night, Eduard set aside a bottle of wine, telling his bride they would use it to celebrate the bar mitzvah of their firstborn son.

Soon enough, they were blessed with a son whom they named Steven. He was followed shortly by a second son, whom they named Zachary.

Born in Nalchik, a city in Russia that was once home to a large community of Mountain Jews, Eduard had a more robust Jewish background than Alina, who hailed from Vinnytsia, Ukraine. Raising their children in the Los Angeles area, the couple was excited to be able to give their sons a Jewish education.

But then, Eduard passed away in 2011 from a sudden heart attack, and Alina’s

world came crashing down.

Left with a toddler and a newborn, she moved to Chino Hills, California, to be closer to her mother, Rimma.

“Eduard always dreamed of our sons’ bar mitzvahs,” Alina said. “I still have the bottle he set aside tucked in my closet. But when Eduard died, it just didn’t seem possible. I had no idea how to prepare Steven for a bar mitzvah by myself, so I gave up on that dream.”

One breezy winter day in 2021, when Zachary was 10 and Steven was 12, Rimma took the boys to the park.

That same afternoon, Rabbi Mendy Harlig, who had moved to town three years prior with his wife, Esther, to found a Chabad center, took his young boys to the park as well.

As soon as they arrived, his toddler made a beeline for the swings, where he bumped head-first into the two older boys. The kids recovered quickly, as kids tend to do, but Mendy apologized to Rimma. They began chatting.

On a whim, he asked if she was Jewish. She was!

It was right before the Jewish holiday of Purim, so Mendy dashed to his car, where he had several mishloach manot gift packages. After handing the packages to Rimma and the children, they exchanged numbers and waved goodbye.

Following their “chance” encounter, Mendy and Esther invited Zachary and Steven to join the Jewish Kids’ Club—a monthly program that allows children to explore their Jewish heritage through interactive

workshops and activities. For the first time in their lives, the boys discovered that Judaism could be fun and even started learning to read Hebrew.

While chatting with Alina one day, Mendy asked if she was planning a bar mitzvah for Steven, who was about to turn 13. Alina’s eyes welled up with tears and she told him about the wine bottle her late husband had set aside so many years before.

The Harligs promised Alina that they would help her fulfill Eduard’s dream.

With a few months to go until Steven’s Hebrew birthday, they worked together to pull everything together in time.

On May 1, friends and family of the Ashurovs—including some from New York—gathered in the backyard of the Harligs’ Chabad House. Rimma and Alina watched with pride as Steven donned tefillin and chanted Kaddish in memory of his father.

The event culminated when Zachary and Steven stood in front of the Torah scroll and accepted Jewish names upon themselves: Shmuel and Zacharya.

Towards the end of the party, one of Eduard’s relatives shared with Mendy that Eduard was buried in Old Montefiore Cemetery in New York, mere yards away from the resting place of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory.

“It all became clear at that moment,” says Mendy. “The ‘reason’ my son bumped into Zachary and Steven at the park was so that we could help fulfill Eduard’s wish for his sons to have a bar mitzvah. And the reason we are in Chino Hills in the first place is because of the Rebbe, whose care for every individual inspired us to serve this community.”

Henrietta Szold

First president of the Hadassah women’s organization

By Seymour Brody

Henrietta Szold is one of the most outstanding Jewish women in American history. Her determination and tenacity to uplift the status of Jews in America and abroad made her a role model for all Jewish women.

She was born in 1860, one of eight daughters of Rabbi Benjamin and Sophia Schaar Szold. A year later, the family moved to Baltimore from Europe. At 16, she graduated from Western Female High School in Baltimore. Her father continued her education by instructing her in Bible studies, philosophy, history, and languages (Hebrew, French, and German).

Her mother developed in Henrietta a strong sense of domesticity, duty, and order. Encouraged by her mother, she became a teacher at the Miss Adams School in Baltimore, where she taught for 15 years. She also taught children and adults at her father’s congregational school.

Szold became interested in writing for Jewish publications, and, at the age of 19, she became the Baltimore correspondent for the Jewish Messenger, a weekly published in New York. In 1888, she became involved in educating newly arrived immigrants, teaching them to read, write, and speak English.

When her father died in 1902, Szold and her family moved to New York City. That same year, she became the editor of the Jewish Publications Society of America, a post she retained for 23 years. She was also the editor of the American Jewish Year Book from 1904 to 1908.

Interested in Zionism, Szold became involved in the Hadassah Study Circle in 1907. She traveled to the Holy Land and

was incredibly impressed with its beauty. In 1912, she and 38 other Jewish women formed the Hadassah Chapter of the Daughters of Zion. The name was later changed to Hadassah, and she was elected its first president.

She actively raised funds for Hadassah and the American Zionist Medical Unit. In 1919, she became the representative of the American Zionist Organization. The following year, she moved to Palestine, where she was made the director of the Nurses Training School and also directed the health programs in the Jewish schools. The Nurses Training School was about to go bankrupt when Nathan Straus and Hadassah came to its rescue with badly needed funds.

Szold returned to the United States in 1923 and once again became the president of Hadassah. In 1926, she resigned and was named an honorary president. She returned to Palestine the following year as a member of a three-member executive committee of the World Zionist Organization. Szold was responsible for health and education.

She returned to the United States in 1933 and immediately embarked on a program to rescue Jewish children from Hitler, making several trips to Germany. Her efforts resulted in 30,000 Jewish children being saved from the Nazi death camps.

Henrietta Szold was 84 when she died at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, where she is buried on the Mount of Olives.

- Originally published in Jewish Heroes & Heroines of America: 150 True Stories of American Jewish Heroism (Frederick Fell Publishers, Inc.)

Illustration by Art Seiden

Socially acceptable outerwear

By Mordechai Schmutter

Purim costumes are a lot of fun. We should wear them all the time, right?

Wait, why DON’T we wear them all the time?

Well, I guess we’d get lots of sideways glances, especially at the DMV. And airports. And anywhere we have to show I.D.

There are also other reasons:

1. They fall apart over the day

For example, one year, my daughter dressed up as a banana (complete with a hat that represented the top of the banana, the point of which kept flopping over so it looked like a combination banana hat/sleep hat with a pom-pom). But the hat kept falling off, so by the end of the day she was just the bottom half of a banana, which was turning brown.

My oldest son was a clown, and he ended the day with face paint all over his clothes, including his comically oversized tie, which we then had to wash, and we shrunk it. So now it’s just a regular tie, except that it’s orange. Another son was dressed as a video-game character and had a mustache made of black magic marker (80% of the mustaches you see on a regular basis are really just black magic marker), but he spent the whole day picking at his nose, and by the time we got to my parents’ house for the party, he had a beard.

Meanwhile, both he and my third son had costumes that were one-piece flimsy jumpsuits with a zipper in the back that they couldn’t get out of for pit stops. And they were drinking all day because every one of their friends put a can of soda in their mishloach manos.

2. Many costumes are inaccurate

People love dressing up like historical figures such as the Persian Jewish leader Mordechai, which sounds like a good idea until they realize that they have no idea what he actually looked like. Sure, the coloring books feel that he had a long white beard. But how do we communicate with people that we’re dressed as Mordechai and not the Lubavitcher Rebbe, for example?

That was a huge question that I had growing up.

But nowadays, according to an ad I saw, you can actually buy a bright red

Mordechai costume and also a King David costume, and the two are totally identical except that their names are written on their respective capes. (Also, there are capes.) They did that on purpose so no one would mix them up, even though they lived hundreds of years apart. Even though, if there’s one thing we know about Mordechai’s costume, it’s that Haman’s daughter couldn’t tell it was him, which would be really strange if it said “Mordechai” on his costume in huge letters.

There’s also a costume of our matriarch Rachel, which of course says “Rochel Imeinu” (Rachel our mother) on it, even

though she didn’t actually have a second child until the day she passed away. And to rub that in, it has a picture of Rachel’s Tomb near Bethlehem. I can’t say that I know what Rachel wore in her day-to-day life, but I’m about 90% sure it wasn’t a shirt with a picture of the place she was going to be buried someday.

3. Many costumes are offensive

Nowadays, you can’t wear anything that is racially offensive. Even if you don’t mean to offend.

“Look! I’m a Chinese person!”

You think Chinese people wear robes all the time? How do those not get caught on their bicycles?

Or sometimes people put on a huge hat and a poncho and say that they’re Mexican. I’ve seen many Mexicans in my life and not one of them has shown up in a poncho.

So the new rule is that you can’t wear offensive ethnic costumes. You can offend a specific person, like President Trump or Obama, for instance. But you can’t dress up as an Arab terrorist; you have to dress up as a specific Arab terrorist. You have to do research.

“I’m not just an Arab. I’m Ayatollah Jones from 613 Dirt Street, Saudi Arabia. You know him? Then don’t get offended. This is how he dresses. Sometimes.”

But if you think about it, we all wear costumes every day. Some day in the future, some kid will run around on Purim wearing exactly what you’re wearing today and go, “Look! I’m an accountant from the olden days!”

And then someone will get offended.

Photo: Levi Meir Clancy/Unsplash

Take the Purim Food Quiz

By Menachem Posner

1. How many sides does a hamantashen have?

A. 2

B. 3

C. 4

D. 5

2. What is traditionally drunk on Purim?

A. Tequila

B. Wine

C. Beer

D. Vodka

3. When is the Purim meal eaten?

A. Purim day, often in late afternoon

B. Purim eve, right after the fast ends

C. At midnight, exactly when “the king could not sleep”

D. The time does not matter

4. What are kreplach?

A. Sweet dough cooked in honey

B. Onion crunch to put on Purim challah

C. Meat dumplings wrapped in dough

D. Fluted cups filled with wine

5. True or false: It is customary to eat seeds and beans on Purim

A. True: Since Esther ate them at the palace

B. False: They are not respectable “holiday foods”

6. True or false: It is customary to eat sushi on Purim

A. True: Since fish is the mazal (zodiac) of Adar

B. False: Sushi was unknown to Jews until recently

7. What are mishloach manot?

A. Food gifts sent to friends on Purim

B. Purim delicacies served by Yemenite Jews

C. Leftover filling from hamantaschen

D. Hebrew for “clowns and confetti”

8. Why do people eat poppy seeds on Purim?

A. Because they have chemical properties that can make you joyous

B. Because their Yiddish name, mohn, is similar to Haman

C. Because they are black, reminding us of Esther’s hair

D. Because they grew in abundance in ancient Persia

9. What must the Purim feast contain?

A. Lamb, to remind us how Mordechai learned Torah with kids

B. Milk, because Haman “suckled hate from his mother”

C. Bread, to make it into a meal

D. Food prepared the day before, the Fast of Esther

10. What does the shape of the hamantash symbolize?

A. Haman’s pointy ears

B. Haman’s triangular hat

C. Both

D. Neither

Do a Number

Do a Number

Each of these numbers appears in the Megillah. Circle them as you hear them. For extra points, jot down the correct chapter and verse for each!

Each of these numbers appears in the Megillah. Circle them as you hear them. For extra points, jot down the correct chapter and verse for each!