​

Now that Tu Bishvat is officially behind us, the next holiday in the calendar is Purim!

This is a topsy-turvy holiday, full of farce, Game of Thrones-esque palace intrigue, and giving cute gifts to friends. There's really no holiday quite like it. I've been starting to explain it as: April Fool’s Day meets Halloween meets a community potluck.

I've been digging into this holiday with fresh eyes, as part of a class I'm teaching. Through that process, I've realized that some of the ways we've been celebrating might be causing us more harm than good.

I'm talking about the connection between Purim and drinking.

In this piece, Purim Has a Drinking Problem, I unpack this idea, explain how we got here, and how we might realign our celebrations.

More than anything else, it is an invitation to us all, individuals and organizations alike, to revisit and rethink the ways we center joy in this holiday. What if we didn't rely on alcohol as a primary form of spiritual expression?

For those who want to check out the video essay version, you can do that here.

​

Thankfully, we have a whole month until Purim, and there's plenty of time to prepare. We can get ready with wonderful gifts, tzedakah, a great meal, and hearing the Megillah.

We can also ask ourselves the important questions: What brings us joy? How can we fold that into this holiday in new ways? How might we do that to strengthen our communal bonds?

Thank you for supporting the newsletter!
One of the best things you can do to support is forward it to a friend!

Check out my book, A Better World is Possible!