Happy Purim

Steve had the best story the other day!! But I have attached a tale also!!

                                    Brightest Blessings to All
                                            Trisha and Amber


 Guess what! You have just received an animated greeting card from Trisha
and Amber
 You'll see the personal greeting by using the following Web location.

 http://www1.bluemountain.com/cards/box5654c/the4metfsyvpvg.htm

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Introduction

Purim celebrates the salvation of the Jewish people, in the year 3405 from
Creation (356 bce), from Haman's plot "to destroy, kill and annihilate all
the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day."

Haman was prime minister to the Persian emperor Achashverosh. Enraged that
Mordechai the Jew "would not bow or prostate himself before him," Haman
argued before Achashverosh that "one people, scattered and divided in all
provinces of your realm, whose laws are different from those of all peoples"
ought not be allowed to exist. Endorsed by an emperor whose dominion
extended from India to Ethiopia, Haman's decree boded the physical
destruction of every Jew alive on the face of the earth at that time.

Mordechai rallied the Jews to repentance, and gathered 22,000 Jewish
children with whom he prayed and studied Torah to awaken G-d's mercy. He
also sent word to his cousin, Esther, who had been chosen by Achashverosh as
his queen several years earlier, to appeal to the king. At great risk to her
own life, Queen Esther engineered Haman's downfall at a private wine-party
to which she invited the king and the minister. She prevailed upon
Achashverosh to hang Haman and to issue a second decree, empowering the Jews
to defend themselves against those who sought to destroy them.

On the 13th of Adar--the day selected by Haman's pur (lottery)--numerous
battles were fought throughout the empire between the Jews and those who
attempted to carry out Haman's decree (which was never actually revoked).
The following day, Adar 14, became a day of feasting and rejoicing in
celebration of the Jews' victory over their enemies. In the ancient walled
capital, Shushan, where the battle went on for two days, the victory
celebration was held on Adar 15.

Mordechai and Esther instituted that these two days should be observed for
posterity as the festival of Purim, Adar 15 in walled cities, and Adar 14 in
unwalled towns by public readings of the story of the miracle as recorded in
the "Scroll of Esther," sending food portions to friends, giving gifts of
money to the poor, and enjoying a festive meal accompanied with inebriating
drink (recalling the fateful wine-party at which Esther turned Achashverosh
against Haman).

A time-honored Purim custom is for children to dress up and disguise
themselves--an allusion to the fact that the miracle of Purim was disguised
in seemingly natural events. This is also the significance behind a
traditional Purim food, the hamantash--a pastry whose filling is hidden
within a three-cornered crust. The day before Purim is "The Fast of Esther,"
in commemoration of the fasts of Esther and her people as they prayed for
G-d's salvation from Haman's decree.

Introduction

Purim celebrates the salvation of the Jewish people, in the year 3405 from
Creation (356 bce), from Haman's plot "to destroy, kill and annihilate all
the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day."

Haman was prime minister to the Persian emperor Achashverosh. Enraged that
Mordechai the Jew "would not bow or prostate himself before him," Haman
argued before Achashverosh that "one people, scattered and divided in all
provinces of your realm, whose laws are different from those of all peoples"
ought not be allowed to exist. Endorsed by an emperor whose dominion
extended from India to Ethiopia, Haman's decree boded the physical
destruction of every Jew alive on the face of the earth at that time.

Mordechai rallied the Jews to repentance, and gathered 22,000 Jewish
children with whom he prayed and studied Torah to awaken G-d's mercy. He
also sent word to his cousin, Esther, who had been chosen by Achashverosh as
his queen several years earlier, to appeal to the king. At great risk to her
own life, Queen Esther engineered Haman's downfall at a private wine-party
to which she invited the king and the minister. She prevailed upon
Achashverosh to hang Haman and to issue a second decree, empowering the Jews
to defend themselves against those who sought to destroy them.

On the 13th of Adar--the day selected by Haman's pur (lottery)--numerous
battles were fought throughout the empire between the Jews and those who
attempted to carry out Haman's decree (which was never actually revoked).
The following day, Adar 14, became a day of feasting and rejoicing in
celebration of the Jews' victory over their enemies. In the ancient walled
capital, Shushan, where the battle went on for two days, the victory
celebration was held on Adar 15.

Mordechai and Esther instituted that these two days should be observed for
posterity as the festival of Purim, Adar 15 in walled cities, and Adar 14 in
unwalled towns by public readings of the story of the miracle as recorded in
the "Scroll of Esther," sending food portions to friends, giving gifts of
money to the poor, and enjoying a festive meal accompanied with inebriating
drink (recalling the fateful wine-party at which Esther turned Achashverosh
against Haman).

A time-honored Purim custom is for children to dress up and disguise
themselves--an allusion to the fact that the miracle of Purim was disguised
in seemingly natural events. This is also the significance behind a
traditional Purim food, the hamantash--a pastry whose filling is hidden
within a three-cornered crust. The day before Purim is "The Fast of Esther,"
in commemoration of the fasts of Esther and her people as they prayed for
G-d's salvation from Haman's decree.


Here is site for more stories!!
http://www.virtualpurim.com/default.asp

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