While many are familiar with the argument between Rav and Shmuel as to whether Achasverosh’s orchestration of the party showed wisdom or foolishness (Megillah 12a), it seems that the Persian king was ...

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As an Israeli, my understanding of the charged political environment in America is quite limited, especially relative to that of the olim from the United States with whom our country has been blessed.

Since the fall of the Pahlavi shahs in Iran in 1979, Jews both there, Israel, and elsewhere have once again become endangered species…this time with would-be atomic mullahs threatening them ...

Following the victories of the Jews over their enemies, Mordechai and Esther instructed their fellow Jews to observe the days of Purim as a holiday. "Now, Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, and ...

Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its ...

Getty Images// Children in the Philippines protest against sex trafficking In the Purim story, Vashti’s expulsion, we know, is the result of her refusal to present herself before King Achashverosh.

It all started with a party. Achashverosh, the king of Persia in the mid-300s B.C., got drunk and ordered his wife Vashti, renowned for her beauty and a direct descendant of Nebuchadnezzar, to show up ...

One queen is summoned by the king and refuses to come. The next queen competes in a beauty pageant and saves her people. Vashti and Esther are two of the rare female protagonists in Tanakh. The two ...

Purim, which falls this year on Feb. 26, ranks among Judaism’s most joyous holidays. In synagogues, Jews read the Scroll of Esther, a book in the Hebrew Bible that explains how Purim came to be.

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If spoof dj Dr. Demento hosted a Purim show, he’d have to spotlight the Jewish band Shlock Rock. Shlock ‘n’ roll includes clever parodies of pop hits like "I Don’t Get No Humentashen (based on the ...