Purims of my Childhood

Purims of my Childhood

5 years ago, my 4 oldest daughters attended the same school. That meant I had one weekly school newsletter to read. One set of vacation dates to jot down on my calendar. One single (albeit insane) night of parent-teacher conferences to attend.

But the easy life is officially over. Today I have 8 children in 8 different schools/gans/national service jobs. Up until this month I have somewhat managed this overwhelming reality. That is, until this event-filled week before Purim, when I’ve had to keep track of each child’s Purim festival, Purim dress-up day, Taanit Esther early ending time. My 19-year-old National-Service girl is even performing in her own Purim play for her students which I will be attending near Tel Aviv. Each day of this week on my calendar is filled with so many details about so many children that it’s like the Tosefot in a pocket-sized Gemara.

And that means that this week my life is all about Purim Purim Purim.

This morning, choosing out some 3 shekel face-paints for the kids’ costumes, I was flooded with deja vu. Of myself as a child, celebrating Purim. And I felt a gush of joy, my heart gushing with those sweet memories…Of the costumes. The caaaandy. The excitement of getting dressed up in my costume and wearing it to school….

Waaaiit a minute….That wasn’t Purim! It was Halloween!!!

A bit like Purim on the outside, but completely void of any holiness or meaning whatsoever.

And I thought, yet again, of my 6-year-old Tsofia’s Purim costume.

Tsofia is going to be the Shabbat Queen this year. And even just writing about it now, I am getting teary-eyed. Thinking of my Halloween costumes as a kid– dressed up as Zeus or a bum or a ladybug–and I have a daughter who, out of all the costumes at the store, chose to be the Shabbat Queen.

This former gung-ho Halloween celebrator merited to give birth and raise a daughter who knows who the Shabbat Queen is. And eagerly awaits her arrival Friday at sundown.

And that, I think, is my own personal Purim Miracle. Every year.

9 comments

  1. purim samaech!

  2. Beautiful!

  3. Continued Nachat! I’m so happy for you that your life is this way now! Such a beautiful article! Happy Purim!

  4. YES, thank G-d, miracles!

  5. Beautiful! Chana Jenny!

  6. That was so beautiful. Ashrenu, ma tov chelkenu, umah naim goralenu, umah yafa yerushatenu! (We are happy, how goodly is our lot, and how pleasant is our fortune and how beautiful our heritage!)

  7. Your daughter is making good choices because you made good choices! May you continue to have nachas from all…

  8. I always tell my kids that the non-Jews have a holiday where they dress up and go around asking for candy, and we have a holiday where we dress up and go around giving candy. They feel very proud to be Jews.

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