This Comes from the National Jewish Democratic Council:

It has just been reported that Rush Limbaugh wants to become a Member of the Tribe. Limbaugh announced last night that he would convert to Judaism.

In the spirit of tikkun olam, Limbaugh also proclaimed that he wanted nothing more than to see President Barack Obama succeed as the 44th President of the United States. “President Obama is the only man I know who has the ability to truly repair the world,” Limbaugh said.

"In a post-partisan gesture of good will, we welcome Mr. Limbaugh into the Jewish community," said Ira N. Forman, Executive Director of the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC). "We applaud his support for our President and commend him for suspending his radio show on Shabbat."

JTA is reporting that Jewish Democrats are already forming lines in the street in anticipation of being able to participate in Limbaugh’s full entry into the covenant of Abraham.

HAPPY PURIM!

Happy Purim! And of course a story like this, told on Purim, is the same as an April Fool's joke.

Purim is the most lighthearted of holidays, with costumes, gift giving, sweets, getting drunk, the works. Interestingly, despite being the most lighthearted, it is also taken the most seriously by even the most religious of Jews. Like almost all Jewish holidays it has the basic theme of "They tried to kill us, we survived, now lets eat!"

The story of Purim is that Hamen (BOO! HISS!), an evil Vizir to King Xerxes (Ahasuerus) of Persia, advised the king to kill all the Jews in revenge for one Jew, named Mordechai (who had previously saved the king's life but was never rewarded), refusing to bow down to Hamen. This kind of racial punishment for one person's actions was sadly common later in Jewish history (e.g. the pogroms and Kristalnacht are examples). But the king's wife, who is secretly Jewish, intervenes and saves the Jews. And there was much rejoicing.

The story, in my opinion, is the least authentic of all Jewish holiday stories. The history of Persia was always one of religious toleration and there is no record whatsoever of any persecution or hatred of Jews. In fact Jews were treated quite well under the Persians. However, the exact kind of dynamics described in this story was a common progression of events, usually without the happy ending, through much of later Jewish history. Jews close to the ruling power...jealousy towards Jews by rival, non-Jewish factions...persecution.

And yet Jews survive despite repeated examples of this in their history. THAT is, in my opinion, why the holiday is such a happy one and why it is taken so seriously that even the most venerable of Rabbis may be seen dressed in a costume, getting drunk and celebrating. The Purim story (unlike, say Chanukkah and maybe even Passover) is a myth, but the joy and celebration of survival is very real.

The four mitzvot (good deeds/obligations) you are suppoed to do on Purim are:

1. Listening to the public reading of the Book of Esther that tells the Purim story (hmmm...I admit it...I've never done this)

2. Giving gifts of food

3. Giving charity to the poor

4. Eating a festive meal (We survived, now let's eat!)

Tonight my son and I ran into some Chabad Jews (Lubavitchers). In the spirit of Purim they gave us great gifts including the biggest Hamentashen (a wonderful Purim treat made with a sort of pie crust with sweet filling) I have ever seen. And in the spirit of Purim I agreed to doing the tefillin, a religious ceremony I have seldom done. And in the spirit of Purim the Luvavitchers gave me some booze to drink (others were given wine, but the Lubavitchers liked me and Jacob enough they gave me the hard stuff they were drinking!).

Chabad reaches out to all Jews. I do not agree with all they believe in, but I appreciate their preservation of tradition and their sharing of Jewish tradition with all Jews, religious or not, who want to share in it. For them it is a mitvot to share these traditions. For me it helps me, secular Jew that I am, share our traditions with Jacob.

Jacob said it better himself as he drank grape juice and ate chocolate the Lubavitcher gave us: "Thank you Lubavitchers!"