One of the most fun activities for Purim is putting together gifts of food or 'mishloach manot' for friends. The legal requirement for a 'mishloach manot' is that there will be at least two types of food that are ready to be consumed immediately. This is to ensure that everyone in the community may celebrate Purim with a feast. This mitzvah is even bigger if the recipient is an orphan, widow, or financially disadvantaged.

When the Jewish holidays arrive, I sometimes reminisce about my grandmother Devorah, who I loved dearly. My children never met her. This Purim, I decided to bake her poppy seed hamantashen. This is my way of sharing with my kids what it was like to be with her.

There is a rabbinic saying (Meg. 7b) that on Purim we should become intoxicated to the point of “ad lo yada” or not being able to differentiate between “Blessed be Mordecai” and “Cursed be Haman.”  What should we become intoxicated with?  In the spirit of Purim, it seems very appropriate to indulge in exotic Persian cocktails.

Megillat Esther or The Book of Esther is part of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible).  The original manuscript was written by Esther’s uncle Mordecai.  It was added to the Tanakh by the Great Assembly in the third or fourth century BCE.

One of the most fun Purim desserts is Bastani, or saffron ice cream. You start with a basic vanilla ice cream and mix in some Persian flavorings to your taste. I call it Queen Esther’s Ice Cream.

There is a special type of bush that grows throughout the area that comprised Ancient Persia. It has elongated green leaves and fragrant, pinkish white flowers. This plant is called a henna bush.

After dinner, have fun retelling the Purim story by putting on a Purim play, known in Yiddish as a Purim Shpiel.