Post-Purim post, Shushan Purim, 5772/2012

For "observance information," see Purim and its Mitzot [commandments]. Sigh. Why is there such a song and dance about having meat for a holiday meal? Is it asur/forbidden to be vegetarian? Give me a break. We had dairy for our Seudat Purm, and enjoyed our festive meal quite nicely, thank you.

Purim eve:

• The Punster, being the "acting rabbi" (for lack of a better description) of our local synagogue, stayed local. He told me that our local shul got about 15 people for the Megillah (Book of Esther) reading.
• Since there's no issur/prohibition against traveling on Purim, I took the opportunity, not to mention the subway, to go to my favorite egalitarian Conservative synagogue in Manhattan. I estimate that that minyan got at least twice as many people as our "home" one. And there were kids there! And both kids and adults wore costumes! And someone was walking around with a bag full of mishloach manot packages, giving them out. Yep, I plan to go there again next Erev Purim.
  
• Neither minyan remembered to collect machitzit ha-shekel, but at least both minyanim did a full Maariv/Evening Service (which I was concerned might not be the case--I was prepared to daven Maariv on the subway ride home).
  
• The "home" minyan got an indoor picnic of hot dogs, knishes, cole slaw, etc., plus hamantashen, after the reading. The minyan at which I heard the kriat haMegillah/Megillah reading served a pot-luck potpourri of whatever people felt like bringing (all cold food), plus hamantashen.
  
• I wasn't home to take the big bag of mishloach manot packages to our local shul, and my husband forgot, so this is the first time in probably over 15 years that we didn't give out any mishloach manot after the evening Megillah reading. That may be just as well. It does mean, though, that we have less than a month to nosh our way through over 20 packages of mishloach manot. And I weighted myself this morning. Don't ask. On the other hand, if that's our worst problem, I can't complain. :)

Purim morning:

• I didn't have the koach/strength to get up at 4:15 AM to commute half an hour to my "kaddish minyan's" 6:15 AM Shacharit/Morning Service with Megillah reading. So I walked to our local shul's 6:30 Shacharit, instead. We got exactly a mezuman (three people)--the cantor, my husband, and I were the only ones there. As usual, we took turns leining/reading, with my husband and me each chanting one chapter and the chazzan chanting the rest. You can't make much noise with three groggers. Oh, well. At least the shul provided us with goodies after the service, so we got to "nosh some hamantashen" on the house.

Purim afternoon

• We invited some friends to our apartment for a Seudat Purim (Purim Feast). Fortunately for all, one of them volunteered to "cater" the Seudah--she enjoys cooking, and is much better at it than either my husband or I. So we pigged out nicely, and talked for hours. It was fun, which, in my opinion, is what Purim is for.