Shabbat Shalom ~ Tetzaveh 2026

I don’t know about you, but every year when I hear the Scroll of Esther read on Purim, I find myself in the mood for a glass of wine. I’m not much of a drinker, and I don’t know much about wine beyond whether I enjoy what’s in the glass in front of me. So this is more or less my once-a-year hankering for a sip of the fermented grape.

I suspect the Scroll itself plants the idea. The word yayin (יין), “wine,” appears six times, and mishteh (משתה), “banquet” or “drinking party,” no fewer than nineteen. From the opening scene—King Achashverosh’s 180-day extravaganza—to the conclusion, when Mordecai establishes Purim as “days of feasting and gladness,” celebratory eating and drinking are woven throughout the meandering plot of the Megillah.

I hope you’ll join us for our enhanced celebration following the reading of the megillah this coming Monday night. We’re attempting, however modestly, to rival the opulence of King Achashverosh’s banquet (or at least come closer than we ever have!) with hamburgers, hot dogs, pareve sorbet, a chocolate fountain, plenty of hamantaschen, and yes, a drink, if that’s your thing.

It’s worth noting that one detail of the king’s feast in Esther 1:8 is that “the drinking was proper, with no coercion; for the king had instructed all his palace officials to satisfy each individual’s desire.” So please take this as a warm invitation, with no obligation—whether to drink or to do anything beyond showing up and celebrating together.

You can read more about our full slate of Purim festivities here, and I hope to see you at some (or all!) of it.

Unfortunately, I must also bring to your attention a far less festive development. A bill now advancing in Israel’s Knesset would fundamentally alter long-standing arrangements at the Kotel (the Western Wall in Jerusalem), denying access at this holy site to Jews who wish to pray in an egalitarian manner by criminalizing religious services that do not conform to the practices of the Orthodox Chief Rabbinate.

Many of you may have visited, prayed, or even celebrated b’nei mitzvah at the “Ezrat Yisrael” section of the Kotel—a quieter area administered by the Israeli Masorti Movement, created so that Jews can pray according to their own customs beyond the authority of the Kotel Rabbinate. This proposed legislation threatens to undo that arrangement and sends a painful message to liberal Jews around the world that who we are and how we practice are not welcome at this sacred site.

For those of us who cherish both Israel and the pluralistic Jewish people it represents, this is a serious affront to our values and to our vision for our homeland. More information can be found here.

I encourage you to consider signing this petition. If you follow the link, you will see a photo of the recent arrest of Tammi Gottlieb, a senior leader of the Masorti Movement, for the insubordinate act of reading Torah while female at the Kotel. Ms. Gottlieb visited us at WJC a few years ago, and we experienced firsthand her sincerity and passion on behalf of liberal Judaism in Israel and within the Zionist movement.

You may also wish to express your concern directly by writing to the Consul General of Israel in New York at cg@newyork.mfa.gov.il

Meanwhile, it’s a busy Shabbat here at WJC. This evening: traditional services at 5:00, a community dinner at 6:00, Rhythm and Ruach at 7:00, and our annual The Moth–inspired night of storytelling at 8:00. On Shabbat morning we gather beginning at 9:15, followed by Kiddush lunch and the final Shabbat Is Awesome! of the season—so stay afterward to socialize, play mah-jongg or bridge, read, or enjoy Shabbat-friendly crafts for children.

 

Shabbat Shalom,

Cantor Goldberg