There are many connections between vegetarianism and the Jewish festival of Purim:
1. According to the Talmud, Queen Esther, the heroine of the Purim story, was a vegetarian while she lived in the palace of King Achashverus. She was thus able to avoid violating the kosher dietary laws while keeping her Jewish identity secret.
2. During Purim it is a mitzvah to give "mat'not evyonim" (added charity to poor and hungry people). In contrast to these acts of sharing and compassion, animal-based diets involve the feeding of over 70 percent of the grain in the United States ...
On behalf of the Board of Directors of Canfei Nesharim, I'm writing to share with you the news of an important transition for our organization which will take place over the next several months.
Over the last eleven years, Canfei Nesharim's network of leaders and participants has grown to include thousands of Jews who read our materials, share them with their communities, and act together to protect Hashem's natural resources. We've created comprehensive learning materials expressing traditional Jewish views on the environment, and reached tens ...
