Have you heard about? vslrgg An CIV1344 TN THE ?LAZA Adult Day Program for seniors who need a structured environment Maybe you should.. NEW '97 AURORA 1991. U) LLJ U) LLJ CC LLJ uJ 32 • Based on closed end lease w/approved credit. 48 mo. w/12,000 mi. per yr. w/15t per mile over. Lessee responsible for excess wear and tear. 1st mo. pymt., $400 acq. fee, 5800 cap. cost reduction. ref. sec. dep. (pymt. rounded to next $25 increment). Lic. & title fees due at inception, plus 6% tax. To get total amount, multiply pymt. + tax x term. Lessee has option but is not obligated to purchase at price determined at inception. GLASSMAN qt, Al_J2C) by Oldsmobile. On Telegraph at the Tel-12 Mall, Southfield 1-800-354-5558 1-810-354-3300 Purim: A Love Story TED ROBERTS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS I didn't get very far the first time I told my granddaughter the story of Purim. She was 9 — the perfect age. What 9-year- old wouldn't be fascinated by a story of love and deliverance, I thought. And wasn't I an expert on preadolescent females? Had I not guided a daughter, the mother of this wonderfully attentive child, through the white-water rapids of adolescence — and even be- yond? So in the telling of the Purim megillah, I planned to ac- cent the love theme. You know, Esther and the king. I was cast- ing Ahasuerus as a sultry Tom Cruise type who suddenly lost in- terest in his shapely Sushanite harem. I had carefully set the stage. Even though I knew the love an- gle would grab my granddaugh- ter's interest, I was also aware that her attention span was mea- sured in nanoseconds. Therefore, I banished her mother to the lo- cal movie house which was fea- turing Basic Instinct, a story nowhere near as spellbinding as my version of Purim — subtitled 'When Esther met Ahasuerus." So there we were at the kitchen table. Me and Sarah — the granddaughter — with a bowl of chocolate chip ice cream (a little insurance to keep her at the table). And unknowingly to my audience of one, I had turned off that ultimate distraction — the telephone, a tactic I used on her mother 20 years ago to ensure her attention. "So when Vashti wouldn't re- spond to the king's request, the king got very angry," I began. "Why?" responded this inquis- itive 9-year-old, with a spoonful of ice cream halfway to her mouth. "Mama doesn't come when you call her." I explained that times have changed. And that Queen Vashti was a rebel before her time and that 9-year-old modernists were lucky to live in an era when grandparents told stories and dished out chocolate chip ice cream. She paused to think about that. Taking advantage of the si- lence, I continued. "So the word went out that Vashti had been laid off, so to speak, and the king was looking for new companionship." And without interruption, I got to the part where Esther moves into the royal digs. "Wait a minute, just a minute," says the social critic and choco- late chip ice cream fancier. "Are they married?" Ted Roberts is a freelance writer from Huntsville, Ala. "Well, no. Maybe not. I'm not so sure." "Then why would a nice Jew- ish girl move in with him? It's not 1965, you know." "Lemme explain," I hollered. "Nobody's moving in with any- body." (You think I want the plot of this biblical tale thrown in my face 10 years from now?) "The castle's kinda like a huge apart- ment complex. She just moves in so if she and the king wanta have a meal together or go to a royal hop, it's convenient." "But they're not married, so how can she be queen?" Finally I get to the part — big drum roll here — where young, sultry King Ahasuerus sets a golden crown on the alabaster brow of Esther. Here the grand- daughter revolts again. "But they're not married, so how can she be queen? And be- sides that," she goes on, "I don't think he's Jewish." Well, this is difficult. I seem to be impaled on the horns of a dilemma by the talmudic mind of this exceptional 9-year-old grand- daughter. I certainly don't want to promulgate the concept of liv- ing in the castle — wearing the queen's crown and performing all those queenly duties without a sturdy, respectable marriage un- der a chuppah — followed by a nice delicatessen reception. On the other hand, the king — a decent sort even though he had a brief ethical lapse and signed a proclamation OKing the de- struction of a couple of neighbor- ing states — seems to be as pagan as a big rock. So how can he and Esther stand together under a chuppah, the blue sky above or the castle chandelier? After all, eight years hence, I don't want the megillah of Esther entered into evidence as defense of intermarriage. They're either illegally cohabitating in the cas- tle, or Esther has strayed from her tribal roots. "They're real good friends," I counter. "Now let's read about Isaac and Rebecca." (It sure beats explaining David and Bathshe- ba, I think.) 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