By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

When I was growing up, I don’t remember us giving or receiving mishloach manot for Purim. The literal meaning of Hebrew is sending portions, which is interpreted as sending food to friends, family and neighbors. The halachic (legal) requirement is to send at least two food items to one person. Additional giving is encouraged. While the custom probably began as a way to make sure the poor had enough food for a joyous celebration, the poor are also required to give at least one gift. In contemporary times, some groups use mishloach manot as a way of raising funds for their organization; it’s a win-win because people can have someone else do the shopping and deliver the gift for them, while still fulfilling the mitzvah.
Most mishloach manot packages I’ve seen in the past were relatively simple, featuring such items as hamentashen, chips, a small bottle of grape juice, a box of tea and candy. This year, I was curious about what types of mishloach manot could be found online. Why? Because I love looking at all of the food gift basket catalogues that hit my mailbox in December and figured there must be similar items available for Purim. I was right. The first site that I visited offered Purim treats that cost almost $2,000. The reason they were so expensive is that the food offered was served on a food cart or table. (Yes, those were included in the price). The choices featured bottles of wine (well, many people do drink on Purim), a lot of chocolate and a selection of Viennese pastries. Fortunately, those that came with tables/carts were only available for pick-up, not shipping, and I didn’t feel like making a trip to Brooklyn. (To be honest, those were way too pricey for me.)
Another site also offered wine, but most of its baskets featured snack foods, like nuts, dried fruit, candy and cookies. A third site offered similar baskets, although some of those included babka. The most fun one offered Purim jelly beans. For some strange reason, that just tickled my fancy, probably because I don’t think of Purim and jelly beans as going together. Then again, there is no reason that jelly beans can’t be a Purim treat.
However, while looking at these sites, I wondered if we’d wandered too far from the original reason for mishloach manot: providing enough food for those who don’t have the means to enjoy a joyous holiday celebration. Fun foods make a great treat, but, if you don’t have enough for dinner, they aren’t really helpful. While sending chocolate, wine and other goodies are fine for those who have enough, we should also consider making certain that those in need have enough food, not only for the holiday, but every day.