with Rabbi Mitchell Smith
Sunday, March 8, 2026
at 3pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
As it turns out, there never was a cruse of oil that burnt for 8 days. Esther, not being from the royal circle, would never have been considered queen material in ancient Persia. The prohibition of hametz on Passover has nothing to do with the eating of matzah. Still, the Jewish holidays and rituals contain enduring truths and remain no less meaningful today than in the past. So what’s the story? We will explore the upcoming holidays of Purim and Pesach as they evolved, drawing on the teachings of Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, and chapters from Rabbi Smith’s book, to hopefully uncover new insights.
Rabbi Mitchell Smith is a graduate of the RRC and Temple University. His degree in educational psychology from Temple eventually led him to studies in sport psychology. In addition to rabbinic pulpits, he has had a sport psychology practice going on 30 years, including 10 years as Director of Sport Psychology Services at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. He is the author of Baseballs, Basketballs and Matzah Balls: What Sports Can Teach Us About the Jewish Holidays … and Vice Versa (available on Amazon.com).
Sponsor our March 8 webinar Who Moved My Holiday? with Rabbi Mitchell Smith and receive acknowledgement on our website and permanent webinar recording. We appreciate your generosity to help continue our educational programming!