<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=windows-1255">
<META NAME="Generator" CONTENT="MS Exchange Server version 5.5.2658.34">
<TITLE>the 5th purim mitzva</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">it seems very prevalent that in today's time , there is now an apparant 5th mitzva, being tzedaka for every mossad one can think of. i dont remember growing up purim being a day for collecting for yeshivahs, hatzala, etc it WAS a mitzva to give for matanot leaniyim, a bo-bayom mitzva, geared for providing for the aniyim's need for the day.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial">i wonder was it always a general every-tzedaka-under-the-sun day, or did this just become something for shtik-oriented teenagers to do to while away the time. maybe it just took longer for the practice to get to the west. am i wrong?</FONT></P>
</BODY>
</HTML>