I would love to be your neighbor and exchange MM with you. Your family sounds lovely, and I can really relate.

A Freilichin Purim/Chag Sameach

I vote, give MM on in a paper bag (decorated by your kids if they so please) or in a ziploc bag. There is nothing wrong with it and no one will spit in your face.

Perhaps the owner of the Yeshiva World Website could help us all out by putting the commentor name on the top of the comment, not the bottom. It is just too hard to keep everyones comments straight.

My apologies.

Perhaps I have issues with reading comprehension, but in # 54 you imply that MM is such an important mitzvah that we should not say “here is MM in a ziploc bag”. You are implying it doesnt generate shalom or show the proper respect for such an important mitzvah. If you didnt mean that, then what DID you mean?

Whatever it is that you meant, it is still true that whatever positive lessons your kids will learn from the creation of their own bags, it will all be lost with the slightest negative facial expression or comment if/when someone does send over MM in a ziploc bag.

You clearly cannot read and comprehend. I am sorry for being rude. YOU are the person who told me it was inappropriate to give in a ziploc bag and was not appropriate for the mitzvah.

I wrote that I am not giving in ziploc bags this year, but have in the past. I see no reason not to give treats in a ziploc bag. The competition that takes place is out of control and deserving of mussar. I’ve given plenty of it on my own blog.

You are the one who insulted those who would give in a less than “appropriate” container. I have tried to promote the idea of being modest. But there is an obvious communication problem.

I do NOT “shudder at the thought of MM given in a ziploc bag. I would do so again this year, but my kids decided to decorate brown paper bags and let me tell you. . . . they look far worse and I’m proud to hand them out with small treats anyway.

I was not mussaring you. But if you took it as mussar and you benefited from it, I will gladly take credit for doing so.

You shudder at the thought of MM given in a ziploc bag, yet it might be all someone can afford financially. It’s great that your kids decorate bags for you to hand out your MM and its great that they will always have such a memory.
Whatever positives they gain from such an experience are far outweighed by any negative expression or comment made by their parents about the person who delivers MM in a Ziploc bag.

It’s all I was saying to you specifically.

I was repeating a theme repeated by many people here already, to anyone who might be reading, namely, do what you feel is proper and not what your neighbor thinks is proper or what you think your neighbor thinks is proper or what you hope your neighbor thinks is proper.

While I’m not giving in a Ziploc bag (I believe I have in the past when work threw me some challenges before Purim), I’m giving in bags decorated by my kids with treats prepared by my kids. And the bags look, well, um, like they were decorated by young children.

So, yes this is the chinuch I want to pass on. My kids are having a blast making treats and decorating the packages. They are helping with this important mitzva in a hands on way, rather than watching me fork over a credit card for overpriced chazari and beautiful casings to impress the neighbors. And all one of my kids can talk about is which neighbors he is going to visit on Purim day and which singles and widowers that we host should get packages. I’m not a perfect parent, but I think I’m doing something right.

“We all need to remember that this is a mitzvah,”

So it hearing the megillah. Do you use a chumash provided by the shul or do you have a beautifully hand written on the most expensive klaf megillah to lain from yourself? It is no less a mitzvah than MM.

“perhaps even more than others, since the purpose is to increase shalom between yidden(read the latest daily halachos here),”

No matter what the REASON, no mitzvah is more important no matter what the reason behind the mitzvah. I would argue that more money should be spent on Matanos LiEvyonim than MM as the mitzvah of ML is to give to 2 people while MM is only to 1.

“and more SHALOM is what this world needs most right now!”

Yes it does, and if people wouldnt be happy with what they had and did not feel the need to impress others with what they have (or dont have, this includes the need to “respond in kind”), which is the ultimate in low self esteem, which Slabodka mussar lists as a primary source of gaayvah and all sorts of negative charachter traits, people would be genuinely happy for each other and we would have plenty of Shalom.

“So don’t spend $$$$ to impress people, or to “keep up”, but to do a very special mitzvah.”

But remember, to keep in mind what chazal say about how much one should spend on “hiddur mitzvah”.

“Kavana is everything! What Chinuch do you want to pass on? Oy, MM is too much, so here’s a (generic)ziploc? Or, here’s a lovely, simple MM.”

With all due respect I believe it is who who were concered about “returning in kind”. Is THAT the message you want to pass along to the next generation?!?