PURIM IN A NUTSHELL

God’s name is conspicuous in its absence from the Purim story. He is not mentioned at all in the text of Megillat Esther, and God plays no explicit role in the narrative. However, it is implicit and understood that all the intricate twists and turns of the story are engineered by God. This is the faith that Jews have. Even when it is not obvious, we have faith that God is backstage, engineering His plan for our lives. We dress up in costumes both to experience the joy and levity of the festival, and to remember that God was hidden in the story, yet very much present. When there are difficult times in our lives, or even (and perhaps more importantly) when life is going well, we must have faith that God is pulling the strings, that there is a larger picture, and even if we cannot see or sense the role God is playing, we have faith that He is always involved.

Lots are a cruel and random way to decide on the fate of a people. Perhaps this was Haman’s message to the Jewish people. “There is no meaning to your national life. It is all random and there is no one protecting you or guaranteeing your destiny.” Haman was proven completely wrong when God intervened in history, saving the Jews in dramatic (yet hidden) fashion. The message of Purim is that there is destiny, and God is behind the scenes ensuring it. There is nothing random about history!

All four mitzvot strengthen community and the relationships between people. Perhaps we can say that this was another victory of the Jewish people over their adversary Haman. The emphasis on community and unity within the Jewish people is devastating to our enemies, and the key to our strength.

FROM THE THOUGHT OF RABBI SACKS

Both humour and faith are an expression of the freedom contained in our hearts, despite those who may wish to take away our freedom. Survivors of the Holocaust (like Viktor Frankl and Edith Eger) often speak about the Nazis stripping away every freedom and vestige of dignity, but they could not take away people’s freedom to choose how to respond and frame their experiences. Edith Eger called this “the choice” (and that is also the name of her famous book).

The ultimate redemption is the Messianic Age, when humankind will enter the final period of history, which will be one of peace for all. Judaism believes this has yet to happen in history, and that this is proven by the suffering and evil that still exists in the world.

Despite not experiencing an “ultimate redemption” (the Jews were still under the authority of AḤashverosh after Haman had been defeated, and Mashiaḥ has not yet arrived), the joy of Purim tells us that redemption is a journey that must be travelled until the end. Yet there are many sources of joy on the way. Every day there are reasons for gratitude and joy. That is one of the messages of Purim, and modern Jewish history testifies to this. Despite the dark period of the Holocaust, the modern miracle of the establishment of the State of Israel occurred just a few years later, and although the redemption of Israel is not yet complete (we still need to fight for its very existence), there is still so much joy to be experienced and to be thankful for.

IT ONCE HAPPENED ON PURIM…

Both Esther and Eddie felt that they were average people without any particular power or influence. True, Esther became the queen with some limited influence (that she ultimately used to her and the Jewish people’s benefit), but she probably felt like a nobody, an inconsequential Jewish girl who was picked off the street by random coincidence (or divine destiny) to be the king’s wife. Eddie was an unremarkable Jewish travelling salesman from Kansas. Yet they both changed the course of Jewish history, recognising their moment when it came, and playing their small role to help their people.

This is the classic question when a person achieves great things that we believe are part of the divine plan. Can they celebrate their achievement, or does all credit go to God? The message of the Purim story in particular, and Judaism in general, is that both exist concurrently. Esther and Eddie must be commended and celebrated for their courage and initiative and for the role they played. But the message of Megillat Esther is that God is always behind the scenes, pulling the strings, making sure His plan for history is fulfilled.

Some people sense their calling in life from an early age, and for some, like Eddie, it comes in an instant, much later in life. Our mission could be to make an impact continuously, in small moments and kind acts, through a career or through activism. Or it could be to make an impact in one single moment where we have the opportunity to change history, like Eddie and Esther. It is our responsibility to always look for this mission and to answer God’s hidden call.

ḤIDON ON THE ḤAG (A QUICK QUIZ)

1. Lots (like in a lottery).

2. Thirteenth of Adar.

3. Megillat Esther.

4. The four mems:

• Megillat Esther – reading the Megilla

• Matanot LaEvyonim – giving gifts to the poor

• Mishloaḥ Manot – sending gifts of food

• Mishteh – eating a festive Purim feast

5. Make a loud noise (for example, booing, stamping their feet, or using a noisemaker known as a raashan or gragger).

6. To remind us that God was “hidden” in the Purim story, pulling the strings from backstage.

7. One hundred and twenty-seven.

8. Bigtan and Teresh.

9. Hamantaschen are three-cornered pastry treats that could represent Haman’s three-cornered hat, his ears, or his pockets.

10. Hadassa.

11. He is not mentioned at all.

12. On the evening and morning of Purim.

13. This is the day that Jerusalem (and other cities walled at the time of Yehoshua) celebrates Purim. It falls on the fifteenth of Adar, the day after Purim for the rest of the world.

14. Vashti.

15. To remember the three-day fast that Esther proclaimed in response to Haman’s plan to destroy the Jews.