Celebrating Life
The holiday of Purim is one of the most joyous times of the year.
It commemorates the (Divinely orchestrated) salvation of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian empire from Haman’s plot “to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day.” Literally “lots” in ancient Persian, Purim was so named since Haman had thrown lots to determine when he would carry out his diabolical scheme, as recorded in the Megillah (book of Esther).
The Persian Empire of the 4th century BCE extended over 127 lands, and all the Jews were its subjects. When King Ahasuerus had his wife, Queen Vashti, executed for failing to follow his orders, he arranged a beauty pageant to find a new queen. A Jewish girl, Esther, found favor in his eyes and became the new queen, though she refused to divulge her nationality. Her uncle, Mordechai, uncovers an assassination plot and saves King Ahasuerus' life.
Meanwhile, the Jew-hating Haman was appointed prime minister of the empire. Mordechai, the leader of the Jews (and Esther’s cousin), defied the king’s orders and refused to bow to Haman. Haman was incensed, and he convinced the king to issue a decree ordering the extermination of all the Jews on the 13th of Adar, a date chosen by a lottery Haman made.
Mordechai galvanized all the Jews, convincing them to repent, fast and pray to G‑d. Meanwhile, Esther asked the king and Haman to join her for a feast. At a subsequent feast, Esther revealed to the king her Jewish identity. Haman was hanged, Mordechai was appointed prime minister in his stead, and a new decree was issued, granting the Jews the right to defend themselves against their enemies.
On the 13th of Adar, the Jews mobilized and killed many of their enemies. On the 14th of Adar, they rested and celebrated. In the capital city of Shushan, they took one more day to finish the job.
The holiday of Purim is unique in that the celebration consists of mostly physical activities and festivities in contrast to many other holidays which are commemorated by prayer and spiritually focused rituals and customs.
Rabbi Mordechai Jaffe, The Levush (Prague, Czechia 1530 Poznań, Poland, 1612), explains the meaning behind this phenomenon. Chanukah, for instance, celebrates the triumph of the Jewish soul. The Greeks did not seek to kill the Jewish people; they sought to destroy them spiritually by indoctrinating them with Hellenism. Thus Chanukah is celebrated with the kindling of lights, a symbol of spirituality. Purim celebrates the deliverance of the Jew's
physical existence from the plot of Haman who sought to destroy them. Thus Purim is celebrated with physical feasting and joy.
Rabbi Isaiah Halevi Horowitz, Sheloh (Prague, Czechia 1558 Safed, Israel 1628), further elaborates on this theme. While making his case against the Jewish people, Haman told Ahasuerus: “There is a certain people, scattered and dispersed among the other peoples in all the provinces of your realm, whose laws are different from those of any other people...”.(Megillat Esther 3:8) Haman wished to imply that the Jewish people were not united and thus vulnerable. The Jewish response was, "Go gather all the Jews" (Megillat Esther 4:16). Jewish unity would be the antidote to Haman's slander. This is also the theme of the specific practices of Purim: sending gifts of food to one another and gifts of money to the poor. Purim is a holiday one cannot celebrate alone.
Haman’s assertion can also be understood in the positive sense: "There is one people (although) scattered and spread among the peoples of the world, (yet) their laws are different from those of other peoples". The essential element which unites our "dispersed and scattered people" and makes it "one people" throughout its dispersion and regardless of time, is the Torah and Mitzvot, the Jewish way of life which has remained mostly the same throughout the ages and in all places. It is the Torah and Mitzvot which made our people indestructible on the world scene in the face of massacres and pogroms aiming
at our physical destruction, and in the face of ideological onslaughts of foreign cultures aiming at our spiritual destruction. Purim reminds us that the strength of our people as a whole, and of each individual Jew and Jewess, lies in a closer adherence to our spiritual heritage which contains the secret of harmonious life, hence of a healthy and happy life.
The Midrash declares that In the future, all the holidays will be nullified, except the days of Purim will never be nullified… (Yalkut Shimoni, Mishlei, 944). Of course that is not meant in the literal sense for we will continue to commemorate and observe all the holidays and Mitzvot in the time of redemption.
Rather, the meaning of the declaration of the Midrash is that in the Messianic Era, the joy and tranquility of the festivals will be a daily experience. We will be aware of the deeper dimensions behind the creation of the world and our lives and therefore we will find joy and purpose in every moment of our day. Yet even in that spiritually advanced climate, the loftiness of Purim will still be something to celebrate. For the miracle of Purim represents the essence of who we are. On Purim we demonstrate that even the mundane aspects of our lives are imbued with a sense of a higher purpose. This recognition enables us to unite with one another and experience true joy.
Purim Observances:
Reading of the Megillah (book of Esther), which recounts the story of the Purim miracle. This is done once on the eve of Purim and then again on the following day.
Giving money gifts to at least two poor people.
Sending gifts of two kinds of food to at least one person.
A festive Purim feast, which often includes wine, fish, meat, bread/Challah and other delicacies.
