Posts Tagged ‘Purim’
How Can We Sing In A Sad World? – Purim 2024
1: None of us are in the mood for an “ordinary” Purim this year. The events since Shemini Atzeres continue to shed their legacy of casualties, captivity and nothing but misery and destruction everywhere. Our sisters and brothers are still held captive in underground dungeons; so many of our sisters and brothers have died or been left injured, or are mourning fresh and untimely bereavements; and the destruction and death continues every day, particularly among the innocent civilians of Gaza who are living a hell on earth that I cannot even properly imagine. And the general mood of antagonism between communities and nations around the world is pretty toxic.
2: So how are we meant to dress up, feast, sing and dance? How do we get in the Purim mood?
3: Well, we could start by asking ourselves, what is the Purim mood? Put another way, what was the mood in Shushan and the surrounding areas at the time of the Purim events?
4: Summarising the events described in the Megillah, the Jewish communities came under an existential threat which they overcame by defending themselves diplomatically and militarily. The Megillah does not recount Jewish casualties during the war of self-defence, but it stands to reason that given the numbers of enemies killed there must have been heavy losses and injuries on both sides; and presumably the atmosphere of antisemitism before, during and even after the events was every bit as depressing and oppressive as at other times in our history and possibly far more than today.
5: But the enduring theme of Purim is not the military victory, but of unreasonable hope and determined reconciliation even in the middle of the worst troubles. Starting with Esther, who says that the way out of her predicament is for the community to fast and pray for her while she and her companions fast and pray for the community. In other words, the Jewish world that at the start of the Megillah is “scattered and divided” starts to pull together and look after each other. And the theme continues all the way through, culminating in the religious legacy of our annual commemoration being a day of looking after others first with food for friends and money for all who need it, before we sit down to show our gratitude to God for our many blessings. In other words, a time of enjoying and sharing our blessings – coming close to God by being close to each other in a sensitive and caring way.
6: The dressing up adds the idea that at the darkest of times when we think there is no real reason for hope, deliverance comes in unlikely ways from improbable sources, reminding us that “God’s deliverance comes in the twinkling of an eye”. Or, as my daughter Shira put it when naming their son “Afik” a few weeks ago, God’s deliverance is like the “afikei mayim” – the water channels in the desert that look dry and desolate beyond hope one moment and fill up instantly as if by magic when the rains come. Nature suddenly turns upside down and the normal order of things is changed beyond recognition.
7: So I will be dressing up today, sharing a Purim seudah of song and delicious food with good friends later, and celebrating with family now, with a real belief that by focusing on each other, looking after each other’s needs before we settle down to enjoy the blessings God has given us, we are doing a great deal to help those in pain and suffering on all sides and for all reasons, by helping to usher in a world where enemies become friends and nobody is left desolate, and where the bounds of practical possibility are overturned into a magical world of Divine deliverance.
8: Building bridges across divisions of all kinds is the real message of Purim – and it has never been more urgently needed than it is today. Purim Sameyach to us all, and b’soros tovos lonu ul’chol Yisroel u’lchol ha’olam.
Electronic Christmas Cards – Missing the Point
1. As an orthodox Jew it is always comforting to see that most religions get most things wrong in most of the same ways.
2. For the past few years on the Jewish festival of Purim the pleasing law of exchanging small edible gifts has been eroded by the advent of a crop of smug little cards, saying things along the lines of “We think there is too much waste involved in giving mishloach monos – so we have given charity on your behalf instead.”
3. It is wonderful to give charity. But it is not the point of Purim gifts. The point of them is to show that before tucking into my own delightful Purim meal I have thought about what my friends and family will have for theirs. I also have to think about those without enough to eat at all – and there is an entirely separate duty of giving money to charity on Purim itself. It is not about spending lots of money on food that will be wasted (so the Talmud states that in some cases exchanging meals is the best answer): but it is about thinking of my friends and translating my thoughts into actions that will enhance their pleasure and comfort.
4. Christmas cards used to have the same idea. As I wandered among my colleagues’ offices I would see piles of cards, showing that people were thinking of each other at this time of year and translating that into action: now I see far fewer – they have been largely replaced by smug little electronic messages which swamp the ether along the lines of “We are saving the planet by not sending out any Christmas cards this year”.
5. There is no point in having a planet at all if we are going to make it as miserable and devoid of comfort as possible. Christmas cards are important. They translate thoughts into action and show people with whom we may have little contact the rest of the year that they matter to us enough not merely to add them to a copy list of a row of smug electronic dots, but enough to take a card, find a picture they will appreciate, write a message that will brighten their day, and go along to the Post Office to send it.
6. Religions of the world: unite against the depersonalisation of human relationships!
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