A Purim Dilemma or (Two)
The holiday of Purim always presents us with challenges. That is one of the reasons it is such a great holiday. It engages our minds. Please consider a few:
1. This year, Purim begins on the evening of March 2. Too close to the publication of the March bulletin to be helpful in your planning. So even though you are getting this email days before Tu Bishvat, I am reminding you to plan on Purim.
2. As we get older, we tend to think of Purim as a kid-centric holiday. We DO have a lot of fun with kids. However, this is actually one of our most serious as well as most festive holidays. We are celebrating events that prevented a genocide. There are anecdotal stories that immediately after the liberation of some concentration and death camps, survivors began to organize daily worship. Some journalists and GI’s who witnessed this asked the survivors how they could pray after Hitler and what they had experienced. It is said that different people said the same thing, “Hitler was nothing new to us. He was just a more successful Haman.” So let me suggest we celebrate the seriousness of our survival together.
3. A third (but not the last) dilemma is about drinking. In the Babylonian Talmud (Megillah 7b), Rava said “A person is obligated to become so intoxicated on Purim that they do not know the difference between "Cursed is Haman and Blessed is Mordecai." The clear implication is that Rava was referring to wine and actual drunkenness. This seems a bit much to many of us today.
At the same time, the most enduring of the Jewish values is Pikuach Nefesh – saving a life. We can violate every commandment to save a life, with the exception of murder, adultery and public idolatry.
It is simple to say that our understanding of the real consequences of alcoholism is better than it was to Rava’s 4th century C.E. contemporaries. I think this obligation is a challenge to us – we need to take time to examine our understanding of what it means to celebrate in ways that are healthy for us and that set good examples for our children. I love the idea that we are to be so joyful that we unbutton our inhibitions a little bit to honor Esther’s bravery and celebrate our survival. It is upon us to find ways to do that.
How to celebrate is not such a dilemma. The Mitzvot of Purim are a) to hear the story of Esther in a language you understand; b) give tzedakah and gifts to the poor and c) give mishloach manot – tasty treats – to your friends.
To address these Mitzvot:
On Sunday, March 1, we will celebrate by wearing costumes to Religious School, telling the story of Purim, eating Hamantaschen and enjoying the SALTY Purim Carnival!
On Monday, March 2, we will come together as a whole community, kids and adults for a Purim Spiel (play) and celebration.
Our Religious Activities Committee (RAC) is providing the opportunity to send Mishloach Manot to your TBT friends and family.
There should be more details elsewhere in this issue and they will also be in the weekly emails.
Join us!
L'shalom,
Ira J. Wise, DJRE, RJE
Temple Educator