Dear Friends,

Judaism gets a lot of things right. I know that as a rabbi, I am supposed to say that, but I truly believe that while there are many ways to do some things, a lot of the ways Judaism leads us are good ones. Take, for example, mourning. Our customs are designed to help a mourner go from their deepest grief to a place of healing and return. Community is included and helps those in grief work through their pain, never alone, instead supported by the ones who care about them.

We also deal with tragedy well. Many of our holidays can be described: “They tried to kill us, they failed, let’s eat!” In Judaism, we have found ways to balance our grief and our joy and there is no better example than Purim. On Purim, we recall sexual violence, bigotry, and an attempted genocide. And we do it with laughter.

When we read the Megillah and Haman’s name comes up, we jeer and we boo. What better way to respond to the mention of a true villain than by mocking him? Mel Brooks once said that it was his life’s mission to mock Adolf Hitler at any chance he had. It is easy to imagine he learned to exact revenge by living well and laughing from Purim.

The Purimspiel is also a means of laughing at danger and celebrating our victory. Through this comedic retelling, we revel in the absurdity of hatred and prejudice. We poke fun at the bigots and the closed-minded fools and celebrate how our ancestors tricked them and prevailed. It also brings up the adult themes, and we do not shy away from them. It is important to confront all of the complicated and sometimes awful elements of the story. But by doing it in a fun and amusing way, we can approach these issues without being overwhelmed by them.

Purim deals with some heavy things. Purim is also a cause for celebration. For the children, who are not ready to handle the adult issues (and probably will not get all the jokes) we have a carnival. We start teaching them about brave Esther and wicked Haman (boo!) and introduce them to a story that they will learn more of, as they mature.

We also wear costumes on Purim. If we dress up like Esther or our other heroes, it can inspire us to be more like the people and figures we admire. Or we can recall that Esther hid her identity. By putting on a costume we can either remember what it means to have no choice but to hide part of ourselves, or revel in being free to express who we are.

Purim reminds us that there are many ways to approach difficult things. And that each of us comes to them in our own way. But we are strongest when we face them together. And whether we need to reflect, to laugh, or to take time with something until we are ready. We have a lot planned this year for Purim. Our Megillah reading, which we do with Temple Emanu-El, will take place there on March 23rd. The next morning we will have our Purim Carnival there as well. And in the evening, our Purimspiel, “O Hadassah!” at 7 pm here at Sinai. Hope to see you at these events!

Yours,
Rabbi Benjamin