From the Rabbi’s Desk

Rabbi Manes Kogan

Purim is the joyful festival in the Jewish calendar. Every Jewish child, and also many adults are just waiting for this wonderful holiday in which people are allowed to scream during services, to disguised themselves with colorful costumes and to get drunk with the approval of the Jewish tradition. Arthur Haas will tell you that when he took his little grandson to services to the Synagogue for the first time, it happened to be Purim. The boy had such fun that now, each time that Arthur goes back to New York, his grandson asks him: "Grandpa, when will you take me again to the Synagogue?"

Why such a fun? Apparently the answer is simple: When the Persians ruled over the world, 2500 years ago, the wicked villain Haman, wanted to kill all the Jews, and God, through the intervention of Esther and her cousin Mordechai delivered him into our hands and he was hanged. As someone told me, Purim has all the features of the Jewish holidays: "They wanted to kill us, they couldn’t, let’s eat!"

The joy of the holiday contrasts, however, with the explanation the Talmud gives to the first verse of the Megillah:

"And it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus.."(Esther 1:1)

"Rabi Levi said and some said was Rabi Yonatan: We know that each time that the expression "And it came to pass..." appears in the Scriptures, it refers to a sad occasion, to a disgrace (Talmud Megillah 10b)". Rabbi Aaron Greenberg, in his book Yiturei Torah shows himself surprised by the remarks of the Guemarah: "What was the disgrace? No Jew was killed, they saw their enemies defeated and not only that, but because the miracle of Purim, the Children of Israel repented from their wrong behavior and returned to the Torah and its commandments with joy and by their own free will! What happened –explains Rabbi Greenberg- is that were not the righteous prophets the ones who brought Israel back to their faith, but a stupid king and a wicked anti-Semitic were the ones who caused the Jewish people to return to God and His Torah. And here we see that it was more helpful a decree signed by Achashversoh than the words full of inspiration of 48 prophets and 7 prophetess who stand for Israel, and that is really something very sad" (Yiturei Torah on Megillat Esther)

And so, maybe there is not, after all, a real reason to rejoice and celebrate in Purim. Why should we celebrate the fact that Jews returned to God only after such painful experience? Would not be better to return to God spontaneously, after a spiritual journey, recognizing God’s wisdom through the words of His holy prophets?

I guess it would. A spontaneously religious fervor, which emerges from a situation of spiritual growth is better than a spiritual renovation product of a stressful and fearful situation.

However, the bottom line is that the Jews returned to God and His commandments. In the words of the Megillah:

And that is what counts: the actions, the positive real change and not necessarily the reason that led to this change.

There are holy people who were able to grasp the meaning and real essence of life in their childhood. Others grew up in spirit and grace and the words of the Torah came to them after a patient search. However, most of us, returned or will return to God in time of crisis, during a painful experience, as a result of desperation. Like King David expresses in his Psalm:

Or like Jonah said in the belly of the fish:

Life strikes us and allows us to learn.

Last week I went to a conference about faith and healing. The chaplain of the Roanoke Memorial Hospital was asked if, according to his experience, faith can cure. He answered: ‘In the hospital I see people fighting with their illness. Some times faith can bring cure to their broken bodies, other times their painful experience can bring cure to their broken faith’.

It doesn’t matter how we return to God; if we do that out of a deep spiritual search or in despair or distress, like the Jews in Shushan. What matters is the fact that we decide to return; and God, like a patient father, always will be waiting for us, no matter how old we will be or under which circumstances we’ll return to Him.

And that is why Purim is a joyous festival: because the Jews decided to return to God and His Torah

And may the words of the Megilla apply to us, as it is written:

"The Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honor" (Esther 8:16). So it may be for us!

"Hashem Oz Leamo Iten, Hashem Ievarej Et Amo Bashalom"

"Hashem will give strength unto His people; Hashem will bless His people with peace" (Psalms 29:11).

Shabbat Shalom!