Purim 2013
Finding God where He is not…in our world
In less than a week, on March 20th, Jews will celebrate the holiday of Purim. Though not as well known by many as other holidays, Purim is actually considered perhaps the most important Jewish holiday. The Midrash, a first-century Jewish commentary on the Bible, writes that in the future, in a more Messianic time, all the other Jewish holidays will not be celebrated, but Purim will always be present.
Purim is a bit of a strange holiday. The story of Purim, as told in the scroll of Esther, takes place during the 70 year exile of the Jewish people from Israel to babaylon following the destruction of the first temple in Jerusalem (586 B.C.E.). It is the only Jewish holiday which celebrates something that happened during exile. It has several mitzvoth or commandments. To eat a festive meal and get so drunk that, in the words of the Talmud, “One does not know the difference between cursed is Haman (the vilian of the Ester story) and blessed is Mordechi (Esther’s uncle). To give charity to the needy, to bring gifts of food to friends on Purim day, and to hear the reading of the scroll of Esther.
Perhaps the reason Purim is so significant is precisely that it does after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, a time when god’s face and protection are hidden. The Talmud, an ancient book of Jew law and lore, says that thought the jewish people were given the torah (the bible and jewish law) on mount saini in the book of exodus and throughout the desert travel in the books of Leviticus and numbers, the Jewish people truly accepted the Torah on Purim. Why Purim? Precisely because god was hidden whereas at mount saini god was revealed and powerful. In fact no where in the book of ester is God mentioned.
Perhaps the lesson is a powerful one for all of us. It is easy to feel spiritually or religiously inspired in church or synoguge or mosk, it is easy to feel inspired when overwhelming things happen, on holidays, at times when we feel the divine touch. But perhaps more profound is to connect to the Diivine when it is hidden. Each of us experiences what theologans call a “darkness of the soul” times when we feel god is absent or hidden. But perhaps, Purim tells us, that darkness is the place from which the most profound light begins since we must seek out the divine on our own.
