Tonight and over the next few days, we join with Jewish communities around the world celebrating Purim – the classic example of “they tried to kill us, we survived, let’s eat.” This humorous summary of Jewish history is a useful shorthand for the pain and suffering our people have endured over the generations, and how we make sense of it through our holiday cycles. However, Jewish life and our Jewish story are so much more than this. When the only lens through which we view our Jewish experience is one of continuous oppression, it is difficult, nearly impossible, to interpret the Jewish past and even the Jewish present in any other way.
Indeed, the megillah, the Book of Esther which tells the story of Purim, adds some shades of nuance to this story. We have the deeply uncomfortable aftermath, in which the Jewish residents of Shushan are given permission to take up arms against their enemies after Haman’s plot has been revealed, and the violence that ensues is immense. But that is not the entire ending of the story. The end of the Book of Esther lays the foundation for how we are to celebrate Purim going forward, including with parties, sending gifts of food to friends and neighbours (משלוח מנות mishloach manot), and giving to those in need (מתנות לאביונים matanot l’evyonim). Our Jewish present is much more than just “they tried to kill us, we survived, let’s eat – before it happens again.” Our Jewish present is one of mutual care, in which we reach out to our neighbours locally and our Jewish brethren in need throughout the world, because all of our futures are interconnected.
In fulfillment of the mitzvah of matanot l’evyonim, giving to those in need, and in lieu of sending mishloach manot, my family has made contributions in honour of our Temple Shalom community both locally, to the Food Bank of Waterloo Region, and in Israel, via Leket Israel, Israel’s leading food rescue organization.
Chag Purim Sameach!
