Religious Committee

It is a mitzvah on Purim to give gift of food, to enjoy a festive meal and give (tzedakah) charity for the needy. It is also a Mitzvah to hear the book of Esther in its entirety. Sometimes I wish it weren’t. There are parts of the Book of Esther that are painful to remember, especially now when there are hostages in Gaza who are finally being released after being traumatized for over 500 days, hostages who are still in captivity, the hostages who are being returned in coffins. And the retaliation continues as there seems to be little choice.

It is hard to read the story of hatred and ignorance. How one person with a grudge, Haman was able to influence a powerful king. Ahasuerrus, to make it legal and proper to kill Jews. It’s hard to read how Jewish lives were threatened so mercilessly because of Haman’s whim, the king’s ability to be manipulated and the public’s willingness to follow along. And even how a heroine, Esther, infiltrated the palace, deceptively hiding her identity while building up the courage to oppose her husband’s plan to carry out Haman wishes.

The word HAMAS in Hebrew, means violence and chaos. If you substitute an N for the final S, Hamas becomes the Haman. Are we living in Purim? Is Hamas the new Haman?

While celebrating Purim, we rejoice in our survival. Personally, I don’t like that it took death and threats and retaliation to ensure the survival. Without forgetting the dangers of ignorance, we can remember our survival, our fortitude and our faith. We must continue to be careful and cautious while also opening our hearts to the possibility that people can learn when given the opportunity. The Book of Esther gives us permission to proactively protect ourselves. Modern sensibility can lead us to develop the kind of relationships with others that led to obliterating ignorance. Our world will be much better when there is no need for violent reactions.

Fighting hatred with hatred rarely works in anyone’s best interest. As Martin Luther King said, “Love is the only thing that can turn an enemy into a friend.” Rabbi Chalie Cytron-Walker teaching added “If we live by the rule, we will have many more friends with whom we disagree, but we will have a lot fewer enemies!”

We must remember to do our part to make the world free from hatred, violence and ignorance. We CAN and we MUST!