So this is Purim.   Say, didn’t John Lennon sing that?  Maybe it was something close.

Today is Purim.  What is Purim?  The Hebrew word translates to lots (like a lottery), because the villain picked lots to determine when his decree against the Jews would take effect.  But that is just a small part of this holiday.

Here is another way to look at Purim.  For me, Purim is the gift of a day to see god hiding in the world.  It starts with the story itself, which is found in the book of Esther, and where god is never explicitly mentioned.  Only by seeing how the seemingly random events unfolded can we find the Divine presence lurking.  Even the Hebrew name for the book of Esther, Megilat Esther, translates to: The Revealing of the Hidden.

So, how does this play out?  When I lived in Israel, Purim was like Halloween raised up to the level of Mardi Gras, with a focus of holiness thrown it.  What I mean is that everybody, and I mean everybody dressed up.  Here a king and queen, there green neanderthals.  Someone else dressed up like the woman of his dreams.  Everybody is out in the streets that are so packed the buses can’t move.

Everybody dresses up to reveal themselves.  If I am a disguise, I feel freer to be myself; I can show a side of me I don’t normally.  Can you see under the clothes and see the real me?

Try drinking.  It might help.  Part of the tradition of Purim is to get so drunk you can’t tell the difference between, “Blessed is the Hero,” and, “Cursed is the bad guy (the guy drawing lots, I mentioned earlier – remember him?).”  Drinking turns off the part of your brain that judges.  This is why it is not a good idea to drink and drive.  However, it also turns off the judgement you make about people and events, and allows you to see the deeper picture, that it is all for the good – that god is orchestrating everything:  allowing the bad guy to do his thing all the time using it to create a greater good.  This is what the story of Purim is about.

Megilat Esther mentions that not only is it a good idea to read and remember the events of Purim, and to dress up and drink, but also to give food gifts to your friends, and money to the poor.

The giving of food gifts to friends struck me as strange at first, because you are giving food you like, not what the receiver likes.   At first I thought this weird; would it not be better to give what the receiver likes?  Now, after doing this for a few years, I understand this as another way of sharing with my friends who I am, what I like.

And giving to the poor is something we should do everyday.  However, on Purim, it is a little different.  On other days, I can say no to someone who I think is just going to use it on drugs.  On Purim, I can’t assume that.  Why?  Because Purim is about looking below the surface.  Sure that poor person might look like they are strung out and looking for their next fix.   However, it might really be Eliyahoo (Elijah) the prophet under that costume/persona and he has a holy purpose for that donation we give him.

So this is Purim.  I still here John Lennon singing this. 😉

About the Author

Shmuel Shalom Cohen spent 10 years studying Torah in Jerusalem. Six years ago, he started Conscious Torah to help Jews connect to their tradition in ways they didn’t think possible. Shmuel also started, and is the executive directory of Jewish Events Willamette-valley, a non-profit whose mission is to build Jewish community, pride, and learning. In his free time, Shmuel likes walks in nature, playing music, writing poetry, and time with good friends.