Purim.  It means, “Lotteries,” in Hebrew.  Ok, it really means lots, as in drawing lots, which is what a lottery is.  And it is a Jewish holiday where we give out gifts of food to friends, and charity to anyone who asks.  A day where we put on costumes and get so drunk we can’t tell the difference between:  “Blessed is Mordechai (the good guy),” and cursed is Haman (the bad guy).  Oh, and we read/listen to the story of how Esther saved the Jewish people.  All this is nice, and fine, and dandy.  And it is not what I am going to talk about, nor am I going to delve into anything mystical about the holiday or the story.

I was going to talk about some of the deeper aspects of Purim that I learned while I was in Israel.  That will have to wait for another day however, because something more pressing came up.   All last week, people came up to me and asked me what Purim meant… To ME.

This was not such an easy question to answer.  Sure, I can quote that fact that this is the only book in the bible that haShem (god) is never mentioned, and yet you can see haShem’s hands throughout the story.  But that is just quoting what I have learned, not what I have experienced.

So, each time someone has asked, I have stopped, and taken a deep breath, and tried to connect to what Purim means to me.  And you know what?  I don’t think I have given anyone a real answer.  Mostly because I had never thought about it.  Sure, each time I gave an answer, it was a little closer to the real answer, but it was only the best answer I could give at the time.  Now, I think I can start to answer the question.

Purim, to me, is about opening up to joy.  We have just had a long, cold, hard, wet winter.  I was inside a lot, working and studying.  I’d go outside to take a walk and my lungs would burn from the cold.  I was in hibernation mode.  But now, flowers are coming out.  Now, it is time to work again in my garden.  People are out and about and smiling and laughing.  The days are getting longer.  It is time to let go of whatever I have been holding on to, that got me to this place.  Why?  Because I need to make room for the newness that is starting to manifest itself.  So, what is Purim?  Purim is a time to safely try on a new and different persona – the persona of who I want to be.  And so I dress up, so nobody can see who this strange new person is.  I can always go back to my old self and nobody will be the wiser.  It is a time to get together with friends and show them who I am a bit.  So, I share with them little bundles of the things I like, gifts to my friends.  And I invite the community over for a meal to rekindle friendships and start new ones.   For, what better way is there to do so, than by eating and drinking together.  It is a time where all the negative things in my life get turned over and revealed to me that they are really good – that they have helped me to grow and reach towards my dreams.  And so I get drunk, drunk on the day and the revelations hidden in the ordinary, until I can see that there is no difference between good or bad, that everything is for the good because everything around me, and happening to me, is only there and happening to help me attain my highest good.   The trick is to recognize, and remember this truth that is hidden on all the other days of the year, and to bring it into the other 364 days of the year.  I give a blessing:  may everybody do so!  Happy Purim everyone.

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.