Rabbi's Week in Review Blog

This week we celebrate Purim. There has been a lot of back and forth in rabbinic chat rooms as to how we approach this holiday given our present-day contentious and polarizing climate. Should we be celebrating a victory over those who would destroy us (Haman) given our violent response as enumerated in chapter 9 of Megillat Esther - the Book of Esther?

I think there are two dynamics at play for this year’s Purim observance from which lessons can be drawn. First, rather than let our perceived enemy be our never-ending north star, let us be about who we are for, and not who we are against. In that vein, Fay and I are looking forward to our presentation on the Abayudaya - the Ugandan Jews we met on our trip to Uganda. 

A major Purim theme is how we live as Jews in the Diaspora outside of Israel. The story of the Abayudaya is a story of incredible perseverance to live Jewish lives under the most difficult circumstances. It is a story worth celebrating and a people worthy of our support.

The second lesson is in how we move forward from times of conflict with those we have previously seen as our enemy. We characterize Haman as Amalek - the Biblical character who became our mortal enemy by attacking the Israelites from the rear after our escape from bondage.  

The commandment in our Torah to not forget what Amalek did to us, and to blot out the memory of Amalek, is frustrating in its conflicting message. Do we never forget Amalek, or blot out that memory? While some in our Jewish world have seen it as a message of persistent military response, regardless of the consequences, a message to not forget, Peter Beinert asks the seminal question: “will we be the world’s victims in perpetuity,” - to move beyond the painful memories of past persecution to seek a different way forward.  

Finding a pathway to peace takes courage. It involves getting past our own historic pain and trauma to seeing the pain of the other. The cycle of violence reflected in the Purim story has not gone unabated in the centuries since. The Purim story is one of callous, failed leadership. Haman’s lust for power and the weak-kneed power of King Ahasuerus led to the destruction of many of their own people. The response by us, the killing of 75,000 Persians, (even if this is only a story) has not prevented constant waives of persecution against our people throughout history.  

In this moment our Purim lesson compels us to find a different path forward. May our pathways be pathways of peace.