As the Jewish holiday of Purim approaches, I am immersed in all that the holiday symbolizes. Purim is a joyous celebration filled with costumes, delicious food and cheerful company. But, besides the festivities that accompany the holiday, the holiday of Purim truly teaches us many universal life lessons that are applicable to all people. While I am no expert of the Torah or Judaism, here is my analysis of the beautiful lessons that I have learned through the celebration that is Purim.
Before I begin, I will give a quick overview of the story behind the holiday. As recounted from the Book of Esther, Purim celebrates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman, the Persian King’s advisor, who created a plan to kill off all the Jews in the 4th Century BCE. However, the news of this plan made its way to the new Queen, Esther, who hid her Jewish identity from the King and his advisors in apprehension as to how they would respond. Fearful and uncertain how to help her people, Esther relied on the guidance of her cousin, Mordechai. Mordechai rallied all of the Jewish people. As a united people they fasted, prayed and repented. In the meantime, Queen Esther invited King Ahasuerus and Haman to a series of dinner parties where she informed the King that Haman is trying to kill her people. Confused as to what Esther meant by “her people,” Esther finally divulged her true Jewish identity to the King and Haman. Taken aback as to what Haman attempted to do to Esther’s people, Haman was killed instead of the Jewish people and the Jewish people were given the right to defend themselves against their enemies. The story is definitely deeper and more symbolic than the quick summary I provided, but here are some life lessons that I take from this story and the way in which we celebrate Purim:
- Remember The Past But Do Not Let It Deter Your Future
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To kick off the celebration of Purim, the scroll of Esther, where the story of Purim lies, is read. This is really important, at least in my family, so we can keep the memory of this story with us. To forget the hardships that our people had to face is one of the most harmful things we can do. However, once we finish the story of Esther and discussions are had, we launch into a large celebration. Purim is the one holiday in which the Torah obligates us to get drunk, a surprising declaration considering the hardships that the village in Persia had to face. I constantly questioned why we are mandated to be festive if we are commemorating a terrifying time of a potential exile of the Jewish people. However, a Rabbi then told me that Jewish holidays are not about the past, it is about tapping into the potential of events that transpired and understanding how the past can affect us today. To me, that is a beautiful universal message. Yes, it is important to acknowledge the past, however it is also important to celebrate your role in the present.
- Always Give To Others
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Another important aspect in the celebration of Purim is the concept of Mishloach mano, or giving to others — including giving both to your friends and to charity. I think that it is so beautiful that giving is ingrained into this holiday. We are obliged to give two forms of food to our friends and charity to two people in need. We are mandated to do so to make sure that everyone has enough food to eat on Purim night. However, most importantly, this is a method of building unity, community and compassion. It is so important to think of others around you while you are celebrating. Coming together and showing compassion to everyone around you through gifts is a beautiful, universal message to remember for any holiday or any day for that matter.
- Be Proud Of Your True Identity
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In the story of Esther, Esther hid her true identity from all of the royalty and the advisors. She was terrified due to how others may have perceived her identity, but when she finally, bravely divulged her true identit, she was able to save all of her people. This might be my favorite take away from the holiday of Purim. Do not hide who you are, especially to please other people. You need to be proud of who you are and the culture that raised you. Flaunt who you are. If others do not like you for it, it is truly their loss. It might be difficult to be proud of your identity, especially if your identity is looked down on, as the Jewish identity has been numerous times. But, by staying proud of our nationality and our identity, we are breaking the stigma and not allowing fear or hate to deter us.
- Understand That Everything Happens For A Reason
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I think this is one of my favorite Jewish concepts, and it is visibly seen in the story of Purim. (Again, I do not know how accurate what I am saying is because everything I know comes from oral stories that have been passed down to me) But, unlike other women who seeked the prestige of being the Queen, Esther had no desire for that role. However, when King Ahasueru rounded up all of the women in the town to have a beauty contest in attempts of finding his new wife, Esther won. Of course she took the role of the Queen unwillingly. And I am sure that she had the same thought that we all do once in a while of “Why me? Why is this happening to me?” However, as the story progressed, it was very obvious why this happened to her. She was put in this position so she could save the Jewish people. If anyone else had been Queen, who really knows what would have happened to the Jewish people in that town. I think it is a very comforting thought that everything happens for a reason, even if we cannot see that reason yet.
Purim truly does teach us that even though we cannot control what happens to us, we can choose how to respond. We chose to respond to hate with joyous celebration, and it is our decision to choose how we let our environment and others affect us. There will always be Hamans in the world, people that try to hurt us or take away our happiness, but no one obligates you to act like Haman back. Act with compassion and joy and we can really make the world a better place. Happy Purim!