March Message from the Rabbi
In December we lit Chanukah candles. In March we will celebrate Purim. What is the significance of these two so called “minor” holidays in the Jewish calendar? They are very different stories.
One takes place two centuries ago before the birth of Christianity, when Jews in the land of Israel had been deprived of their religious rights. Israel had come under Greek rule at the time of Alexander the Great and eventually a somewhat tyrannical leader, Antiochus IV, based in Syria, had banned the public practice of many of Judaism’s key rituals on pain of death. Under the inspiration of an elderly priest, Matityahu, a group of Jews fought for their freedom. They won, regaining control of Jerusalem, cleansing the defiled Temple and relighting the menorah—the great candelabrum. We’ve lit lights ever since on Chanukah, the anniversary of that rededication.
The other story, Purim, takes place in the 6th century BCE when Jewish exiles from the Kingdom of Israel who had been living in Babylonian captivity found themselves under Persian rule. Initially living a relatively normal life under the foreign ruler Achashverosh things began to sour when, according to the Book of Esther, his royal advisor, Hamman, went so far as to plan to kill the Jews. This was not removal of freedom to practice our religion this was complete destruction. In order to foil his plot, two Jewish leaders, Mordechai and Esther, crafted a successful master plan to save the Jewish people and Purim was born.
In many ways these very particular Jewish stories are universal in their message about freedom, religious freedom specifically, but mostly freedom from tyrannical rulers who seek to unilaterally determine our fate rather than our own choices, action and political will. So it seems almost timely that between these two holidays in the Jewish calendar we have witnessed a revolution in Egypt. I am no politician and I worry like everyone else about the consequences of these changes. I worry for Israel and the Middle East, I worry about whether a real democracy can be built, I worry about the Muslim Brotherhood and I worry mostly for the people of Egypt whose hopes are so high and yet futures are so unclear. My worry though does not propel me into despair but instead reminds me to pray for peace with even more zest. As Jews we must watch in awe and with hope for a people fighting for their freedom, for their ability to choose their political and personal reality. Their struggle reminds us to use the power of the human spirit as demonstrated in both the Chanukah and Purim stories; to use our human agency as partners in creation to bring freedom and hope into the world. These stories teach us that the power of the human spirit is in our ability, sustained by memory and hope, to bring forth light in the darkness and to move beyond the fear that leads to tyranny and violence.
We stand then in the liminal space between these two holidays as we bear witness to those in Egypt taking control of their own fate and destiny. We hope and pray that their victory bears fruits of democracy, peace and safety for their people and all of the Middle East. May the lessons of Chanukah and Purim stand strong in the darkness to bring forth light and hope for the Egyptians and all who seek peace.