by Rabbi Jared H. Saks
On March 10 this year (the 14th of Adar in the Hebrew calendar), Jews around the world will celebrate the holiday of Purim. The celebration of Purim is based upon the biblical book of Esther, set in the Persian capital city of Shushan, where King Ahasuerus is duped by his chief advisor, Haman, into allowing a plot to kill all of the Jews in the empire. At the beginning of the story, Ahasuerus’ wife, Queen Vashti, refuses to dance in the nude before the King and his friends. For this act of defiance, which his advisors fear will inspire their wives to disobey them, as well, Vashti is removed from her post and the King begins a quest to find a new wife. This is where the hero and heroine of the story, Mordechai and his niece Esther, enter the picture. Mordechai convinces Esther to hide her Jewish identity and enter the contest to become the new queen in order to save her people. Through a series of comical events, Esther entraps Haman, reveals his plan to the King, and lays the groundwork to save the Jews. Scholar Adele Berlin writes in The JPS Bible Commentary: Esther, “The comic aspects of the book are not incidental, merely to provide comic relief; they are the essence of the book… We cannot appreciate the story fully unless we realize that it is meant to be funny. Berlin categorizes the book of Esther as burlesque, which The Random House Dictionary of the English Language defines as, “an artistic composition … that, for the sake of laughter, vulgarizes lofty material or treats ordinary material with mock dignity.”
Today, Purim is celebrated with masquerade balls, comical recounting of the book of Esther (called Purimshpiels), and, often, excessive drinking. There’s a teaching that one should become drunk enough that they can no longer tell the difference between, “Blessed is Mordechai,” and “Cursed is Haman.” The book of Esther is the only book of the Hebrew Bible that doesn’t contain mention of God. The name Esther means hidden, so some look for the hidden hand of God in the text. Others recognize, as I do, the importance of not taking everything so seriously all the time. While there is always cause for gravity and solemnity, the holiday of Purim reminds us that there is much to celebrate in our lives and much cause for frivolity. We can’t lose sight of that.
Rabbi Jared H. Saks serves as the spiritual leader of Congregation Bet Ha’am in South Portland, where he has served since 2011. Through his rabbinic leadership, Rabbi Saks aims to foster connections between people that will help the divine spark in each of us to shine. He believes strongly that encounters with one another are opportunities for encounter with God. Rabbi Saks believes that we live in partnership with God and we are the vehicle for God’s presence in the world when we engage in tikkun olam, the repair of our world, through social justice and social action. He lives in Portland with his husband, Kirk, and their son and their dog, Vegas. www.bethaam.org
Floating art by Emma Hindall www.emmahindall.com
