Dear TBZ Community:
I’ve just returned to TBZ after six weeks away, first at TBZ’s Take A Breath Mindfulness Retreat in Costa Rica, led by my teachers and friends Rabbi Marcelo Bronstein and Karina Zilberman, followed by the first part of my sabbatical. I am grateful for the time away and it is wonderful to be back. I look forward to seeing many of you this weekend.
I knew coming directly back to Purim would mean jumping right into a busy season and holiday celebration. I also know that this Purim is not business as usual and I have spent a lot of time thinking about how to approach this coming weekend.
Purim, the Megillah (the scroll of Esther), and the verses of Zachor (Remembrance) in Deuteronomy 25:17-19, the special reading we read this Shabbat morning, the Shabbat before Purim, have always been troubling and challenging for me. Purim celebrates the miracle of the survival of the Jewish people from the threat of those who want to destroy us. It also tells the story of the Jewish people responding with collective punishment in response to our own suffering and danger. It is not new to read foundational texts in our tradition as a call for violence and sadly, too many have done and continue to do so for far too long.
Purim is a complicated holiday – so complicated that we often prefer not to deal with the hard issues it contains. Perhaps this is why we put so much emphasis on the costumes and the party! On Purim we read about oppressed people fighting for freedom, and survival and celebrating redemption; we celebrate the fact that we were saved from evil, from the enemy. We celebrate victory and by celebrating victory, we celebrate violence – and that is deeply disturbing!
The reading of Zachor, tells us to remember what Amalek did to us when leaving Egypt and also to blot out their memory. Haman is named as a descendent of Amalek in the Megillah and Amalek has been the representation of the existential threat to the Jewish people since the times of Torah.
So, how do we approach Purim this year in the aftermath of October 7th? How can we celebrate, joyfully, in costumes and with levity as we usually do, when we are still mourning the terrible tragedy perpetrated by Hamas. When we have faced this most horrible attack on the people in Israel, when we see a rise of antisemitism also in our midst. How can we celebrate this Purim, with the blood still fresh, 134 Israeli hostages still in Gaza, most Gaza residents displaced from their homes, and the cycle of trauma-driven hate and violence spinning further out of control? How do we face evil? How do we respond? Perhaps, as Rabbis Amichai Lau-Lavie and Rachel Timoner suggest in their opinion piece in the Forward (which I strongly recommend), this holiday needs to be re-imagined for this year, and perhaps in years going forward. We have to examine it with moral clarity, and with the understanding that the story of the Megillah must be read more as a cautionary tale and not as a goal.
This year at TBZ we will frame Purim differently. We will do some of the practices suggested by Rabbis Lau-Lavie and Timoner on Saturday night and we will grapple with the meaning of this holiday. But we will also celebrate joyfully and dress up (I have been planning my custom for a while now!!) and sing, and lift up our voices, because joy reminds us not to lose hope, not to give up on ourselves, on humanity, nor on our capacity as human beings to do good, to heal a world that is so broken, where there is so much violence. It is easier to give up, to look away, but our tradition demands us not to give up. Joyful prayer reminds us of what is possible, especially when it feels impossible.
But there is one more thing, which I believe is perhaps at the heart of this Holiday and at the heart of how we respond to violence and threats: Kindness.
There are four mitzvot (practices) to fulfill in Purim: Megillah (the reading of the scroll of Esther), Mishteh (The Purim meal), Mishloach Manot (the gifts to our friends and neighbors, lovingly being delivered this week by a number of TBZ members!) & Matanot L’evyonim (gifts to those most in need, tzedaka). At least two of these mitzvot are about kindness, about sharing, about hesed (loving kindness and compassion), about caring. Our tradition has made a radical move here: it tells us that when celebrating our survival from those who want to destroy us, our response is to give to others. To care for those most in need. Our response to fear is generosity. This is why we are dedicating this Shabbat, Shabbat Zachor to our commitment to Hesed, highlighting the work of our Hesed committee. With Hesed co-chairs Beth Harris and Barrie Wheeler, this Shabbat morning, both during the service as well as during a special Kiddush talk, we will focus on our Hesed work in our community. How can we expand our loving kindness and generosity? How can we care for each other? How can we make sure that members of our community feel seen and receive support when needed? How can we make sure that in times of loneliness, TBZ members show up for each other? How can we make sure that what guides our everyday life, is a call to care for each other?
Zachor: Remember what Amalek did to you. Don’t forget: Remember that there is hatred in the world, but also don’t forget that each of us was created in God’s image, and we will continue to strive to emulate God’s compassion, every day and in community.
May this Shabbat bring blessings and consolation to all of you and your loved ones. May we find strength, courage, and patience, and open our hearts with generosity. May all those who are ill find healing.
May the joy of Purim open our hearts to more acts of Hesed and less hatred.
And, may the hostages soon be returned to their families and friends, may the Israeli and Palestinian peace workers in the land continue their sacred work and not be deterred or turn away from the vision of peace and dignity for all.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rav Claudia