Purim

Just as the Jews in our Purim Story have achieved light and gladness and joy and honor, so too do we. Let us sing a song with those words, and settle ourselves into a relaxed mood to enjoy our festive meal together.

Layehudim hayta ora, hayta ora
Vesimcha vesasson vi-kar (2x)
 
Ken, tihye lanu, tihye lanu, tihye lanu

As you eat, here are four questions you may consider discussing with your neighbors:

On all other nights, we may only talk about genocide one, but why on this night do we talk about it A LOT?

On all other nights, we eat foods that feel more familiar to our palates, to our family recipes, but why on this night do we celebrate Persian food?

On all other nights, we may drink only one glass of wine or juice, but why on this night do we never stop pouring?

On all other nights, we come to the dinner table in the same clothes we've worn all day, but why on this night were costumes encouraged?

Betayavon!
 

In Persia, the New Year falls around this time, to coincide with the beginning of Spring. Although it may be another month or so before we see true signs of Spring in our area, we are already noticing more consistent warmer weather and longer daylight hours. In honor of the Persian roots to this holiday, we eat a special cookie, one that is reminiscent of our Ashkenazi Hamantaschen, but more reflective of the story of tonight, something that might be eaten for Persian New Year.

Rosewater and Pistachios are flavors common in Middle Eastern treats. Rosewater also represents the perfumes and ointments applied to Esther before she was presented to the King, to make her look and smell beautiful and appealing. Pistachios represent the main basis to Queen Esther's diet according to Midrash: because there was no Kosher meat or butchers in Persia, observant Jews such as Esther and Mordecai subsisted on nuts, seeds, legumes, and fresh produce when available.

Our blessing over this first symbolic food will be the blessing for pleasant smells, as we take in the flowery aroma and taste of the rosewater. This blessing literally means "Blessed are you, Adonai Our God, who creates all kinds", the second blessing said on Havdallah over the mixed spices. Purim celebrates a time of diaspora, and people of different kinds living together. While one person tried to use the Jews' difference against them, ultimately we triumphed and the people of Persia lived together in peace. In reality, this story could only have been written in a time and place when the Jews were safe to poke fun at foreign rulers and their prejudices. For all our fears now as we see an unprecedented rise in American Antisemitism, we are privileged to still live in a country with freedom of speech and religion, where we are again safe to poke fun at those in charge and at bigots. May we continue to be so safe, and indeed safer, without fear of stochastic violence against our community. May we live amongst all kinds of people in a blend as sweet as our Havdallah spices, as complimentary as the rosewater and pistachios in these cookies.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא מִינֵי בְשָׂמִים

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei minei v'samim

We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the all kinds/types/varieties/species

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/the-nosher/rosewater-and-pistachio-hamantaschen/

Whether you are thankful or disappointed that our feast has less drama and intrigue than the feast that Esther, King Ahasuerus, and Haman convened for is up to you. As we reach the peak of our story tonight, we begin to see all the pieces coming together. Esther reveals herself to be the strong and courageous woman that she is, King Ahasuerus becomes aware that he's made a grave mistake in trusting Haman without question, and Haman is exposed as the villain he's been all along. 

If you're feeling left out of the storm of excitement going on in the King's dining hall, you're in luck. To celebrate all the loose ends tying up, and to prepare our stomachs for the meal to come, let us share in our bright, flavorful, Israeli salad before us. 

In a traditional Haggadah, we read about four children who ask about the seder and the story behind it. In the Purim story, we really only see two main ways of interacting with the information of what is happening in Persia: Mordecai's and Esther's, but we can extrapolate out how others may have felt about the information of Haman's upcoming violence, and how we might today respond to concerns about communal safety.

The Wise Jew of Persia says, "Why is this happening and what action shall I take now to stop it?" To this Jew, we thank them for their bravery and leadership and offer them the resources from generations before to guide actions to protect ourselves and other oppressed people. We continue the work of intergenerational learning to pass the baton of the eternal relay race toward true equity, justice, and peace.

The Wicked Jew of Persia says, "What does this have to do with me? I am not like Mordecai or those other Jews, surely I will be spared." To this Jew, we explain that the safety of our people is tied up in the safety of all people, that none are free until all are free. The antisemites will surely come for them as surely as they come for those of us who wear our Judaism proudly, and the other bigots will surely turn their attention to us as soon as they are done with their other pet causes of racism, homophobia, transphobia, ablism, or classism. We must build bridges across difference and stand in solidarity with our siblings of different Jewish practice and denomination, as well as with our siblings of other races and cultures.

The Simple Jew of Persia says, "What is happening?" To this Jew, we explain gently that there are forces in the world led by greed, hate, and self-importance. Without retraumatizing new generations about the horrors of our past, we prepare them for the possibility that they too may face Hamans in life, those who wish to destroy us because our very existence and difference threatens their egos. We remind the Simple Jews that they are loved by our community, that there can be safety and protection in solidarity, that not all the world is out to get us, but that there are prejudices we must thicken our skins against. There are threats we must know how to fight against. We must learn how to protect our bodies, our sacred spaces, and our souls and our hearts.

To the Jew of Persia who does not know how to ask, we envelope them with the love of community. We teach them step by step how to live as a Jew, how to approach the world with chesed and tzedek, and how to nurture themselves with the prayers and rituals of our people. We must allow all seekers to enter our space at their own pace, and teach them what they are ready to learn.

In the first chapter of the Megillah, King Ahasuerus holds an extravagant feast for the princes, nobles, and servants of the land. He wants to remind them that he is the best, most prosperous, and most worthy king. So, like ancient kings do, he decorates his garden court with his most lavish riches. It's said that there were fine linens of white and blue hung from silver rods and marble pillars, that the couches were made of gold and silver, and that the floor was made of a rainbow of marble tiles. But when Ahasuerus sat with his guests, his riches did not feel like enough. So, he requested what he saw as his most beautiful trophy: his wife Vashti.

Vashti, of course, was not a trophy or a piece of treasure, and she wasn't excited by the idea of being paraded around like one. She refused to see the King and sent the servants who came for her back with that message. King Ahasuerus wasn't thrilled to receive the message, but more than any concern about his embarrassment, he worried that the wives of all the princes would hear that Vashti refused, and decide that they didn't have to come when their husbands called. To avoid the spread of the virus Vashti had introduced, he divorced her and gave her share of his wealth to a 'better wife'.

Today, as we prepare for our seder, we know that our spouses aren't trophies to be brought out and displayed and that their agency isn't a virus that needs to be washed away. Instead, we worry about other viruses spreading among us. We have viruses of sickness that infect our communities, but also viruses of hate and misuse of power. Although this chapter of the Megillah considers Vashti's influence to be the germ that may spread, we might consider the everpresent devaluing of women's personhood and autonomy to be the germs we wish to wash our hands of as we begin our seder with Urchatz.

A Talmud story follows:

Rava said: A person is obligated to become intoxicated with wine on Purim until one does not know how to distinguish between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordecai. The Gemara relates that Rava and Rabbi Zeira prepared a Purim feast with each other, and they became intoxicated to the point that Rava arose and slaughtered Rabbi Zeira. The next day, when he became sober and realized what he had done, Rava asked God for mercy, and revived him. The next year, Rava said to Rabbi Zeira: Let the Master come and let us prepare the Purim feast with each other. He said to him: Miracles do not happen each and every hour, and I do not want to undergo that experience again.

This story warns us against drinking to excess, even for the holiday on which we are commanded to drink to excess. The tension is that "excess" may be different for everyone. We have ten chapters of the megillah, ten sections to our Seder. Unlike other seders, there are not specific points at which we are reminded to drink, as the idea is that the wine continues to flow throughout. Please sip slowly and take note of your body as you refill your cups. Ask your neighbor how they are feeling before you refill for them. Remember to drink water throughout as well. Alcohol has long been an instrument to increase joy and silliness on our festive days, especially Purim, but it can also be dangerous, and we wish to heed our ancient rabbis' warning on this.