Not to take anything away from this week's parasha, I thought that I would write the weekly message about the holiday of Purim, which begins this coming Saturday night. While the holiday of Purim is oftentimes associated with celebration and revelry, I would like to point out that Megillat Esther and our rabbinic commentaries define the type of "celebration" for the holiday differently.
In the book of Esther, it is written that, "The same days on which the Jews enjoyed relief from their foes and the same month which had been transformed for them from one of grief and mourning to one of festive joy, They were to observe them as days of feasting and merrymaking, and as an occasion for sending gifts to one another and presents to the poor" (Esther 9:22). Notice that while the holiday from Megillat Esther is celebrated not only through coming together for a joyous occasion, but the holiday is also celebrated through the giving of gifts to the poor.
In commenting on the meaning of giving as celebration, Maimonides famously writes that while it is mandated that any joyous occasion have meat and wine, any joyous occasion that does not also contain acts of charity is "not a celebration of a mitzvah; it is a celebration of gluttony" (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Refraining from Work 6:18). Furthermore, if given the choice between a party and an active of charity, one should always choose charity. Maimonides writes:
"It is better for a person to increase their gifts to the poor then to increase their festive meal, or their gifts to friends because there is no happiness greater then making happy the heart of the poor, the orphan, the widow and the stranger, that the happiness of the downtrodden has the quality of the Divine presence as it is said, “I dwell on high, in holiness: Yet with the contrite and the lowly, Reviving the heard of the contrite” (Isaiah 57:15)" (Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Megillah 2:17).
We are obligated to understand that giving is an act of celebration, for it is our freedom to provide something to those who have less than us which is the true testament of God's gifts to this world. As enter this season of Purim, as we eat our hamentaschen and wave our graggers in the air, let us not forget that the moment of potential catastrophe for the Jews was not celebrated only through revelry, but through justice. May it happen soon, and speedily, in our days.
Hag Purim Sameah (Happy Purim),
Josh
- Parents: What are the ways in which you are teaching your children to foster acts of giving? When your children experience moments of celebration, how do make sure those moments are supplemented with acts of justice?
- Children: What does it feel like to give something to someone who has less than you? What are some ways you give to those who do not have plenty?
- Seekers: Do you think that Jewish holidays lack a justice component to them? How might we make a transition from holidays where we celebrate through eating and socializing to holidays where we celebrate through tikkun olam (repairing the world)?
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