Purim Teaches Lessons of TOV

Tonight is the beginning of Purim. There is the old joke about Jewish holidays, "They tried to kill us, they couldn't, let's eat!" Funny as this may sound, there is much truth. Purim has taught me some very important things. First, the central characters are both male and female. If you don't know the story, get a good translation of the Book of Esther and enjoy. The story has TOV and RAH, good against evil, palace intrigue, wonderful plot twists and turns and a surprise ending. The female lead Queen Esther, is beautiful, intelligent, creative and courageous. She has to hide her Jewish identity for her own safety. (Sound familiar?) Actually, there were many "Purims" in Jewish history. There were many Jewish communities that were in danger of annihilation, but somehow those who held some power in the greater community stepped forward and did what they had to do to save the Jewish community.

In the Purim story, which supposedly takes place in the ancient Persian Court, the enemy of the Jews is named Haman. In many ways, he is the model for Hitler and others whose intent was the destruction of the Jewish people. The male hero is named Mordecai. He is the uncle of Esther. He understands the workings of the court and involves himself in the government even foiling a plot to assassinate the Persian King. He also mentors and guides Esther. She was not his biological child, but was treated as a daughter and in return she brought him and everyone untold blessings. My oldest son is not a biological child, but is very much my son and brings me great blessing.

To me, the climax of the story comes when Esther is told by Mordecai that she must approach the King to cancel the decree, engineered by Haman, which stated that on such and such a day, all the Jews in the empire could be slain and their property confiscated. Esther is afraid. If the King doesn't accept her visit, she could be executed. She came to realize unless she came forward, she, along with her people would be killed. She not only rises to the occasion, but creates a plan to destroy Haman.

So what is TOV? At the risk of her own life, she confronted the powers that be and did what was TOV for her and the community. Her actions Protected Life, Preserved Life, Increased the Functionality of Life and Increased the Quality of Life for her people. The King made another decree that the Jews could defend themselves on the supposed day of their destruction and Haman was caught in a plot that destroyed his power and his family.

God is not mentioned in the story. It is the brave actions of those who have access to power, coming forward to save the community at the peril of their lives. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. It is no different today, and through human history. Those who stand up to RAH, evil, against the community are the real heroes. Because evil always has a plan, TOV must be ready to respond with actions which Create Light and Protect Life. As with many Jewish holidays, it is considered a mitzvah to extend kindness to the poor and send gifts of sweets to others. I wish you all a Happy Purim.

Do TOV. Choose Life!

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor