|
|
|
|
Purim - February 2002 by Brett Krichiver, Student Rabbi How many of you remember the game of "peek-a-boo?" Who remembers the rules of that game? You not only close your eyes, but cover your face with your hands, and the fun of the game is in pretending that you become invisible. For young children, they actually do become invisible when they cover their faces, as far as they can tell, they cannot be seen. It is shocking and fun to reveal the hidden face behind the hands, and chant together, "Peek-A-Boo! I see you!" The long-standing tradition for the holiday of Purim is to dress up in costume. This certainly does not appear to have much to do with the Megillah the scroll of Esther. To summarize the story Once upon a time in Persia, there is an opening in the Palace for a Queen, and a beautiful young Jewish woman named Esther wins the beauty pageant to become the King's new bride, but she doesn't tell the King that she is Jewish. Meanwhile, the King's advisor, Haman, begins to abuse his authority by making the common folk bow down to him. Mordechai the righteous Jew, who happens to be Esther's uncle, will not bow, and Haman is furious. Haman convinces the King to kill all the Jews in the land, he argues that it would be better for the Kingdom anyways, so the King agrees to Haman's plot. Esther, to save her uncle and the Jews, risks her own life by admitting to the King that she is a Jew, and the King's love for his bride wins out over Haman's plot; good triumphs over evil. On this holiday, we are commanded to re-enact the tale by dressing up, by imagining ourselves in Shushan, and by covering our faces with masks to celebrate these mythical figures. Of all our biblical stories, this is the one that celebrates the triumph of the human spirit over evil. In fact, it is the only story that does not mention God even once. Our heroes, who risk everything to save their people, are merely human beings. Esther, the beautiful Queen, risks her life by approaching the King with her request to save the Jews. And Mordechai, her uncle, resists Haman's evil plot. The masks we wear remind us that this story is about perception, and betrayal. About who we pretend to be, and about who we are deep inside. By wearing the masks and costumes of our heroes and villains, the story lives again through our retelling. Elie Weisel once wrote: "Some stories are true although they never occurred, while other events happened, but are never true." What is the truth of this story, which we bring to life each year? Purim occurs almost exactly half a year before Yom Kippur the holiest day of the year. Yom Kippur, and Purim - Hebrew often plays funny tricks on us. Of course, the two words come from different roots, words which on the surface have nothing to do with each other. But our rabbis point out that our holiest day of the year is also known as Yom Hakippurim - The day of atonements. But in Hebrew this can also be read as: "the day that is like Purim." "Ka" in Hebrew means, "like." Yom - Day, Ka - like, Purim. Purim and Yom Kippur are set on opposite sides of the calendar, yet we can learn a great deal about Purim from this comparison. On Yom Kippur we bare our souls to each other and to God, we strip ourselves of our arrogance and pride, and stand naked before God. On Purim, we cover our true selves behind masks and we hide our identities. On Yom Kippur we are commanded to fast. With this deprivation we are more able to get to the root of our vulnerability. We become aware of our most basic needs and can not hide behind comfort. On Purim, we celebrate a mighty feast, and we are commanded to drink. We are commanded to drink enough that we can no longer tell the difference between the names of the hero, Mordechai, and the evil villain Haman. (Sorry, we probably won't be fulfilling this commandment tomorrow night!) Our commandment is to affect ourselves to the point where identity blurs, our vision is no longer clear, and our masks become reality. Masks are a powerful place to hide. If you've never worn a full mask for Purim, I would suggest that you bring one tomorrow night. Behind a mask, we can assume any personage; we are free to be whoever we want to be. In the childhood game of "peek-a-boo" we learn this important lesson - how to hide. By covering our faces we learn about our layers - and we learn how to put on masks to perform the many roles of our lives. Like a great game of Peek-A-Boo, the story teaches us of the power, and the danger, of hiding behind masks. Within the story itself, we can see these themes played out. Let us quickly compare the two main characters, Queen Esther and her uncle Mordechai. Mordechai makes a name for himself by always remaining true to his inner self - he never puts on the mask. In his refusal to bow to Haman, Mordechai displays not only religious conscientiousness, but also daring independence of spirit. He reminds us that sometimes it is not easy to be true to our conscience, but it is always the right thing to do. Esther's approach is different than Mordechai's. She does not wear her Judaism on her sleeve. In fact, she keeps her identity a secret out of fear for her life. Yet, her role is so very significant to the story. Esther is not a risk-taker; she only removes her mask when her hand is forced by circumstance. For Esther, her identity is her choice. She sees it as her power, and she carefully chooses the moment to remove her disguise. Like Esther, it is powerful when we choose to admit that we are wearing masks, and in our Purim tale, the entire story hinges on the outcome of Esther's one action. On the day before Purim, we commemorate the Fast of Esther. This fast is meant to remind us of the difficult decision Esther had to make before approaching the King. Her courageous actions, her willingness to risk her own life and come out of hiding as a Jew, saved the Jewish people. Without any help from God, no miracles to save them, Esther risked her life to reveal to the King that Haman wore a mask as well. These are two very different ways to understand what is hidden, and what is revealed. Esther is not forthcoming to her new bridegroom, and in the end she must end the deception in order to save those she loves most. Mordechai refuses to hide, and bring great peril upon himself and his people through his stubbornness. But in the end, by maintaining his conviction, he is rewarded. And it is not a divine justice that greets our hero at the story's conclusion, but a particularly human one. Haman's mask is perhaps the most evil of them all, his Machiavellian technique achieves for him the power he seeks, but once the mask is removed, justice is swift. The Midrash says that, in the world-to-come, all the Biblical festivals will be nullified, but that Purim will continue. This is because the events of Purim do not represent our covenant with God, or even our relationship to Judaism. Rather, during this holiday we celebrate our relationship with other Jews and other peoples, exploring our true identities, and play-acting the masks of tragedy and of celebration that connect us to four thousand years of history. In six more months of the Jewish calendar we will remove our masks, and face each other on Yom Kippur. For this weekend, we will rejoice in the game of hidden identities and human drama. But the message is clear - we must find ways to strip away the costumes and make-up that keep us from each other - as we act out that ultimate story of deception and survival. This Shabbat, the one that immediately precedes Purim, is called Shabbat Zachor, the Sabbath of Remembrance. For Purim is not an entirely happy holiday. It is a reminder that Jewish history is filled with danger and betrayal. In the words of the reading in our Gates of Prayer: "We have survived all those who have vowed to destroy us. We lament those who perished at their hands. We give thanks for our many deliverances and for the steadfast faith of those who endured, whose love did not falter. They have left us an example of courage never to be forgotten." The courage we will celebrate tomorrow night is ultimately the willingness to face the mirror, and to remove the masks behind which we hide. What masks do we wear in our daily lives? How can we begin to face the fears buried inside? How can we begin to remove our fingers before our own eyes, to peel away the layers, and to face each other with honesty and integrity? God does not save the Jewish people during Haman's terror only their human integrity saves them from their fate. Perhaps this is the greatest parallel with Yom Kippur, for on that day, we proclaim that only the Holy One can save us from a terrible fate. On Purim, as on Yom Hakippurim, we remember the masks we wear, and by remembering them, we remove them. Only then can we face one another with open hearts and true souls, only then can we be truly open for God. On this Sabbath of Remembrance, may we be remembered for a blessing! |