[Avodah] Sober Thoughts on the Joy of Purim

[Yitzchok Levine]

The following is from the Collected Writings of RSRH Volume VIII 
pages 245 - 247. It is also available at http://bit.ly/cNwxHk  (Click 
on the link to page 245.) YL

  Sober Thoughts on the Joy of Purim

I look into the eyes of our brethren and find them devoid of the 
luster which in former times radiated from every Jew on Purim. 
Instead they reflect the shine of freedom and opportunity which they 
now enjoy among the nations. while they consider the joy of Purim 
simplistic, A "Good Purim" greeting draws a limp response.

In former times the Jew, crushed by external circumstances, could not 
be found in open society, Yet the Jew's life was not, as our brethren 
today think, merely one of lament and misery. We had our Sabbaths and 
festivals, when-completely removed from the world that rejected us-we 
lived happily and satisfied by ourselves, And we had Purim, when the 
desolate Jewish street became alive! Jubilation and joy abounded, and 
in the evening there was a feeling of having been transplanted to a 
carnival in Venice or Rome. All doors were open, everywhere the 
tables were set and the colorful crowd of masqueraders filled the 
street. The people outside the ghetto considered that this was the 
annual Jewish carnival, and they were often envious of the genuine 
joy expressed by these subjects of the Holy Roman Empire during harsh times.

Has the Emancipation, with its newly found freedom and opportunity, 
resulted in more joy, greater satisfaction and a still happier 
existence than what our forebears experienced? Are we at a stage when 
we look condescendingly on those who still need the old Purim 
celebration to express their joy?

  Purim is not a reverie meant to escape temporarily the harsh pain 
and grief of life. The true lesson of Purim is to teach us the 
realities of life and face them with new vigor and courage. The 
spirit of Purim results in an everlasting. true serenity.

Do you want to know what the spirit of Purim is?

Have you ever been in a storm on the high seas when the strong wind 
blew across the sails, threw down the masts and cast the boat over 
the waves at high speed? The craft seemed about to be shattered on a 
rocky reef, the sailors gripped the siderails in despair and 
looked  with horror at impending disaster. Suddenly the cruel north 
wind gave way to a becalming western wind. the ship slid calmly over 
the smooth surface of the water and the sailors felt as if life had 
been regained. Have you ever been high up in the mountains when a 
storm overtook you? The sky became black, thunder deafened your ears 
and torrents of rain threw you to the ground. You tried to descend to 
a lower, more safe terrain. Your foot almost slipped across the bare. 
wet rocks. your way illuminated only by frightening bolts of 
lightning, and every moment you felt you were about to fall into the 
abyss. Suddenly. the sun reappeared and the storm clouds rapidly 
drifted away, the dull roar of thunder faded and the blue sky and 
green fields appeared so friendly. You were overcome with a feeling 
of gratitude for the Almighty Creator of nature.

Such a calming sea wind after a tempest, the golden sun after a 
thunderstorm. is the story and the spirit of Purim.

       The shaky boat of Jewish fate seemed to be foundering in the 
stormy sea; the rage of the storm had already toppled its mast and 
salvation was nowhere in sight. Suddenly the storm was ordered to 
disappear and the ship of Judah rocked quietly and safely in the 
smiling rays of the sun on the solemn sea. Should Judah not rejoice 
in its regained existence? Should it not jubilate on its day of 
salvation? Should Judah not have its Purim as a day of celebration 
and joy? When danger passes you quickly forget the circumstances of 
your salvation. You forget the faithful hand of the father who guided 
you during the rough stormy days of pressure and misery. You forget 
the caring mother who let healing balm drip on the wounds of hatred 
and oppression inflicted by a hostile environment. You have long 
forgotten the Jewish Law which brought you through life, and only 
rarely do you remember the All-bountiful Who always provided for you. 
You imagine that all danger has passed. There is no more hardship, 
prejudice  or hatred; they will never return. With ineffable conceit 
you look back on the time when your mother cared for you and educated 
you, and you consider yourself as already beyond her influence. With 
pride you exclaim: Well, I am greater than my mother. Do you really 
believe that you no longer need to remember the past?

       Do you really think that such somber times will never recur? 
Do you really believe that you will rock forever on a smooth sea, 
bask eternally in the light of the morning? Do you really believe 
that Purim has outlived its usefulness and that you need not 
distinguish it from the  ever-peaceful days of your life? Is Purim no 
longer a holiday. a call to joy for you?

     O. you deluded ones! Look at the society which is now freely 
open to you. Look around on the great marketplace of life. Has the 
race of Hamans died out completely with him and his ten sons? Could 
you not find someone from the Rhine to the Oder. from the Volga to 
the Danube who is capable of being his successor? Be sober and 
observe. Indeed the horizon of the Jew may well become somber; sultry 
clouds hang in the German sky. Even in our own Jewish circles 
indications for gloom are apparent. No one is secure .

       Thus. more than ever, it is necessary to celebrate the Purim 
spirit. We must take courage in the grace which God gave us by 
leading us safely through the storms of the past. so that we may 
serenely and confidently persevere in the face of the Hamanlike 
trials of the present and future as our fathers did in the past.

       Let us inculcate the merry spirit of Purim in ourselves: To 
remain trusting in God in both happiness and trouble. to remain 
faithful to the Divine Law and our Jewish calling, to remain 
confident of the future during the thunderstorms of history.

      Let us implant into our minds and our children's minds this 
Purim spirit of true serenity and genuine joy, so that it will be 
their companion for life, give them strength and consolation, and 
protect them from the burning sun at high noon.

Read the Megillah and read it also to the still living sons of Haman. 
Remember how Haman of old endeavored to destroy all the Jews and how 
God in His boundless love voided Haman's plans. how He turned the 
sword of retaliation against him and eliminated him and his followers.

But read also about "Mordechai the Jew," who did not bow to 
any   un-Jewish doctrine and acknowledged openly in the marketplace 
of life, under dangerous circumstances. that he was a Jew and would 
never forsake his God. Learn from him.

This is the timeless spirit of Purim.

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