[Avodah] Purim and the Environment

[Shoshana L. Boublil]

While researching ideas for a program for eight graders, I was glancing
through posts on the COEJL website.  When it came to Purim, one rabbi noted
that he couldn't find a connection between Purim and the environment so he
recommended talking about food and making Mishloach Manot that were
ecological etc.

So, I decided to write here a short version of a longer article on Purim
(that will be published BE"H shortly) and what it teaches us with regard to
the environment.

Purim actually teaches at least 3 lessons:

1.	The value of the hidden
2.	The value of community
3.	The value of the traditional heritage of a people (I will not
discuss this topic here, it's too long :-))

1.	The value of the hidden
When the sages first discussed the value of the book of Esther, and whether
to add it to the collection of the Bible, one of the reasons against was b/c
it did not contain a reference or the name of the Creator anywhere in the
book.  The question was - how can you have a holy book that does not mention
the Creator?

The answer is that the name is hidden. It can be found behind the scenes;
the presence of the Creator permeates the book, from the tale of how king
Achashverosh can't seem to sleep without hearing a bed-time story about how
Mordechai saved him;  to the way Haman starts at the top and finds himself
at the end of a rope. 
In Permaculture we are taught to observe. Not everything that appears to be
a problem - is indeed a problem. Sometimes, it is a solution for a different
problem!  In Jewish heritage, we find King David asking why do we need
spiders and wasps.  He finds them without merit, just as we many times fail
to observe the hidden elements in the world around us. We know the end of
the story of King David and how the spider and the wasp saved his life.  
>From the story of Purim we also learn how hidden rhythms govern our world,
and we should not be so hasty as to ignore things just b/c we don't
understand what we are observing.

2.	The value of community
Worldwide the community has become one of the most sought after factors in a
person's life. From echo-neighborhoods in L.A. to eco villages around the
globe to Transition towns in UK and elsewhere. All of them are built on the
power of community. 
The story of Purim is also the story of the power of community.  The tale
starts at the banquet the king gave, where the Jews joined in with all the
others, thus abandoning their community status to become individuals. But as
things go from bad to worse and Queen Esther finds herself facing the danger
of losing her life in her attempt to gain the attention of the King in order
to save her nation, she turns to the community and asks that they join her
together, as a community and fast for 3 days, making a break with the past
and recreating the Jewish community and regaining its power and support.
Only as a community and as the representative of the community welfare can
Queen Esther approach the King and hope to save her people. Indeed one of
the lessons Am Yisrael is intended to teach the world is how to build
communities.

And so, as we enter the month of Adar, I wish you a happy month!

Shoshana L. Boublil
Israel Permaculture Organization, board member