As we approach this most joyous Holiday of Purim, we are reminded of what Chazal says, “When all Yom Tovim will fall away at the time of Moshiach, only Purim will continue to be observed". What a glorified statement for a holiday that does not seem to be observed by the majority of the Jewish population. Why is this so?
Dr. William James, a noted Psychologist, when asked," Is life worth living? He replied, “It all depends on who lives it".
How true this is. The worth of any life depends, essentially, on the inner world of that person, his outlook, his world view, his weltanschauung. It is with this in mind, I remember the poetic verses of Adam Lindsay Gordon;
"Question not but hoe and labor, till your goal be won,
Helping every feeble neighbor seeking help from none,
Life is mostly froth and bubble,
Two things stand like stone,
Kindness in another's trouble, courage in your own.”
Indeed, life is worth living when accompanied with a projected goal of humaneness of an ideal concern for others.
This is so apropos, as we busy ourselves in preparation for a Yom Tov of מרבין בשמחה.
For as we look closer to the story as it unfolds in the Megillah, one idea seems to evolve as the story unwinds, reflecting upon a very serious situation at the time that the Jewish people were living in Persia. They were oblivious to what was happening around them and, consequently, were not aware of the threat hanging over their heads. The result was they were not prepared to face the challenges of the time and only a great man like Mordechai was able to see the dire future that lay before them.
He realized the dictum, אין השעה מצפה אלא לך, "The hour waits for no one but you.”
Mordechai realized that there is a job YOU can do that no one else can do. There is a place in history that is reserved only for YOU, and no one else can stand in that place. No one can fulfill the task at hand, and YOU have no right to desist from fulfilling your ultimate goal for life that has been set before YOU.
It is at this point that Mordechai turns to Esther with the most powerful words of the entire Megillah, as he encourages her to act out her G-D given part in this dramatic and crucial episode in the lives of the Jewish People,
" כי אם החרש תחרישי בעת הזאת, “If you insist in keeping silent at a time like this, Salvation will come by other means, and you will bear the sin of your silence and indifference.”
What s powerful message for Esther, but even more so, a message for all times and a direct message for us today. We cannot and must not be silent when the ugly head of venom is espoused against the Jewish People and the State of Israel. Silence is a killer, silence destroys, and silence is what killed six million Tzadikim, and this must not be our reply to hatred.
The silence is deafening, and we need to remember, אם לא עכשיו אימתי, If not now when?
Esther realized her actions would be life saving. Agreeing with Mordechai, however, she realized that she could not do it alone and at that moment of decision making she gave the magnificent directive,
“לך כנוס את כל היהודים, I will go, but I need the Achdut, the unity of all the Jews, to gather and fast and pray on my behalf to help me succeed. Together as a כלל, as one unified entity, Hashem, will respond to our Tephillos and רוח והצלה, relief and deliverance will come to the Jewish nation.”
Again, I realize what a powerful message Mordechai was sending to all of us. There are times that we become disheartened as we face different problems in and around our world, and the words of “השומר אחי אנכי, Am I my brother’s keeper?” ring out. The refrain must be, “Yes we are and we must always remember this idea. It is לך כנוס את כל היהודים, the emphasis is on the word כל. We are ALL responsible for each other, and we are to begin to realize this truism.
Purim is our message for a freshness of soul, a vitality of purpose, an eagerness of mind and an optimism of life.
Emerson said it well, "There is no great and no small to the Soul that makes us all".
These are times that demand courage in face of venom, a time to finish our task for survival with success. A time that beckons all to come together as a family united in purpose and living our lives in brotherhood under the guidance and protection of our G-Dly benefactor.
These are ideas that find expression in two very important Mitzvot of Purim,
משלוח מנות איש לרעהו ומתנות לאביונים, that will continuously bring about our responsibility as Jews to each other, that will result in a Bracha of ליהודים היתה אור ושמחה וששון ויקר, as it was then, כן תהיה לנו.
A Frielechen Purim to All and May We See the גאולה שלמה במהרה בימנו.
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