Sometimes the lesson comes from what is not. Sometimes the lesson comes from what is.
And sometimes we need to navigate between the two.
Purim is a time for masks. At a deeper level, it deals with what is hidden.
Our heroine is named Esther, rooted to the word ‘Hester’ which means ‘hidden and covered’. Her Uncle Mordechai warns her, when she’s chosen as Queen, to not say who her people are. Several times in the Megillah we are reminded that she has not said where she comes from.
At the pronouncement of Haman’s evil decree, Mordechai publicly wears ashes and sackcloth. Embarrassed, Esther sends clothes to cover up his public display. He refuses them.
Most significantly, for a scroll read on a public Jewish holiday, there is no mention of G-d’s name anywhere in the ten chapters of the Book of Esther!
It is a book and a story which are predicated on coincidences, which lead to coincidences, which lead to uncovered secrets, which leads to salvation.
The point of this book is that G-d is not always obvious about things, that events take place – and we are asked if we can see the Divine in the events. Where many see coincidence can we see purpose, purposeful unfolding?
Conversely, a month from now we will celebrate Passover. It’s a time in which the Torah proclaims the work of ‘G-d’s outstretched arm’ to be in action.
Passover is about the unbelievable, yet the obvious, happening. It is David and Goliath, it’s The Six Day War – all the things that seem like they can never happen – and then they do!
- Have you noticed suddenly that things have unfolded in a way that has benefited your life? That’s Purim.
- Have you had an impossible dream visibly come true for you? That’s Passover.
Chag Sameach – Happy Holiday in the subtle unfoldings of Purim, in the coming explosions of Passover.
Wishing you richness in the soft, subtle moments of your life, wishing you richness in the grand moments of your life experience.
Blessings to all,
Rabbi Mark Biller