Area Jews celebrate Purim, "one of the most joyous days on the Hebrew calendar."
By:Michael Arges
EAST WINDSOR The "joyous" holiday of Purim is the occasion when Jews celebrate the way God can "turn the tables" on evildoers, even when things seem darkest. It is a reminder of God’s constant hidden presence with his people in their everyday lives, even when the situation seems hopeless.
The holiday began Thursday at nightfall and continues until nightfall today, Friday.
"It is one of the most joyous days on the Hebrew calendar," noted Rabbi Sholom Leverton, director of the Chabad of the Windsors in East Windsor.
Esther was the Jewish queen of Persia who saved her people from the machinations of Haman, a court official who wanted to have the Jewish people slaughtered, noted Rabbi Leverton. She stood up when it was up to her to stand up and be counted to save her people.
One of the great themes of Purim is that things are turned upside down, said Rabbi Yaakob Freedman, principal of Shalom Torah Academy in East Windsor.
"The Jews went from about to being annihilated to being victors! Haman had prepared gallows for Mordecai, and he ended up hanging on the gallows that he himself prepared," Rabbi Freedman said.
"People disguise themselves and they turn things upside down it’s an upside-down world on that day, a topsy-turvy world. Kids dress up; there’s a lot of merrymaking. When you masquerade, you don’t know who’s who. There’s a big turnaround. The president may be acting as a janitor and the janitor may be acting as president!"
"It’s a very merry holiday," added Rabbi Jay Kornsgold of East Windsor’s Beth El Synagogue. "It’s a festive and fun holiday so much so that we are told that one should not be able to distinguish between ‘Blessed is Mordecai’ and ‘Cursed be Haman.’
"In other words, at Purim, one should drink and we’re not talking about milk!" he explained. "It’s the one time of the year when people are allowed to make fun of their rabbis and of their teachers with parodies and imitations."
"It is very much a holiday focused on involving the children," Rabbi Leverton added.
This extends even to the reading in worship of the biblical story about Esther, which lies at the heart of the holiday.
"The children come with crackers and little whistles, and whenever we come across Haman’s name, they’ll clap and they’ll shout and they’ll holler as if to drown out the reading of his name," Rabbi Leverton said.
Another theme of Purim is God’s hidden presence in the lives of his people, added Rabbi Freedman.
"We dress up and we mask ourselves to show that God is working in a hidden way behind the scenes," he explained. "There are miracles that are obvious and there are miracles that are a little more hidden."
The splitting of the Red Sea is an obvious miracle. Here the miracle was not so obvious. It came through the behind-the-scenes intervention of Mordecai with his niece Esther and Esther with her husband.
"God is always hidden. He’s all over, but he’s always hidden," Rabbi Freedman explained.
Yet another Purim theme is the unity of the people of God. "Purim emphasizes the importance of unity and friendship," Rabbi Leverton said.
One traditional sign of this is the giving of gifts of ready-made food.
"What is also a very beautiful custom is that you should try to send the gift through a third party, to include as many people as possible in the merit of doing this," Rabbi Leverton said. "So it brings people together who don’t necessarily know each other, and you include other people in doing this good deed."