Purim, 2009


			Washington Hebrew Congregation



		Purim and the World We Live In Purim brings back fond childhood memories for many of us, of costumes made with tinsel and love, and parades through the sanctuary dressed as Mordechai, Vashti or the heroic Queen Esther. The celebration includes, of course, the reading of the Megillah, with the congregation ever so boldly blotting out the villain Haman’s name with the sound of groggers. Purim is traditionally fun and playful, and this year I hope you will join us for our Purim celebration organized by our Sisterhood, in what promises to be an exciting and festive event. But underlying the simcha of the holiday is a very powerful message about the world we live in and our responsibility to others in that world. The ancient story contains all the elements of any powerful political story: victims, heroes and heroines, villains, lust and hubris; and all are used to avoid a genocide (the word, “Purim,” refers to the lots used to pick the day all the Jews were to die.) In the Book of Esther, we find Esther asking Mordechai to request that the people fast for three days and three nights, the same fast that the people Israel withstood at the bequest of Moses before a great battle in the Exodus story. For it is clear in the story of Purim that Esther herself was going into battle, risking her own life to end hate and the prejudice of an evil ruler, and to seek justice and truth. As I sit and write these words, there is great hope in America; a new president stands on the threshold of a new day. Yet he is faced with serious challenges, both domestically and internationally. President Obama, taking a historic train ride into the nation’s capital, historically marked his arrival and likened himself to a time when another Illinois statesman arrived to help facilitate change in America. Abraham Lincoln, whose 200th birthday is celebrated this month, faced similar challenges to heal America. Lincoln was a great leader and without his efforts there would perhaps be no President Obama today. How things have changed… and yet for us as Jews some things sadly remain the same. Lincoln not only freed the slaves by the Emancipation Proclamation but he was also one who looked after the Jews. When General Grant issued Order No. 11, ordering the immediate expulsion of Jews from what is today Kentucky, Tennessee and parts of Virginia, Lincoln rescinded the order. Nearly two centuries later, we still find a disturbing measure of anti-Semitism in the world today. The headlines of Obama’s historic inauguration, making real Dr. King’s dream of equality for all, were sadly shared with the reality of the Pope’s near reinstatement of Bishop Richard Williamson, a vile and unashamed Holocaust denier. Jewish voices rose, seemingly to no avail; it was not till the Chancellor of Germany spoke that the Church began to listen. Obviously there is still much work to be done in Catholic-Jewish relations, to heal these new wounds and to create better understandings. But it is not the Church alone where we face the evil of hatred. The situation in Venezuela intensifies as Hugo Chavez’s anti- Israel rhetoric brings about violent acts against the Jews of Venezuela. The question remains: will Chavez’s government protect its Jewish citizens? What should our response to these acts against the Jewish people be in our day? Traditionally we fast on the eve of Purim to gain a spiritual connection to Esther, hoping in some way we can emulate this heroine, standing up for the rights of others in order to bring peace and justice to our world. Purim’s message is that we have the power ourselves to bring about such change. In fact, nowhere in the Book of Esther does the name of God appear. The efforts to save the Jews and transform the world are solely human efforts. When Haman’s name is said, yes, we are to make noise and drown out that name. Equally when a “Haman” appears we are to make the sounds of righteousness to drown out the sounds of hatred. In our day we must make that noise not with groggers but with social action, “political noise,” if you will, that will make a difference. This year I ask that we commemorate Purim not only with costume and parade but that we also address as a congregation its call for justice, its call that we stand up for ourselves! When Mordechai knew there was a threat to the Jews, he did not sit on the sidelines waiting to see what would be and neither can we. He chose to act and we must as well. I encourage all of you to write to your senators and members of Congress about the unacceptable actions in Venezuela. I encourage you to write to Washington’s Catholic Bishop Donald Weirl to express our appreciation for his efforts to ensure that Bishop Williamson recant his statements about the Holocaust. Silence is a complacency we know we cannot afford. Most of all, on this Purim I hope that we will reach out to those in need, Jew and non-Jew alike. The Book of Esther proscribes “ the sending of portions one individual to another and gifts to the poor” (9:22). These gifts, called Mshloach manot, “sending portions,” remind us that it is our religious call to care for those in need. This Purim, our costume will not be made from only tinsel and love, but of righteousness as well, fashioned in the image of Esther who long ago taught us:“Kol Israel arevim zeh b’ zeh-All of Israel is responsible on for another.” Join us in that time- honored responsibility as we in our day seek to blot out evil once again! Shalom, Rabbi M. Bruce Lustig