Purim, a lesson in being who we are

Rabbi Uri Goren

Do not invite someone who has never been at a Jewish worship service for Purim. That is kind of the standard rule. You see, Purim is a time when our service is more like a carnival than a worship experience. Of course there are the liturgical components. However, everyone wears a costume, kids run around the sanctuary and make noise. Actually, everyone makes noise when the name of the bad guy, Haman, is mentioned. If you want to know all of the details just read the Book of Esther.

In it, we are told of this nice, beautiful Jewish girl that marries the king and decides, following the advice of his uncle Mordechai, not to tell the king that she is Jewish. Mordechai happens, as the story goes, to have heard of a plot to kill the king. He tells the king, and the traitors we put to death. As it happens the prime minister, Haman, hated the Jewish people. He also had a big ego and asked the king to give the order that everyone should bow down to him. So the king did.

But Mordechai refused to bow down to the prime minister. In Judaism it is forbidden to bow down to a person. Haman decided to teach a lesson and persuaded the king to kill all of the Jews. When Mordechai became aware of the order he told Esther, the king’s wife to tell him that if he allowed all the Jews to die she will die too. Jumping a few chapters ahead, well, we the Jewish people are still here! So you can guess how the story ended. Haman was sentenced to death by the king.

The lesson of the book of Esther is very powerful. It is simply wrong to hide who we are! In today’s world people live afraid of being who they are. Whether it is because of the color of their skin, sexual orientation, place of birth, religious beliefs or the absence of those beliefs. People need not to be afraid for being who they are. We are all humans and we all have the same color in our blood.

When will we stop hating, like Haman did, just because “we don’t like…?”

God has given us the ability to choose to love, care, accept and respect everyone. Purim always reminds me to be who I am, and not to hide it, because no matter how much I may try I will always be who I am.

May Purim remind the entire Jewish community never, ever to hide who we are, and never ever ask someone else to do so.

With respect and admiration for everyone’s uniqueness.

I remain,

– Rabbi Goren