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Shalom and greetings:
In our tour through the Jewish calendar this year, March 24. 2016, brings us Purim in the Month of Adar. The Talmud teaches that 'When Adar arrives, our joy increases."
The story of Purim is related in the Book of Esther in the Bible. Esther's Hebrew name was Hadassah, meaning Myrtle. The word Purim comes from the Hebrew word for "lots." Haman, the antagonist in the story, cast lots to find the ''best day'' to kill all the Persian Jews. This took place in Babylon while under Persian rule. For the most part, Persians were good to the Jews who were taken there in captivity in 586 B.C.E. by the Babylonians. Seventy years later when the Persians conquered the Babylonians they allowed Ezra and the Hebrews to return to Judea and Jerusalem and eventually re build the destroyed Temple. Few actually left. So the Persian Empire became a place for Jews, Judaism, our rabbis and Talmudic academies to develop out of the ashes of the Hebraic Temple. Purim takes place a hundred or so years after Ezra returned to Jerusalem. Judea was a vassal state under Persian control.
The spiritual aspect of Purim is that God's name is never mentioned in the entire Book of Esther, yet we can see His Hand on almost every page. He is never hidden from us, but He was hidden from Haman, So we wear masks to remember this in costume party celebration.
Haman was from the tribe of Amalek and Hebrews have a commandment to 'blot out' Amalek. And while the Purim story ends well for the Jews, a close reading near the close of "Esther'' shows some bloody battles. The rabbis did not want us to celebrate a "They tried to kill us. We won. Let's eat," holiday. So instead of blotting out Haman and his followers with swords, when we hear the name Haman read in the Scroll of Esther on Purim, we blot him out with noisemakers. That is a wonderful lesson for a world that seems to be endlessly at war.
As spiritually renewed Jews and people, the major spiritual lesson is to never forget that God is always with us. The Talmud teaches: "Even when a sword is at your neck, do not give up hope." A Joyous Adar to all!
Rabbi Arthur Segal is an international lecturer, author, and teacher. Visit him at www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.org . Email at RabbiASegal@aol.com
www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.com/books www.FaceBook.com/Arthur.L.Segal www.FaceBook.com/RabbiArthurSegalJewishSpiritualRenewal www.RabbiArthurSegal.blogspot.com
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