CyberTorah

CyberTorah:  Imagination and Hope

The frivolity and play of Purim leads us directly to Passover.  Purim is all about rediscovering our imagination.  In the darkness of winter, our capacity for hope is weakened.  Pharaoh continues to afflict us, making us feel pressured to work harder to secure financial security or professional success.  Purim reconnects us to imagination and therefore to hope.

There are four commandments associated with Purim and one practice.  We are commanded to hear the entirety of the Megillat Esther, the story of Esther.  This story reminds us that darkness turns to light, that hope can be found even in darkness.  And it reminds us that humor and celebration is one way to free ourselves of Pharaoh. 

We are commanded to give gifts of food to our friends.  In this mitzvah we see a wonderful opposite to the practices around Halloween.  Instead of demanding treats from others, we give treats.  This practice of Mishloakh Manot, of gifts to one another, reasserts communal connections.  It is a way of tangibly building connections within our community. 

We are commanded to celebrate with a meal and drink.  Drink can be a destructive force in people's lives; it can also function as a social lubricant.  Purim celebrations are about laughter and joy.  Drink becomes a vehicle of discovering anew our capacity to lay aside our burdens and to laugh together.  The practice of dressing up in costume functions similarly by letting our imagination run free. We can pretend to be someone else and in so doing discover something new within us.

Finally, we are commanded to give food to those in need.  If we are going to rediscover hope, we need to help others.  God gives to Abraham the power to bless others.  Purim invites us to rediscover our own capacity to be a blessing in the lives of others.  When we have that realization, we have taken the first step towards freedom.  A redeemed life means knowing that our actions matter and that we can make a difference for blessing in the world around us.

As we move towards Pesach, as our imagination rekindles our hope, our own ability to help others becomes paramount.  When we can assist others in discovering freedom from hunger, we remind ourselves of the wide open land that lies in front of us.  For this reason, I call your attention to the American Jewish World Service's Global Hunger Shabbat occurring March 19-20th. 

Alongside dozens of other communities, we are reminding ourselves that we can make a difference in the world around us.  Hunger and poverty remain crushing oppressive forces in much of the world.  Donating to AJWS is one way to reconnect with our own ability to be a blessing.  It's a way to remember that we can be part of the process of bringing light into darkness, of restoring hope amid despair. 

I hope  that we are all still enjoying the glow of joy and laughter from Purim.  I pray that this rediscovery of imagination reminds us of our ability and responsibility to be a blessing in the world around us.  If that happens, we really are one step closer to the redemption promised by Pesach.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi David Booth