CHOOSE TO SHINE

Have you heard about the biggest party in the world? Let me describe it for you. With all due respect to Elan Kornblum’s Kosher Food and Wine Expo, this one has even got KFWE beat. Instead of one night, the schedule is for half a year. Yes, that’s right. It is a six-month party.  No expense is spared, and the finest delicacies are on the menu. The wine list includes rare vintages which are decades old. The party planning committee alone is the A team, and every celebrity, every government official, everyone who is anyone is in attendance. The food has a reliable certification, as do the wines. The highest standards of kashrus are observed.

Do you wonder how far the price tag might set you back, even if you were able to take off six months to go to such an extravagant event? As they say, if you have to ask, don’t. But this one is an inclusive shindig. Everyone, I mean, every single person everywhere, is on the invite list. Nobody is stopped at the door. It is a non-stop celebration. Are you ready for the price tag?

The entire party, from beginning to end, with everything you can possibly imagine included for the full 180 day schedule is… absolutely free.  One caveat – although every item of food and drink has the most reliable certification of kashrus, there is a warning about the event from the top Rav and Dayan of the generation. He stresses in no uncertain terms that this party is off limits for G-d fearing people, and that there are no dispensations for hardships of any kind. It is absolutely forbidden to attend. No ifs, ands, or buts. Case closed.

There is one more thing to keep in mind if you are still interested. You are about 2500 years too late. This actually happened in Persia, under King Achashveirosh. The story of Purim is well known. The Jewish people disregarded Mordechai’s warnings to avoid the party. The King insisted that they come to celebrate with him. It was too much of a challenge to overcome, and they ignored the advice of their greatest sage, to tremendous peril.  This is how the fascinating tale of Megillas Esther begins, and it was only through hidden miracles that our nation was saved from complete genocide.

What lessons can we learn from this ancient story which might apply to the 21st century? What is the meaning of Purim, and how do its lessons affect our daily lives? Why is it important to observe this holiday with special prayers, giving a half shekel, reading the megillah, dispensing charity, and sending food packages to friends? Why do we dress up, and what is the deeper meaning here?

Unlike Chanukah, which was a battle for our spirituality, the threat on Purim was physical. Achashveirosh’s party was all about physical pleasures. The decree enacted against us was about eliminating our physical existence. The hidden miracle still required that we fight back physically to protect ourselves and our families. Haman did not care about us learning Torah or keeping mitzvos – he wanted to wipe us off the planet.

The way we commemorate this special holiday is with physical observances. We donate to the poor, we send gifts to others, we dress up, and we read the megillah. We don masks because Hashem masked his influence in those events. Our salvation looked like it could have been via natural means, yet we realize and celebrate Hashem’s involvement in our salvation.

We teach our children the joy of living as a Jew, even now in the 21st century. We sing, we dance, and we elevate ourselves in thanks to the One who saves us in every generation. The half shekel teaches us that everyone matters, that we need each other to complete our mission on Earth. We read the megillah to commemorate the story as if it were happening now, which it is. Persia is where Iran is now, and they continue to openly spew their hatred and threats of physical attacks against Israel. The Purim story reminds us of our true purpose and not to get lost in meaningless luxuries and constant distractions.