On a recent family trip, we all hiked up a mountain together. It was fairly easy for the first part. But, as we neared the peak, we needed to shift to climbing vertically and using ladders to get to the next level. I asked my three-year-old if he wanted to continue or to head back down. “Tatty,” he said, “I’m going to the top. Are you coming?”
He did make it to the top. With more energy than I had, I must admit. I may be stronger, but I was no match for his youthful energy.
As we celebrate Purim, I’m reminded of this distinction between young and old. A lot of us consider Purim to be a child-oriented festival. Dressing in costume and exchanging food. Eating treats and swinging our Graggers. It all seems like child’s play.
But, what are we celebrating?
The truth is that we are observing a very important Jewish holiday. It’s the first recorded episode in which Jews were marked for absolute annihilation simply because we are Jewish. Said otherwise, we are celebrating our survival from antisemitism.
That’s a weighty issue to be commemorating. Yet, it appears that we observe this festival in a strange way. If we are recalling the horrors of antisemitism, where are the Never Again signs and the determined pleas for our rights? Where is the moment of silence for those who have perished throughout the ages?
Instead, we don costumes, sing and holler, and act as jolly as our young ones.
What’s going on?
My friend, Rabbi Dov Greenberg, director of Chabad at Stanford, noted a unique lesson from Purim’s calendar date. On other festivals, we celebrate on the day of salvation. Pesach is observed on the 15th of Nissan, the day we left Egypt. Shavuot is observed when we received the Torah.
The Megillah, however, tells us that the Jews were saved from Haman’s evil decree on the 13th of Adar. Yet, the festival is observed on the 14th of Adar. Why?
Rabbi Greenberg notes that this is intentional. Purim is a salvation from antisemitism – and we can’t be stuck in that moment. We never celebrate who we are not. We celebrate who we are. If we were to observe Purim on the 13th of Adar it would be a defensive act, defined by our enemies. Instead, we celebrate on the next day. To demonstrate that we are not defined by – nor do we live for – surviving the hate of others. We live a positive, joyful life, defined by the rich and beautiful spiritual legacy that Hashem has gifted us.
And, I may add, this is displayed not only by virtue of when we observe Purim, but also in how we celebrate Purim. By embracing the euphoric joyfulness of our youth, we tell ourselves and the world a powerful message. We don’t exist simply to disprove our haters. If antisemitism is all we fight for, we have ceded our existence to our foes. And, frankly, it’s not something our children will embrace.
Purim reminds us that being Jewish is fun, purposeful, and positive. The old Jewish pun, “They tried to kill us, we survived, let’s eat,” may sound cute. But, it really is a disservice to the drive and energy that our youth – and the young inside of all of us – aspire to.
On Purim, we remind ourselves that Judaism is bright, energetic, and fun. That’s the real reason we survived, again and again.
Purim reminds us that the old, tired ideas of worn adults need to be abandoned. Instead, adults should celebrate with the same abandon as kids many years our junior.
L’Chaim to a bright, proud, and gleeful Jewish life.