In the book of Esther, we read that there are two different dates to read Megillah. One date if you live in an ancient walled city, another for the rest of us. And in the Mishna, this confusion is enhanced by a teaching stating that we can actually read the Megillah on five different dates. The rabbis of the Mishna wanted to ensure people read Megillah and celebrated Purim in community, and so they wanted to enable folks to celebrate on market days (Monday/Thursday) when they were already coming to town.
In fact, the Megillah itself makes a bold claim on the necessary inclusivity of Purim celebrations: Consequently, these days are recalled and observed in every generation, by every single family, by every single province, and every single city. These days of Purim shall never cease among the Jews, and the memory of them shall never perish among their descendants (Esther 9:28). Purim, more than most of our other holidays, because of the nature of the story, requires us to be together, to celebrate together. In the Talmudic era, the rabbis mandated that priestly activity come to a halt to celebrate Purim. Priests offering sacrifices stopped what they were doing to join everyone - rich and poor, old and young - to read Megillah and celebrate Purim together.
Most of us might not think about Purim as the holiday of Jewish peoplehood, but for the rabbis of the Talmud, it was imperative to celebrate together to make the importance of Jewish unity clear. Throughout the past year, I’ve spoken and written about the need to double down on our Jewish identity and commitment in the face of antiSemitism. But I think the wisdom of the rabbis feels particularly meaningful here. Come Monday evening, we will gather at shul and read the Megillah, a story about Jewish communal survival, a story about a group of people who wanted to destroy the Jews and a government that almost let them. It’s a story about Jews who came together and refused to let the haters win.
So this coming Monday, we will come together again. We won’t come together in order to worry about Jewish survival or to speak of antiSemitism. Quite the opposite. We will come together in the way that Purim asks us to - with unbridled joy, with frivolity, with celebration. On this holiday of Jewish unity and Jewish peoplehood, I hope that you will join us - people of all ages and stages - to celebrate what it means to be one, strong people. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Sarit
Please note: Congregations all over the country are being scammed, with fake email addresses being created with the rabbi’s name. Please do not respond to a note from me asking for a favor to send money or purchase gift cards. All email from me will come to you from this address - RabbiSarit@bsholom.org - and not any other (like gmail), even if the name in your inbox says “Rabbi Sarit Horwitz.”
