Adar is a month of turning things upside down. It’s a time to acknowledge, in both the most serious and silly of ways, the topsy-turvy nature of life. In the Purim story, one of the main themes is ‘v’nahafokh hu’ - the opposite happened. In the Book of Esther, we read about how the Jews prevailed when the decree was to kill them, how Mordechai was appointed to leadership when it had been Haman. Everything that wasn’t expected to occur did happen, and all worked out well for the Jews of Shushan.
Now, we celebrate the entire month of Adar as a time filled with joy, and we are filled with the knowledge that things worked out well. But in the Adar that the story was about, the Adar when Jews were worried about a decree against them, it was a time of total darkness and fear. They weren’t filled with joy and they didn’t have any assurance that it would work out well.
Even though we are meant to feel a sense of abundant joy as we celebrate Purim, I think we aren’t meant to entirely forget the experience of those who experienced the original holiday. The difficulty is how to hold both at the same time. Especially this year, this week, I’m trying to navigate that balance. As Memphians currently experiencing total upside-down-ness of our city and our water and our schools, how do we feel the pain and ongoing frustration and also the hope that we will be able to feel joy?
Amidst difficulty, we can’t simply say “all will work out well!” That doesn’t acknowledge the reality of our experience nor does it help us get through with a sense of hope. But the joy of the Purim story, the way that the Jews prevailed, the way that the opposite happened, it can hopefully bolster us with the knowledge that we will emerge on the other side, that this will pass. We learn from Adar and from Purim that things will be turned around again.
Last Purim, the pandemic had not yet hit Memphis but we were certainly aware of its emergence. It was only a week later that we closed our doors to large gatherings. It has been a year of total v’nahafokh hu, everything upside down. Nothing has been what we’ve expected. Nothing has been what we could’ve prepared for (who even owns a snow shovel?!). And yet, amidst all of that, I try to remember that, like the Jews of Shushan, we will emerge on the other side. We will bear our scars and we will all have important stories to share from this time. But I pray that next Purim, we as a community will be on the other side, we will feel abundant joy.
Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Sarit
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