One of the most fun components of Purim is its topsy-turvy nature. We wear costumes to take on new identities, we act silly no matter our age, and we embrace a playfulness that we often don’t. This idea comes from a part of the Purim story:
וּבִשְׁנֵים עָשָׂר חֹדֶשׁ הוּא־חֹדֶשׁ אֲדָר בִּשְׁלוֹשָׁה עָשָׂר יוֹם בּוֹ אֲשֶׁר הִגִּיעַ דְּבַר־הַמֶּלֶךְ וְדָתוֹ לְהֵעָשׂוֹת בַּיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר שִׂבְּרוּ אֹיְבֵי הַיְּהוּדִים לִשְׁלוֹט בָּהֶם וְנַהֲפוֹךְ הוּא אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁלְטוּ הַיְּהוּדִים הֵמָּה בְּשֹׂנְאֵיהֶם. And so, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month—that is, the month of Adar—when the king’s command and decree were to be executed, the very day on which the enemies of the Jews had expected to get them in their power, the opposite happened, and the Jews got their enemies in their power. (Esther 9:1)
This phrase - v’nahafokh hu - ‘the opposite happened’ - is often used to guide the absurdity of our Purim celebrations. But in the Megillah, it really means that the unexpected scenario is what unfolded. The Jewish girl turns into royalty, then becomes the heroine of the story overturning the evil decree. The Jews - the minority - are triumphant, and a day that would have been one of fasting, mourning, and devastation is transformed to one of joy and celebration.
I have been thinking a lot about this type of unexpected scenario unfolding as we have watched the horrors increase in Ukraine. So much of our own history as Jews sits on this land. And in particular, 1 million Jews were murdered in Ukraine during the Holocaust, including most of one family that had four sons. Three of them were murdered and one survived the atrocities of the Shoah, and he bore a grandson who was democratically elected president of Ukraine in 2019. His Jewishness was essentially a nonissue during his campaign. His grandparents never would have imagined his victory; indeed, the unexpected scenario unfolded.
These last two weeks have been full of fear and devastation as the invasion of Ukraine has intensified. But we know that the unexpected outcome is possible. Zelensky and the Ukrainian people have already demonstrated tremendous resiliency. Purim’s message of v’nahafokh hu gives up hope that in an upside-down, messy world, there can be unlikely outcomes. There can be justice and peace, there can be democracy. The decree of the evil Haman, one born out of senseless hatred, was overturned. Decrees, in our day, too, can be overturned. I pray that our own Purim celebrations in the coming week bring about all kinds of overturning. I pray that the joy of our Purim celebrations will be paralleled by joy around the world, by freedom from all oppression, and the reminder to each of us, in our own lives and for all people, that the unexpected and unlikely outcome is always possible.
