by Rabbi Daisy Bogod of Mosaic Liberal Synagogue

I have a confession (wrong religion?) – forced fun makes me feel deeply awkward, uncomfortable, and irritated. The Jewish festival of Purim demands participatory theatre akin to pantomime as we ‘boo’ the villainous Haman and cheer the heroic Esther and Mordechai in our retelling of the story, which would be fine were it not for the addition of fancy dress and excessive alcohol consumption. It is not only the day of the festival itself which is a time for revelry: the Talmud teaches that ‘when Adar [the month Purim is in] begins, one increases rejoicing’ (b. Taanit 29a). The entire month is supposed to be a time of joy.

The source for this proclamation comes from the Book of Esther itself: the commandment to observe ‘the same days on which the Jews enjoyed relief from their foes’ turns into the ‘same month that had been transformed for them from one of grief and mourning to one of festive joy’ (Esther 9:22).

There is certainly something to be said about how our mindset impacts our emotional state, but it is also reductive and dismissive to expect people to ‘think’ themselves happy. After all, the war in Israel and Gaza, rising far-right political popularity and our burning planet are deeply serious and scary issues. I understand the need for frivolity, for letting go and embracing the topsy-turvy that Purim and the Book of Esther invite of us. But it is a deeply complicated story, even before we get to the massacre in Chapter 9 which is often unengaged with in mainstream celebrations or, worse, embraced as divinely sanctioned precedent.

The redemption of Purim comes for me partly from the second half of the above verse of Esther, used as a basis for demanding joy. It says: ‘They were to observe them as days of feasting and merrymaking, and as an occasion for sending gifts to one another and offerings for those in need’ (Esther 9:22). The final way of marking the occasion is through acts that benefit the vulnerable.

Rabbi John Rayner wrote in a sermon delivered at the Liberal Jewish Synagogue in 1987

‘So tonight let us let our hair down. Just for twenty-four hours let us enter the fairy-tale world of make-believe, where right is clearly recognised as right and wrong as wrong, and the victory of the children of light over the children of darkness is instantaneous and overwhelming. And when Purim is over, let us come down to earth and strive, in spite of all the ambiguities and complexities of the real world, patiently and ploddingly to bring the fulfilment of that vision a little nearer.’⁽¹⁾

Purim can offer us a much needed break from reality, as long as we simplify the narrative. Perhaps by doing this we are better placed the next day to embrace the complexities of the story and our world, and commit to making it a better place particularly for the most vulnerable.

Purim might be over, but work is not.

⁽¹⁾ - https://lbc.ac.uk/direct-archives/sermons/S880-S929/906.pdf