Purim: Embracing our Mission

On Purim we spin our groggers, blotting out the name of Haman, the seed of the evil tribe of Amalek. What is this all about? Is it simply a performative act battling antisemitism and no more? Is the idea, “We fought our enemies, and we won?”

Absolutely not. The battle against Amalek at its core is not simply a physical battle, but a deeper battle about the values which direct our lives, personally and communally. The outer battle is a manifestation of our inner personal and collective battles we wage, and as such, are specifically spiritual in nature.

Let me explain. Who exactly are Haman’s ancestors, the Amalekites, and what do they stand for? In a word, absolutely nothing. They are a nihilistic force with a philosophy that the world has no purpose, unredeemable. Following the splitting of the Red Sea, in which the Providential hand of God was evident to all, we read that the Amalekites viciously attack the Jewish people without cause or justification. They attack a people embodying possibility and hope, a people risen from the depth of slavery on the journey to the mountain of God. Our mission is to inspire the world, and that indeed the world in which we live is sacred; and for this reason, Amalek attacked them. (The Amalekites are defeated by Joshua with God’s assistance, but we are commanded nonetheless to remember for all generations; it is the first “Never Forget.”)

Why did the Amalekites believe that they could be victorious if God were indeed with them? Sadly, it was the doubts of the Jewish people in themselves. Immediately following the splitting of the Sea, the people had a challenge. They lacked water and complained. Moses struck the rock (for the first of two times) and they received water. The place is called, masah u’merivah, ‘literally the trials and strife’, because the people asked, “Is God in our midst or not.” During trying times in our lives, we might feel hopeless and without purpose. We might despair of hope or change. We do not feel God is with us. It is at these moments that Amalek, a nation without purpose, is allowed to attack! It is the doubts in our own mission that open the door.

In the megillah there is an interesting exchange between Esther and Mordechai. Following Haman’s evil and genocidal decree, Esther inquires from Mordechai, donned in sackcloth, “What is happening?” Mordechai responds through her servant Hatach, to tell her ‘all that occurred’, et kol asher karahu (Esther 4:7). The midrash, commenting on phraseology, has Mordechai tell Esther the message ‘that we have been attacked by the grandson of ‘karahu’ (Esther Rabbah 8:5). In a play on words, Karahu we are told is Amalek, for Amalek “happened (korcha) upon you on the way” in the desert at the very moment you were famished and weary. In other words, Mordechai is explaining to Esther not only the nature of recent events but their deeper meaning. The people have been attacked again by the destructive forces of Amalek, of happenstance, of meaninglessness, of despair. The Jewish people were caught ‘famished and weary’, and therefore Haman’s plans were able to materialize.

Esther’s response is that she alone will not go to intercede before the king until the people themselves- all the people- take charge of their collective fate. She tells them to gather together in fasting, a collective act of awakening and repentance. It is this national awakening which signals the beginning of the end for Haman, and all those who supported him.

In our generation we have faced great forces of chaos and nihilistic destruction. We have sadly seen forces affiliated with ‘the grandchildren of karahu.’ While we must defend ourselves and destroy those who might destroy us, we know our response must go deeper. We must fight against a world of lies and hypocrisy, a world in which truth can be turned upside down, and nothing really means anything. Our response must surely face outward, but also inwards. We need to remember who we are and for what we fight!

Our battle is a spiritual battle. In the past year we have seen a spiritual surge in the American Jewish community, the very type of surge experienced by the Jews of Shushan long ago. Like the Jews of that time, Jews have woken up, come together and reconnected with their heritage and their roots. Jews who thought they ‘were just like everyone else’ have woken up and embraced their heritage and identity. For us, and those who stand with us, we work to build a world of holiness, of compassion, of justice and of transcendent meaning. We work to not only create worlds of security, but also worlds of peace and safety for all peace-loving people. Whether one uses the word ‘tikkun olam’ or does not, we realize the world is broken and like the megillah, God is eclipsed. It is our job to reveal God in the story, in the story of Purim and in the story of our lives. In purposeful living and sacred action, we point to another world and way of being, a world that is possible if we only collectively act upon it. In this world, the forces of Amalek have no chance at all.

Seeing recent events, whether in Israel, America or around the world, we might feel despondent. However, this despondency, this ‘raising our hands in despair,’ is the very recipe for events to continue the way they are. It is at that moment that the forces of Amalek lurk. In our personal lives, our communal activity, and even on the global stage we must look to our deep-rooted traditions and live our lives with a greater sense of purpose and meaning.

When Esther calls out, “go gather the Jews together,’ she is speaking to us, both those of Jewish birth and those who choose to live dignified lives of meaning and purpose. During these days of Purim, let us recommit to a life of kindness, purpose and connection with others and with God. The world needs this more than ever.

Let’s blot out the name of Haman not with a gragger, but with the recipe elucidated by the sage Hillel a long time ago. Let’s embrace our eternal values of Torah, service to God and others, and acts of kindness. Let’s build personal and collective worlds where the nihilistic voices of Haman never have a chance! Happy Purim!