More Purim

We get the weekly newsletter from our daughter's Jewish day school/community center and they don't have links to it on their website but I really look forward to the small teachings.

Shabbat Zachor and the Last Laugh

This Shabbat is "Shabbat Zachor" - "The Remember Sabbath." It always comes just before Purim, and is one of the special Sabbaths on which there is a special reading in addition to the normal chronological readings of the Torah on Shabbat. The special reading is from Deuteronomy, Chapter 25 - and is about the traditional enemy of the Biblical Jews, the Amalekites:
"Remember what Amalek did to you on the way, upon your departure from Egypt . . . he surprised you on the march, when you were famished and weary, and cut down all the stragglers in the rear. . . . You shall blot out the memory of Amalek from beneath the heavens - you shall not forget."
Putting aside the odd commandment that we are to wipe out the memory of the Amalekites and remember them at the same time, this Torah Reading has come to encapsulate the very idea of Jewish suffering at the hands of others. Amalek was a specific Biblical tribe, but it has come to symbolize the great enemies of the Jews. Tradition tells us that Torquemada, the mastermind of the Spanish Inquisition, and even Hitler were both descendants of Amalek. And, of course, the Evil Haman - the great enemy of the Jews in the Book of Esther which is the basis of the holiday of Purim - is called "the Aggagite," after the enemy of the Jews in the time of King Saul, Agag, the King of the Amalekites.
The brilliance of the Book of Esther is that the story is actually told comically - and broadly at that. The celebration of Purim is one of great humor and frivolity in the age old tradition of springtime release, frivolity and drinking that is as old as time itself. Carnival, Chinese New Year, Saint Patrick's Day, and even Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale are actually all a part of that same ancient tradition! And for Jews, Humor is an essential part of the celebration. Costumes, Purim Schpiels (humorous skits, often political or topical), Purim Humor and drinking all add to the celebration, illustrating an essential strength of the Jewish people in the face of tragedy - our ability to laugh.
This year, Purim begins Saturday night - immediately at the end of Shabbat Zachor.
Purim Allegre (Happy Purim)