by Shlomit Cohen, AARC Beit Sefer Director
Judaism acknowledges the importance of our feelings: the Oy’s and the Ah! moments in our daily life, for example, by giving space and yearly practice to grief, in the month of Av, and to happiness and joy in the month of Adar.
About the month of Adar – the month of Purim – the rabbis- (חז״ל) wrote:
״משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה״
When Adar enters, we increase in joy.
But Jewish writings have also asked the question regarding Adar: how can we order someone to be happy, and to rejoice? Especially in difficult times?
The answer might be, specifically in challenging times like these, that we need to remind ourselves to rejoice and to be happy, as the Purim holiday teaches us:
- To congregate and gather as a community – the importance of being together! (In contrast to what we all learned during pandemic about the pain of loneliness.)
- To make some noise when we hear the name of the wicked man – Haman.
- To play music as an expression of joy.
- To move and shake our bodies with dancing.
- To be silly – by putting on costumes!
- To each delicious food – the sweet Hamentashen and sending the mishloach manot to friends and relatives, and the poor. Caring for the other is a joy!
- And even to drink – עד דלא ידע (until one does not know)
Our Purim costumes teach us the importance of being uplifted from the sorrow and pain of life, not by withdrawing from it, but with a sense of humor. And we have a whole month to practice it yearly!
And we cannot forget the importance of Jewish humor – our shared way of dealing with reality with a laughing eye. By practicing rituals and observing the holidays, we acknowledge and turn the difficult times in our shared history into a great gathering culminating in a festive meal.
Purim specifically and the month of Adar are great reminders for us to be happy! To have faith in God’s willing, good connections and a brilliant scheme, as Mordechai and Queen Esther teach us. That’s how bad luck can turn into good fortune. “Pur” – luck – can be changed.
This year the AARC had bad luck or the misfortune of not reserving a space for our Purim celebration in advance. So instead of canceling the holiday all together, we decided to celebrate it twice, even three times!
- First with the AARC Purim Kabbalat Shabbat – Friday night service on February 27, 6:30pm to 9:00pm
- Second with a gathering for a Hamentashen baking party on Saturday, February 28 with a potluck at Carol Lessure and Jon Engleburt’s house, a long tradition for over ten years.
- Third, on Sunday March 1 at Beit Sefer, the AARC religious school.
The kids read the megillah – in English! – make noise when the name Haman is said, and act out a purim shpiel (that took them 3 weeks of writing and preparation!). There will be song, dance, a costume parade, a questionnaire/quiz with prizes, Hamentashen… and more
The month of Adar is a truly happy, joyfully time of year! Happy Purim!
Above: the AARC celebrating Purim in 2024
Above: the AARC celebrating Purim in 2016
