Purim, certainly joyous, also a serious holiday
Purim is a serious holiday. Joyous, yes, but serious too. With that in mind, I bring to your attention the gifted author and lecturer, Rabbi Evan Hoffman, and his wonderful and learned essay, “Purim and the Struggle Between Nationalists and Moderates.”
“Over the past few years my focus has been on the late Second Temple period and the early rabbinic period (200 BCE to 250 CE),” he told me in an interview several years ago. “I really enjoy examining and researching rabbinic literature as prime source material in the study of Jewish history. It is a very sensitive subject inasmuch as not all passages can be taken at face value or even presumed to be accurate depictions of the past. The key is to understand why the sages, or an individual sage, said what they did in the proper historical and chronological context.”
I asked about his Purim essay. What was the nature of that struggle and how does it affect the way we observe Purim today?
“Purim postdates the Torah. Considering the commandment not to add or to subtract from the Torah, it was a serious question in antiquity whether or not a new holiday could be added to the Jewish calendar.
“Furthermore, some of the characters in the Purim story do not conduct themselves as religious Jews should. The heroine is involved in intermarriage. The story is very secular, with the total absence of the name of G-d in the Book of Esther, the Megillah. There are those who questioned the historicity of the whole story.
“All of these ‘obstacles’ had to be overcome before the holiday could be firmly established as a religious feast on the Jewish calendar with the Book of Esther included in its rightful place in the canon of the Bible.”
Rabbi Hoffman, spiritual leader of Congregation Anshe Sholom in New Rochelle, continues with more telling observations:
“However, the most serious obstacle facing Purim was the fact that it glorifies anti-gentile violence and advocates a robust military response by Jews to the threat of anti-Semitism. Some of the politically moderate rabbis of the Mishnaic era were a bit squeamish about promoting such lessons. The nationalistic rabbis doubled down on their support of Purim and increased the number of observances associated with the holiday. Ultimately, the nationalists won.
“Purim as we know it incorporates the erasure of Haman and the cursing of enemies. Throughout our history there have been moments when Purim revelry got out of hand and brought danger to the Jewish community. In certain times and places the gentile authorities set limits on the kind of celebrations we could conduct. This episode, too, deserves closer study in the years ahead.”
A version of the column was previously published.
Write: Columnist@TheJewishStar.com
