They are not a few years, the history of the people, as well as the history of the people of Israel, is related to the moments in which they wanted to annihilate us, but the essence of the people is reborn to survive and triumph. Let me briefly outline the story so as not to bore you with the details.
Once upon a time in Persia there was a king named Ahasuerus, (5th century BC) who had a wife named Vashti. She did not obey his orders even though he offered her a unicorn as a gift. So the king organized a party and sent for her, dressed only with her own crown on her head. Surprise! Or premonition! She didn’t want to go. Ahasuerus follows the advice of her ministers and orders her killed. He organizes a beauty contest to replace her and another surprise, the winner was Ester, a Jew who hid her identity more than a spy on a secret mission.
Meanwhile, an evil guy named Haman wanted to exterminate all the Jews, a senseless and irrational hatred, but mainly because one of them, Mordecai, wouldn’t bow to him. Divine designs did not fail and Haman ended up hanging on the gallows that he himself had prepared to hang Mordejay. How ironic!
Irony is what we celebrate, it is not only the fact that Haman existed 2,350 years ago, but that in each generation another Haman arises with the will to annihilate Israel. They can do a lot of damage, but ironically time and time again we emerge victorious.
Culturally, Israel has learned to use irony as a powerful tool to question social norms, established values. Celebrating irony involves recognizing and appreciating the ability to reveal contradictions and absurdities in society.
The ironic person loves self-criticism and dares to talk about his own problems even in turbulent times, without prejudice.
With all this, Purim is fun and entertaining because it involves enjoying ingenuity and creativity, it involves finding a hidden meaning to the contradiction that we are a very united people and very concerned about others, and at the same time, where there are two Jews, There are three opinions.
On Purim, they eat triangle-shaped cakes that represent eating the tyrant Haman’s hat. But cupcakes remind us to be willing to see things from a three-dimensional perspective where the center is us, who should enjoy it.
Finally, we discover a scroll containing the story of Queen Esther that we have read and passed down from generation to generation. In the letter and spirit of it we find the method, the form and the faith to defeat our adversaries. Which perhaps rings true even today.
This is how Jews celebrate Purim on March 23 and 24, 2024, with joy, dressing up, eating hamentashen (those delicious cookies) and remembering how the story of Esther saved them from a villain as foolish as he was ambitious. And since then, every Purim, these events are told with laughter and celebration for the whole family.
