Purim: the pursuit of joy not “oy”

bonded together in slavery. They were united by oppression, by backbreaking labour. But there is another, more exalted, dimension to Jewish identity, and that happened at Mount Sinai! We became a nation brought together by a shared vision and a set of ideals.

This was a bond of revelation that defines the Jewish people not as the object of persecution, but rather as the subject of a unique calling to become G-d’s ambassadors and to partner with Him to build a gracious, just and beautiful world. We survived Egypt. The revelation at Mount Sinai urges us to thrive.

When Jewish tradition mandates that we celebrate Purim on the fourteenth of Adar, it reveals something profoundly important: the Purim celebration is about the day after survival! It is about thriving and celebrating our ideals.

can become a nation. The first is when they face a common enemy. Like animals who gather in herds to ward off predators, the persecuted come together for mutual protection, knowing that only by so doing can they survive.

There is another rather different form of association: when a people come together because they share a dream to build a just society through collaborative action. The first form of nation-building is motivated by fear, whilst the second is inspired by hope. Both bind, but the metaphorical glue is very different.

These are not just two kinds of groups, but in the most profound sense, they express two different ways of living. The first is assembled by external pressures, while the second is propelled by internal resolve. The first is a response to the traumas of the past, while the second is motivated by aspirations for the future.

Jews have been formed as a people in both ways. Our ancestors in Egypt were

The mere fact that we survived Haman’s decree of genocide is a cause for relief, not joy. Evading persecution is not the defining factor in Jewish life. Our survival is what enables us to change the world. In Judaism, without doubt, the emphasis should not be solely on the Oy but emphatically on the Joy!

The exact positioning of the date of Purim on our calendar conveys a central truth about the Jewish way of life. We are defined not by what others do to us, but by the task we have chosen to undertake, and the beautiful world we are called upon to create.