Adar, Purim, The Month of Joy

I had a very different post in my head that I may write in the future, but since today is the first of the Jewish Month of Adar, 5778, I decided that it wouldn't be appropriate.

We'll be celebrating Purim in two weeks or less depending on where you live. Purim is a Jewish Holiday which celebrates Gd's presence even when we don't see Him directly. The Megillat Ester, Scroll of Esther, which is read twice each Purim day, doesn't mention the Name of Gd.  But if you read the narrative carefully, you see that Gd is protecting the Jewish People behind the scenes.

It's the real Holiday of Joy, because we are commanded to be optimistic and trust Gd. This is not to be done passively. Purim is not a holiday to stand on the sidelines. We must act, even fight if necessary. When we do fight, Gd will help us. We also must pray and help other Jews.

Here in Shiloh, we celebrate two days of Purim, the regular one and what's known as Shushan Purim, which is the following day. I've heard the Megillah read over 140 times since moving to Shiloh, and the readings were all very clear and easy to follow. We, the Jewish People, have been celebrating the holiday for thousands of years, one of the proofs that we are the People of This Land and of the Bible.

At the end of the Megillah, we're commanded to give food gifts to our neighbors, and we do it to this day. Every time I hear it, I feel totally connected to the narrative in the Megillah. We read and listen to the story and follow the commandments, the same as Jews did two thousand years ago.

"When Adar begins, joy enters..."