Purim: A shiur from the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem

United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

Anti-Semitism, Renewal and Purim
By Joshua Kulp

At the end of the Book of Esther, after the Jews have been saved from Haman's evil decree, Esther and Mordecai request that the 14th and 15th of Adar be established as eternal holidays to be observed in every generation. 

The response to this request is not recorded in the Bible, but the Rabbis preserved several traditions which expressed the hesitation felt towards the holiday of Purim. Read the following two passages and ask why they felt such hesitation.

Babylonian Talmud Tractate Megillah 7a 

• Rav Shmuel the son of Yehudah said: Esther sent to the Sages, "Establish me (my holiday) for the generations! They sent back to her, "You will arouse the jealousy of the other nations." She sent back to him, "I (my holiday) is already written in the chronicles of the Medean and Persian kings.

Jerusalem Talmud Tractate Megillah 1:7, 70d 

• Eighty five elders, amongst them 30 prophets, were distressed over the following matter. They said, "It is written (in the Torah) 'These are the commandments which God commanded Moses' (Leviticus 27:34), i.e., these are the commandments which we were commanded by Moses. Thus Moses said that no prophet is permitted to institute anything new. Nevertheless, Mordecai and Esther wish to institute the new holiday of Purim.

According to the first passage, the Sages feared that by celebrating the incredible fortunes of the Jews they would arouse the anti-Semitism of the rest of the world.

• How has this fear been an ever present emotion in Jewish history?

• Can Jews celebrate their religion and uniqueness without causing jealousy and hatred amongst others?

• Can we claim that God "chose" the Jewish people and at times during our history brought salvation to the Jews without becoming prejudiced against other people?

The second passage expresses a different fear about Judaism, the fear of renewal. The Rabbis were not convinced that it was in their power to create new holidays.

• Why would they be afraid of new institutions or holidays? Does a new holiday in some way impinge upon the sanctity and uniqueness of the older traditions?

• In our day, what new holidays have been instituted? Have they always been accepted? 

• How might they still feel different from the old ones?

With these two passages in mind we might want to consider Purim in a new light. Purim is a holiday of Jewish renewal and Jewish pride, one in which our ancient relationship to God gave human beings the strength to save the Jewish people despite the inherent dangers involved. Mordecai, Esther and the leaders of the time then had the courage and healthy pride to create a new holiday, fostering a sense of Jewish renewal, which would invigorate the Jewish people in every generation to come.

If you have comments or questions about this topic and would like to further discuss the issue with the Yeshiva teachers, please contact us through our e-mail yeshcon@netvision.net.il or website http://www.uscj.org/israelcenter/yeshiva/us-yesh.htm.

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Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem
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Israel

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