What is the most serious holiday on the Jewish calendar? Most would assume that the answer is Yom Kippur. After all, it is the day of atonement. Yet, our sages point out that the day’s biblical name, Yom HaKippurim, can be read as K’ Purim. In Hebrew the prefix “Kaf” is used to mean “like.” So, Yom HaK’Purim means a day that is like Purim but not quite on the level. How can Purim possibly be more significant than Yom Kippur?
To understand this, we must appreciate what the real story of Purim is. The Jewish people were exiled from Israel. Assimilation was becoming a serious issue. The strong desire to be accepted by the gentile society (Babylonian and then Persian) was quite compelling, overtaking even a basic sense of self-dignity. (See https://www.chabadneworleans.com/templates/blog/post.asp?aid=1203266&PostID=52861&p=1 for more on this idea.) Their Jewish identity was slipping beyond their grasp due to their ill-advised choices from within and the societal pressures from without.
Haman’s decree was a wake-up call. It simply reminded them that no matter how many country-clubs they belonged to or how many political donations they made, they were still viewed as different. This recognition awakened within the Jewish people a visceral association with their Jewish identity, shaping their response to the looming threat of genocide against them.
Of course they activated their lobbying machines. Certainly they engaged in dialogue and sought allyship. But only after they took care of the underlying issue, the disconnect from their core identity as Jews. Esther instructed Mordechai, “go and gather all of the Jews” so that they would fast and pray and reconnect to Hashem. He also gathered thousands of children and taught them what it means to be a Jew who is proud and connected to Hashem.
The result was a salvation that spawned the joyous holiday of Purim. But don’t let the merriment fool you. Purim is the most serious holiday on the Jewish calendar. In a post-October 7 world, the message of Purim resonates even greater with us.
This Purim let us celebrate in joyous seriousness. Let us embrace our core identity as Jews, not allowing external distractions to pull us away from who we are.
Shabbat Shalom and Happy Purim
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin