Purim is no joke! As a matter of fact we take Purim very seriously. So, you may ask, why all the revelry that makes it look eerily similar to a certain festival that just ended two weeks ago? To quote my beloved late colleague, Dr. David Kaufmann, "while they party for the heck of it, we party for the heaven of it."
The celebrating on Purim has the Halachic designation of "Kedushas Purim - the holiness of Purim," implying a certain sense of earnestness. Yet it is a time to go beyond the structures of everyday joy - "ad d'lo yada" as our sages instruct.
Somehow we manage to straddle these two seemingly opposite extremes, maintaining Kedushah, while at the same time, celebrating over the top. If you want to see how this is done, you will have to come experience it for yourself. Join us at one of the many Purim events at Chabad and learn how to party for the heaven of it.
Happy Purim and Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin