Shabbat Zakhor | Tzav
Purim, which we will celebrate tomorrow night, is a holiday full of joy and
delight for people of all ages. Whether it is dressing up in costume or
enjoying a party, Purim is fun for people of all ages. What is particularly
interesting is how one rabbi, Maimonides or the Rambam, identifies the joy that
we should be focusing on during the Purim holiday.
In his masterful code of Jewish law, the Rambam writes about the four
mitzvot of Purim. The first is the importance of reading the Megillah, the
story related in the Book of Esther. The Rambam comments that hearing the Megillah is so important that even in the
time of the Temple, the priests would interrupt Temple services, effectively
putting up a “Come Back Later” sign, in order to ensure that all of the priests
heard the Megillah (Sefer Zemanim, Hilchot Megillah 1:1).
The second mitzvah is that one must have a
great feast, a delicious celebration that includes partying with alcohol. That
is why many people have celebratory seudot, or feasts, on the day of Purim.
The third mitzvah is that a person must send
two types of food to one another, what we know as mishloach manot, meaning
food-gifts for friends. While today people give each other small packages of
snacks, the Rambam seems to describe these gifts as something like the earliest
form of a “potluck”, where the food-gifts are supposed to supplement other
people’s parties. (Hilchot Megillah 2:15)
But what is most fascinating is how he
describes the fourth mitzvah, and that is matanot la’evyonim, or gifts to the
poor. The Rambam emphasizes that it is better for a person to spend more time
and money in giving gifts to the poor than the combined time, money, and energy
spent on sending gift baskets to friends and on one’s festive meal. And he says so in powerful
language:
"שאין שם שמחה גדולה ומפוארה אלא לשמח לב עניים
ויתומים ואלמנות וגרים,
Since there is no greater and glorious joy
than gladdening the hearts of the poor, orphans, widows, and strangers.”
Either the Rambam experientially believes
that the most joyful experience for a person is to help those who are most
vulnerable in our society - or he is declaratively telling us that we have to
enjoy helping those most vulnerable on Purim than having a party or giving
gifts to friends, because that must become a priority. Either way, it is a
moving and challenging line for each and every one of us.
Here at Anshe Emet, we prioritize all of
these mitzvot. On Purim evening and morning we will offer multiple Megillah
readings. On Purim day, we will celebrate together with a massive Purim
Carnival, one of the highlights of the year. In the morning of Purim, our
students in the Religious School will share gifts with one another, and
allocate tzedaka money that they have raised. Additionally, proceeds from the
Carnival will go towards SHMUSY’s Tikkun Olam, the charity run by our youth
that allocates money to nonprofit organizations.
May this Purim be one that involves hearing
the story of the Megillah, may it be filled with festive celebration and
partying, may it include family and friends showering gifts on one another, and
may the combined joy of all these component parts only be surpassed by how we
look out for those in our community and in our world who are most vulnerable.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David Russo
