Purim is soon upon us. Get out your groggers … your noisemakers. Get out your Megillat Esther … your copy of the Book of Esther. Get out your costumes. Make a list of what you need to make up your Gift Baskets. And, find that recipe so you can whip up a batch of homemade Hamentashen, those luscious triangular pastries filled with poppy seeds, prunes, cherries or (nowadays) even chocolate.
Wow, that sure sounds like an awful lot of preparation to do for one holiday, a minor festival at that. But, just as each week we prepare for Shabbat, it is important that we take the time to prepare for the holidays and festivals — even the minor ones — and, if it is important that we prepare for the minor ones, how much more important is it that we take lots of time to prepare for the major festivals.
The word Purim comes from ancient Persian and refers to “lots,” as in picking from a lottery. When we take part in the lottery here in Sunny Florida, we hope and pray that our number should be chosen, that we should win the drawing. But when you read the Book of Esther, you learn that there are times when having your number come up can hurt a lot. In fact, the story shows us that a lottery can destroy your life and can endanger the lives of your entire family.
Who among us haven’t read the story of those who have won the lottery and become instant millionaires or multi-millionaires only to see their lives destroyed — someone who finds that the winning ticket that seemed to fulfill a lifetime wish wound up leaving them with less than they had before?
I have certainly seen families torn apart by such a lottery — sons who no longer talk to parents, parents who wind up divorced not just from their children, but from their spouse of many years.
In the Sayings of Our Fathers, it is asked, “Who is truly rich?” and the answer given is “One who is happy with their lot … with what they already possess.”
The other day, I was sitting at the bank waiting to talk with the Branch Manager as I needed a little advice from her. While I was waiting, a woman sitting near me started kvetching about how bad our economy is and how the world has never been worse off.
I wanted to tell her, “Hey lady, the two of us are sitting here in a bank in Boca Raton, Florida, where we both have accounts. I think we need to realize just how much we are blessed with because, as things go, we have a lot.”
Of course, she was in a pessimistic mood and a pessimist sees the glass as half empty. When I told her that I thought we were blessed, she said that I must be an eternal optimist who always sees the glass as half full. But I am not always as optimistic as I would like to be so I am so thankful that I read the advice of a very wise man, David Kaufman, who wrote, “Stop asking if the glass is half full or half empty.” Instead, ask, “What is in the glass and what can I do with it?”
You see my friends, Purim is about lots and, every once-in-a-while, we need to be reminded that we have a lot more than we ever realize. Have a Joyous Purim and remember Passover falls just one month later so start preparing.
Shalom My Friends,
Rabbi Craig H. Ezring
Rabbi Ezring is a Hospice Chaplain and Member of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains. He also provides Professional Pastoral Care Services to a number of health centers in Broward County.
