The Celebration Of Purim

The Celebration Of Purim

Esther 9:18-22 NKJV

[18] But the Jews who were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day, as well as on the fourteenth; and on the fifteenth of the month they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness. [19] Therefore the Jews of the villages who dwelt in the unwalled towns celebrated the fourteenth day of the month of Adar with gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and for sending presents to one another. [20] And Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters to all the Jews, near and far, who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, [21] to establish among them that they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar, [22] as the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor. 

    Purim is a joyous Jewish holiday that commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people from a plot to annihilate them in ancient Persia. The story unfolds in the Persian Empire under King Ahasuerus. His chief minister, Haman, was a wicked man who sought to destroy all the Jews in the kingdom. Haman cast lots (purim in Hebrew) to determine the date of the massacre, which fell on the 13th of the Hebrew month of Adar. Purim is a festive and lively holiday, often compared to a carnival. The celebration is centered around four main activities:

    1 Reading the book of Esther 

    2 Sending food to families and friends 

    3 Giving charity to the poor 

    4 Wearing masks and costumes 

   Purim demonstrates the incredible human capacity for resilience and finding light in the darkest of times. It's a journey that many people have taken, transforming their deepest sorrow into a source of strength, purpose, and even profound happiness.

 This transformation may not mean you forget the process. Instead, it's about how that pain is re-contextualized. The tragedy becomes the very soil from which something beautiful can grow. May we have cause to celebrate any and every tragedy that the devil had intended to swallow us with. Purim mean the casting of lots. The devil has lost the game. We celebrate Purim today. Good morning.