Matthew 2
Mary and Joseph flee with Jesus to escape Herod's murderous attack.
INSIGHT
When Herod asks the scholars where the Messiah is to be born, they answer without hesitating: "Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet. "The odds against anyone other than Jesus being the Messiah are staggering. There are 60 major prophecies that are fulfilled in the life of Christ. Josh McDowell writes in Evidence That Demands a Verdict that, by using the science of probability in reference to all 60 major prophecies, the chances that any man might have fulfilled all 60 is humanly impossible. Reason demands that we accept Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah.
PRAYER
As you rest in the security that Jesus is the Messiah, offer the Lord praise:
O Lord God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim,
You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth.
You have made heaven and earth (2 Kings 19:15).
I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,
And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High (Psalm 7:17).
As you seek to keep your life free from sin and its awful effects, pray this confession to the Lord:
Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord,
And He will have mercy on him; and to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:7).
Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.
Now pause to pray to the Lord this affirmation of His mercy in your life:
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust" (Psalm 91:1-2).
As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
Greater sensitivity to sin
The ministry of your church in the local community
Your activities for the day
Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
I will remember the works of the Lord;
Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
I will also meditate on all Your work,
And talk of Your deeds (Psalm 77:11-12).
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Back to the land
GALILEE DIARY
Back to the land
by Marc J. Rosenstein
Discuss on Our BlogIn Palestine we must do with our own hands all the things that make up the sum total of life. We must ourselves do all the work, from the least strenuous, cleanest, and most sophisticated, to the dirtiest and most difficult. In our own way, we must feel what a worker feels and think what a worker thinks. Then, and only then, shall we have a culture of our own, for then we shall have a life of our own.
-A. D. Gordon, "People and Labor" (1911)
On my recent trip to the US I had the opportunity to visit the Kayam Farm, at the Pearlstone Retreat Center just outside of Baltimore – a similar venture to the Adamah Fellowship at the Isabella Freedman Retreat Center in Connecticut – sponsored by the Baltimore and New York Jewish Federations, respectively. Kayam means "sustainable" in Hebrew; adamah means "earth." Both are examples of a sort of Jewish "Back to the Land" trend that seems to be happening in North America these days. Both are driven by idealistic young Jews seeking to combine environmental activism with spirituality and Jewish sources. Both engage in practical, hands-on agricultural work – field crops, livestock – the products of which are marketed through CSA (community-supported agriculture) subscription and farmers' markets; and both operate educational programs for schools and other groups and institutions in the Jewish community, on nature, agriculture, and sustainable living as these are reflected in Jewish texts. Both are or aspire to be organic (in both senses of the word) communities. Kayam's founders seek to build a long-term community – which they call a moshav - and the teachers there emphasize the biblical agricultural commandments such as tithes and gleaning and sabbatical year.
These young farmers and teachers are impressive, and their work is a worthy example of how the Jewish tradition can be a force for tikkun olam in every age. And perhaps they will also succeed in helping other young Jews find their way back to the Jewish community through involvement in social issues of current relevance and even urgency.
At the same time, I think that this [small] new world of Jewish eco-farmers can be seen as an indicator of the ambivalence of North American Jews today toward Israel. The Mishnah, which was redacted in around 200 CE in Eretz Yisrael, contains several tractates dealing with the application of the agricultural laws set forth in the Torah (e.g., gleaning, tithing). A few hundred years later, these tractates were further explicated in the Jerusalem (or Palestinian) Talmud; the Talmud compiled in Babylonia, meanwhile, does not contain these tractates, as the Mishnaic rulings on agriculture were not relevant outside of the land of Israel. Throughout the centuries since, Jews longed to return to Israel in order to be able to keep these commandments that were inoperative in exile. This longing was the religious "engine" of Zionism. And secular Zionism saw the return as an opportunity to be reborn as a healthy, organic people rooted in the land, deriving sustenance from working the soil of Eretz Yisrael. The ideal of the Zionist pioneer, the young, strong Jewish farmer, was a powerful image in Jewish literature and art for nearly a century.
But that was then. Now, kibbutzim are plowing under their fields and orchards to make room for shopping malls and industrial "parks." Israel's cultural heroes are high tech entrepreneurs. Settlers in the West Bank claim the title of the "new pioneers," so it is difficult to talk about "settling the land" without getting into a political debate. And so the obvious connection between Israel and Jewish agriculture has become less obvious and even problematic, and idealistic young Jews are settling in rural Connecticut and Maryland to be reborn as organic farmers with a deep spiritual connection to the land, playing again those harps (and guitars) that we had hung up by the rivers of Babylon.
Back to the land
by Marc J. Rosenstein
Discuss on Our BlogIn Palestine we must do with our own hands all the things that make up the sum total of life. We must ourselves do all the work, from the least strenuous, cleanest, and most sophisticated, to the dirtiest and most difficult. In our own way, we must feel what a worker feels and think what a worker thinks. Then, and only then, shall we have a culture of our own, for then we shall have a life of our own.
-A. D. Gordon, "People and Labor" (1911)
On my recent trip to the US I had the opportunity to visit the Kayam Farm, at the Pearlstone Retreat Center just outside of Baltimore – a similar venture to the Adamah Fellowship at the Isabella Freedman Retreat Center in Connecticut – sponsored by the Baltimore and New York Jewish Federations, respectively. Kayam means "sustainable" in Hebrew; adamah means "earth." Both are examples of a sort of Jewish "Back to the Land" trend that seems to be happening in North America these days. Both are driven by idealistic young Jews seeking to combine environmental activism with spirituality and Jewish sources. Both engage in practical, hands-on agricultural work – field crops, livestock – the products of which are marketed through CSA (community-supported agriculture) subscription and farmers' markets; and both operate educational programs for schools and other groups and institutions in the Jewish community, on nature, agriculture, and sustainable living as these are reflected in Jewish texts. Both are or aspire to be organic (in both senses of the word) communities. Kayam's founders seek to build a long-term community – which they call a moshav - and the teachers there emphasize the biblical agricultural commandments such as tithes and gleaning and sabbatical year.
These young farmers and teachers are impressive, and their work is a worthy example of how the Jewish tradition can be a force for tikkun olam in every age. And perhaps they will also succeed in helping other young Jews find their way back to the Jewish community through involvement in social issues of current relevance and even urgency.
At the same time, I think that this [small] new world of Jewish eco-farmers can be seen as an indicator of the ambivalence of North American Jews today toward Israel. The Mishnah, which was redacted in around 200 CE in Eretz Yisrael, contains several tractates dealing with the application of the agricultural laws set forth in the Torah (e.g., gleaning, tithing). A few hundred years later, these tractates were further explicated in the Jerusalem (or Palestinian) Talmud; the Talmud compiled in Babylonia, meanwhile, does not contain these tractates, as the Mishnaic rulings on agriculture were not relevant outside of the land of Israel. Throughout the centuries since, Jews longed to return to Israel in order to be able to keep these commandments that were inoperative in exile. This longing was the religious "engine" of Zionism. And secular Zionism saw the return as an opportunity to be reborn as a healthy, organic people rooted in the land, deriving sustenance from working the soil of Eretz Yisrael. The ideal of the Zionist pioneer, the young, strong Jewish farmer, was a powerful image in Jewish literature and art for nearly a century.
But that was then. Now, kibbutzim are plowing under their fields and orchards to make room for shopping malls and industrial "parks." Israel's cultural heroes are high tech entrepreneurs. Settlers in the West Bank claim the title of the "new pioneers," so it is difficult to talk about "settling the land" without getting into a political debate. And so the obvious connection between Israel and Jewish agriculture has become less obvious and even problematic, and idealistic young Jews are settling in rural Connecticut and Maryland to be reborn as organic farmers with a deep spiritual connection to the land, playing again those harps (and guitars) that we had hung up by the rivers of Babylon.
Milk Does A Body Good (Part 3)
Milk Does A Body Good (Part 3)
2As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. - 1 Peter 2:2 KJV
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2:2 NIV
Have you ever had a craving for something? When you wanted something sweet you ignored every one of the thousands of items in the grocery store until you found that one thing, the only thing that would satisfy your hunger. You were not going to settle for anything less; you were not going to let anything come between you and your desire. Say this out loud, 38I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38).
Desire the sincere milk, desire the milk that is free of deceit, hypocrisy, or falseness.Desire the milk that isgenuine; real. Only Gods word is real. Only Gods word is free of deceit, hypocrisy and falseness. You can depend on Gods word. Isaiah 55: 11 - 11 so is my word that goes out my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. When God says you are healed you are healed, When God says you are delivered, you are delivered, when God says you are saved you are saved, when God says you are free, you are free indeed.
My friend, God does not just say what He has to say to us with the letters of the alphabet. He says what He has to say to us with a person. John 1 - 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Gods word is a person. That person is Jesus. And we are to desire Him. It’s time to seek the Lord while he may be found. You want something real seek Jesus. Are you tired of deceit, hypocrisy and lies then seek the one who has no guile in his mouth – Jesus. (To be continued)
2As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. - 1 Peter 2:2 KJV
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2:2 NIV
Have you ever had a craving for something? When you wanted something sweet you ignored every one of the thousands of items in the grocery store until you found that one thing, the only thing that would satisfy your hunger. You were not going to settle for anything less; you were not going to let anything come between you and your desire. Say this out loud, 38I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38).
Desire the sincere milk, desire the milk that is free of deceit, hypocrisy, or falseness.Desire the milk that isgenuine; real. Only Gods word is real. Only Gods word is free of deceit, hypocrisy and falseness. You can depend on Gods word. Isaiah 55: 11 - 11 so is my word that goes out my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. When God says you are healed you are healed, When God says you are delivered, you are delivered, when God says you are saved you are saved, when God says you are free, you are free indeed.
My friend, God does not just say what He has to say to us with the letters of the alphabet. He says what He has to say to us with a person. John 1 - 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Gods word is a person. That person is Jesus. And we are to desire Him. It’s time to seek the Lord while he may be found. You want something real seek Jesus. Are you tired of deceit, hypocrisy and lies then seek the one who has no guile in his mouth – Jesus. (To be continued)
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Obeying God
Obeying God
Daniel 1:1-8
The story of Daniel illustrates some key elements of obedience. We see the wise young man doing what the Lord com-manded, in the right manner and timing.
Daniel knew that God's law prohibited eating food that had been offered to idols. But he was living in captivity in Babylon—a nation that worshiped false gods—and soon faced a hard decision. King Nebuchadnezzar had ordered that the choicest of foods be sent for Daniel's meals after first being presented to idols. Was it better to obey the Lord and risk angering the king—or to disobey God and please the ruler?
On the surface, the question for Daniel was about unacceptable food. But the underlying issue was allegiance to God. He could have rationalized breaking the divine command by telling himself he was a servant and had no choice. Instead, Daniel resolved not to eat the royal food and sought a way through the dilemma that would honor the Lord and keep His law.
Today, many things that our world finds acceptable are outside God's protective boundaries for His children. Some are not good for us while others do not honor Him. Our desire as Christians is to obey the Lord, but our fleshly side wants to please ourselves and others. Yet denying self and obeying God is always the right choice.
To become like Daniel, we must make a wholehearted commitment to follow the Lord and consistently apply Scripture to our decision making. Then, when challenges come, we'll have the courage to obey God's commands. Our Father is pleased when we choose a lifestyle of obedience like Daniel's.
Daniel 1:1-8
The story of Daniel illustrates some key elements of obedience. We see the wise young man doing what the Lord com-manded, in the right manner and timing.
Daniel knew that God's law prohibited eating food that had been offered to idols. But he was living in captivity in Babylon—a nation that worshiped false gods—and soon faced a hard decision. King Nebuchadnezzar had ordered that the choicest of foods be sent for Daniel's meals after first being presented to idols. Was it better to obey the Lord and risk angering the king—or to disobey God and please the ruler?
On the surface, the question for Daniel was about unacceptable food. But the underlying issue was allegiance to God. He could have rationalized breaking the divine command by telling himself he was a servant and had no choice. Instead, Daniel resolved not to eat the royal food and sought a way through the dilemma that would honor the Lord and keep His law.
Today, many things that our world finds acceptable are outside God's protective boundaries for His children. Some are not good for us while others do not honor Him. Our desire as Christians is to obey the Lord, but our fleshly side wants to please ourselves and others. Yet denying self and obeying God is always the right choice.
To become like Daniel, we must make a wholehearted commitment to follow the Lord and consistently apply Scripture to our decision making. Then, when challenges come, we'll have the courage to obey God's commands. Our Father is pleased when we choose a lifestyle of obedience like Daniel's.
Matthew records Jesus' miraculous conception and birth.
Matthew 1
Matthew records Jesus' miraculous conception and birth.
INSIGHT
The birth of Jesus splits time and space like a lightning bolt in a hot July sky. The stage is set for the most important event in history. It has been planned before the foundation of the world. It is promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. The prophets have heralded it, the people long for it, and the culture is ripe for it. The Messiah is coming to establish His kingdom. More importantly, He is coming to effect a new relationship between God and man. Jesus is not just another world leader. He is God in the flesh. God, who has previously made Himself known through a nation, and through a law, is now coming to make Himself known through a man, a God-man, Jesus.
PRAYER
Continue your time with the Lord by offering your praise to the God of history through these words:
You are my praise and You are my God,
who has done these great and awesome
things for me which my eyes have seen
(based on Deuteronomy 10:21).
As you seek to keep your life free from sin, pray this confession to the Lord.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me...
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You (Psalm 51:10, 12-13).
As you confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, submit yourself to His will:
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).
As you make your requests known to God, pray for:
Laborers for the harvest
Your activities for the day
Whatever else is on your heart
As your closing prayer, pray this passage to the Lord:
It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
And Your faithfulness every night (Psalm 92:1-2).
Matthew records Jesus' miraculous conception and birth.
INSIGHT
The birth of Jesus splits time and space like a lightning bolt in a hot July sky. The stage is set for the most important event in history. It has been planned before the foundation of the world. It is promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. The prophets have heralded it, the people long for it, and the culture is ripe for it. The Messiah is coming to establish His kingdom. More importantly, He is coming to effect a new relationship between God and man. Jesus is not just another world leader. He is God in the flesh. God, who has previously made Himself known through a nation, and through a law, is now coming to make Himself known through a man, a God-man, Jesus.
PRAYER
Continue your time with the Lord by offering your praise to the God of history through these words:
You are my praise and You are my God,
who has done these great and awesome
things for me which my eyes have seen
(based on Deuteronomy 10:21).
As you seek to keep your life free from sin, pray this confession to the Lord.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me...
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You (Psalm 51:10, 12-13).
As you confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, submit yourself to His will:
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).
As you make your requests known to God, pray for:
Laborers for the harvest
Your activities for the day
Whatever else is on your heart
As your closing prayer, pray this passage to the Lord:
It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
And Your faithfulness every night (Psalm 92:1-2).
Milk Does A Body Good (Part 2)
Milk Does A Body Good (Part 2)
2As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. 1 Peter 2:2 KJV.
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2:2 NIV
To desire something is to have a strong feeling that moves you to do whatever it takes to attain or possess that thing. To desire is to hunger, to thirst, crave, long and to yearn. Desire is a persistent uneasiness that lingers until that need is met.
Mark 10:45, 46, 47 reads thusly, 46And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. 47And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.
Listen at this in Luke chapter 19, Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. Zacchaeus, he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.
Look at the woman in Mark 5 verse 25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 27When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
These had this in common – a strong desire for a need to be met. Bartimaeus cried out. Zaccheus climbed a tree. The woman with the issue of blood pressed through a crowd. These had an attitude. They all took a position on not letting go of God until they received their blessing. Nothing was going to separate them from having what God said they could have. If God said I can be healed, delivered and set free. If God said I can be saved, I going after it. (To be continued)
2As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. 1 Peter 2:2 KJV.
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2:2 NIV
To desire something is to have a strong feeling that moves you to do whatever it takes to attain or possess that thing. To desire is to hunger, to thirst, crave, long and to yearn. Desire is a persistent uneasiness that lingers until that need is met.
Mark 10:45, 46, 47 reads thusly, 46And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. 47And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.
Listen at this in Luke chapter 19, Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. Zacchaeus, he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.
Look at the woman in Mark 5 verse 25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 27When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
These had this in common – a strong desire for a need to be met. Bartimaeus cried out. Zaccheus climbed a tree. The woman with the issue of blood pressed through a crowd. These had an attitude. They all took a position on not letting go of God until they received their blessing. Nothing was going to separate them from having what God said they could have. If God said I can be healed, delivered and set free. If God said I can be saved, I going after it. (To be continued)
Purim and the art of achieving balance through extremes
Purim and the art of achieving balance through extremes
Jordana Schuster Battis
We live our lives pulled between tensions of sleep and wake, work and play, truth and fiction. We strive for balance but rarely have a sense even of how to go about achieving it.
In my yoga class, my teacher will often tell me to relax my shoulders. Most of the time, I have no idea that I’m even tensing them—much less, how to let them go. The more I think about them, the tenser they get. So, then, she will say, “Tighten your shoulders! Pull them up and in toward your ears!” That, I can do: I tighten. “Now,” she says, “let that go.” And I can and do. The tension disappears; my shoulders, at last, relax.
Sometimes, taking things to the extreme and then letting them go is how we restore ourselves to balance.
This ironic truth—the need for a storm to make clouds go away—is recognized and ritualized in the Jewish calendar. We try throughout the year to maintain balances of joy and solemnity, ancient awe and contemporary skepticism, concentrating on the here and now and thinking about the big picture, but what yardstick do we have to measure against? How do we know whether we are at a point of balance? How do we know if our shoulders are relaxed?
And so, at two times in the Jewish year, we take all of our emotions to one extreme: on Tisha B’av, we take things to an excess of sadness and mourning, and on Purim, we take them to an excess of frivolity. We do this on Purim through our rituals and our attitudes: we wear costumes, masking our identities; we shout and make noise in our sanctuaries, drowning out the name of Haman; we tell a story that is farcical and bloody, with caricature-like characters who indulge in extreme behaviors themselves. Our tradition even takes us to an extreme of generosity on this day, demanding that we give tzedakah to anyone who asks for it, whereas in the rest of the year we are supposed to make sure that our tzedakah goes to a worthy cause. On this day, we do not say no.1
Purim is raucous and chaotic. It flows with gifts and sweets and wine. It rides roughshod over rituals we typically treat with stateliness. And it does so to show us what extremes look and feel like:
It masks us in order that we, like Esther, can unmask.
It lets us play at drowning out the name of a failed villain so that we may be able to name and confront real evil in the future with fortitude.
It shows us a weak and slovenly king in order that we might know what real strength looks like.
It lets us know what fully giving feels like, so that we will know how to give of ourselves the rest of the year.
We think that balance is achieved by willing ourselves to have proper boundaries and intentions. We try so hard to do it “right.” But Purim teaches us that balance can be found by another path: allowing ourselves to journey to one end of the spectrum, so that the next day, we can let those extremes go and relax into the pose.
1. “Whoever stretches out their hand on Purim should be given tzedakah” (Talmud Yerushalmi, Megillah 1, 4).
Jordana Schuster Battis
We live our lives pulled between tensions of sleep and wake, work and play, truth and fiction. We strive for balance but rarely have a sense even of how to go about achieving it.
In my yoga class, my teacher will often tell me to relax my shoulders. Most of the time, I have no idea that I’m even tensing them—much less, how to let them go. The more I think about them, the tenser they get. So, then, she will say, “Tighten your shoulders! Pull them up and in toward your ears!” That, I can do: I tighten. “Now,” she says, “let that go.” And I can and do. The tension disappears; my shoulders, at last, relax.
Sometimes, taking things to the extreme and then letting them go is how we restore ourselves to balance.
This ironic truth—the need for a storm to make clouds go away—is recognized and ritualized in the Jewish calendar. We try throughout the year to maintain balances of joy and solemnity, ancient awe and contemporary skepticism, concentrating on the here and now and thinking about the big picture, but what yardstick do we have to measure against? How do we know whether we are at a point of balance? How do we know if our shoulders are relaxed?
And so, at two times in the Jewish year, we take all of our emotions to one extreme: on Tisha B’av, we take things to an excess of sadness and mourning, and on Purim, we take them to an excess of frivolity. We do this on Purim through our rituals and our attitudes: we wear costumes, masking our identities; we shout and make noise in our sanctuaries, drowning out the name of Haman; we tell a story that is farcical and bloody, with caricature-like characters who indulge in extreme behaviors themselves. Our tradition even takes us to an extreme of generosity on this day, demanding that we give tzedakah to anyone who asks for it, whereas in the rest of the year we are supposed to make sure that our tzedakah goes to a worthy cause. On this day, we do not say no.1
Purim is raucous and chaotic. It flows with gifts and sweets and wine. It rides roughshod over rituals we typically treat with stateliness. And it does so to show us what extremes look and feel like:
It masks us in order that we, like Esther, can unmask.
It lets us play at drowning out the name of a failed villain so that we may be able to name and confront real evil in the future with fortitude.
It shows us a weak and slovenly king in order that we might know what real strength looks like.
It lets us know what fully giving feels like, so that we will know how to give of ourselves the rest of the year.
We think that balance is achieved by willing ourselves to have proper boundaries and intentions. We try so hard to do it “right.” But Purim teaches us that balance can be found by another path: allowing ourselves to journey to one end of the spectrum, so that the next day, we can let those extremes go and relax into the pose.
1. “Whoever stretches out their hand on Purim should be given tzedakah” (Talmud Yerushalmi, Megillah 1, 4).
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