Holy Subversion: Unmasking Faux Compassion with the Defiant Joy of Purim
Why authentic Jewish joy on Purim is the ultimate spiritual rebellion against Haman’s spiritual heirs
It would seem to me, that true Joy ( certainly on Purim, when it is an actual Mitzvah!)—is not only the LEAST appropriate mode of emotional reaction in the face of the unprecedented calamitous moment we are currently facing—but much to the contrary—it should be the preferred default collective Jewish response.
And yes, obviously we don't FEEL it. But this means only we have to fake it till we make it.
Disclaimer with a capitol D.
This doesn't in any way negate the waves of grief that wash over many of us at any given time of the day or night, as new details of horror continue to emerge. I don't know if I will ever not be haunted by the thoughts of the gruesome torture and deaths at the hands of these cowardly and heinous creatures, who slithered out from beneath some dark unimaginable netherworld.
And yet it is Joy that will carry the day, and get us through this.
So Why is this?
It's really quite simple. True Joy is merely the most concrete expression of faith available to us. ( it goes without saying that this ALSO, is not a substitute for the human actions that need to be undertaken—alongside the efforts we must all undergoe in doing whatever it is that is our part—only they can form the basin through which the Blessings of Divine redemption flows)
This idea is actually a central axiom of Jewish Mystical teachings. Prayers that burst out of our innermost depths that are borne aloft on the wings of Joy, signal our expectation— that G-d has what it takes to get us through this. That Joyful anticipation of the infinite G-dly capacity, itself, invokes and even activates the very nucleus of its potency.
This Purim we must come together in pride and defiance, and yes, albeit counterintuitively, in a vociferous surge of holy Joy. That Joy empowers us to tear off the subversive mask of faux compassion that has become so widespread. Purim is a rare chance to flaunt our defiance to those who attempt to peddle hatred as resistance.
It's a scam.
Purim is our moment of truth. It has always been so and today it shines its light of truth, as a reminder of what goodness STILL means to those who have not surrendered to the vampiric thirst of the mob.
Purim 5785 is the day that our counter revolution is launched.
It's OUR turn to tear down the posters and expose the frothing face of Jew hatred seething beneath the utterly irrational and dangerous accusations. Just beneath the mask of pseudo human rights, pure hatred contorts the human features. All we see then is the grotesque and pathetic writhing of this collective facial disfigurement.
What remains of goodness, decency, and basic fundamentals of human moral discernment, hangs in the balance. This has grown beyond Antisemitism, into a battle against those who would cannibalise the fundamentals of human society.
Survival is resistance to those, who, as in the days of Purim, openly call for our annihilation. And news flash. Defending Murder and rape is shameful and despicable. A Purim Jew doesn't cave to any amount of pressure. You want a cease fire? Tighten the screws on the perpetrators not the victims. Purim Jews don't cave to mass stupidity. You want this to end? Get them to free the hostages. Start condemning Hamas. The Israeli government won't waver in its obligation to protect its citizens.
Decent people have begun to speak up such as Mr. Abbas who heads the United Arab List, a political party that holds five seats in the Israeli Knesset.
These are his words in an interview published this week in the WSJ.
"Israeli Arabs, for their part, “have to be careful in choosing our words,” Mr. Abbas says. “You have to be careful not to make a link between the events of Oct. 7 and the historical conflict itself. . . . If you say the word ‘but’—‘but there is a conflict and the Palestinians are under occupation, et cetera, et cetera’—this will be understood as a justification for the criminal actions of killing people, of kidnapping people.”
“This is not just a tactical position,” he says. “When we talk of Oct. 7, ‘but’ is not an ethical word.”
Vive la Liberte'
Sending MAMESH SO MUCH LOVE!
CHAG PURIM SAMEACH!
LCHAIM!
Rabbi Yossi
P.S. what are you waiting for! If EVER there was a time to do Purim together as a community it would be NOW, when the moral blindness that transfers guilt to the victims is unmasked. Please go to www. Jewish.com and let us know that you're joining!