Chag Purim Sameach! Happy Purim!
The festival of Purim remembers the story in the book of Esther. The Jews were threatened with annihilation but emerged victorious. This is my first time observing the holiday in Jerusalem, which makes it extra special.
One of the traditional ways it is celebrated today is by dressing up in costumes. Picture Halloween without trying to be scary. Why costumes? In the story, Esther conceals her identity. She married the king but kept her Jewish background a secret, revealing it later. Even more, God is hidden in the book. He is never mentioned! The author seems to go out of the way to not mention God. Are circumstances just happening by chance? No, God is working behind the scenes.
This evening a group of us went to a local synagogue to experience a Purim service. It was all in Hebrew so we had to guess what was going on. It mostly consisted of reading through the scroll of Esther, with a few songs along the way. Different people read each chapter. Whenever the villain, Haman, was mentioned, everyone makes a lot of noise to blot out his name. Most people showed up in costume. It was quite festive! I can’t think of the last time I went to church to have fun reading the Bible and celebrating God’s victory over evil.
