Today is the holiday of Purim. The holiday celebrates how the Jewish people were on the verge of being killed and then Queen Esther saved their lives. There is a commandment to become befuddled till the point of confusing the evil Haman, who sought to destroy the Jews, with Mordechai, a Jew who counseled Esther on how to save the Jewish people, who was purportedly her uncle. In the end, the Jews were saved, and Haman was hanged on the very gallows that he had ordered be built for Mordechai.
From this comes the topsy-turvy theme of Purim.
That’s the synopsis of the holiday. I find a lot of meaning in the holidays. There is a lot of symbolism, a lot of layers to them. In the past, I blogged about the holiday of Sukkot, relating to the vulnerability of being outside in a tent-like structure, and how it sensitizes us to those living in vulnerable states.
When it comes to Purim, every year a different idea is highlighted in my mind. This year, I’m thinking about how topsy-turvy life can get. How we can see things from one perspective for a very long time, and then our vantage point can shift to the point that we have greater clarity than ever before, but our lives go in a direction we had least expected.
We are meant to evolve, to grow. As such, we may come to relate differently to our surroundings than we used to. Our relationship with ourselves shifts, and, in turn, every other relationship as well.
Things can appear one way, and then we look back and see them completely differently.
It can be eerie. It can be liberating. It can scary. It can be pleasant.
If there’s one thing I learn from Purim, it’s that all emotions fit.
An opportunity to explore all the complexities of the human experience.
It’s traditional to read the Book (Megillah) of Esther each year on Purim.
I am of the belief that each of us is writing our very own megillah, the story of our lives.
And each and every day, with every step we take, our lives unfold before us .
Mindful Nuggets 