Tonight starts the amazing holiday of Purim! I say, "amazing" because underneath all the merriment and fun, hamantaschen and silliness of a Purim Schpiel is actually a very important holy day with many important messages. 

It is usual during Purim to expect the unexpected. So a Purim worship service might not be in the right order with the Kaddish coming first and the Shema last. Or headlines in the Ekolienu that read- "Congregation Kol Ami becomes Tesla Car lot!" Or Van Gogh is resurrected from the dead with the prayer, "mechayei Meitim" and paints a mural on the Temple wall! Or you might expect a Latke vs. Hamentaschen debate: Which is better?

But even with the humor of the holiday there is a serious side to Purim. In the face of planned genocide-the King is indifferent. King Achashverosh would rather drink with his cabinet, feast and fest and dehumanize and humiliate his Queen, Vashti, than be responsible for affairs of the state. This is from a King who rules over 120 countries and peoples. The largest empire of its time. How can a king who only is consumed with him self and his own needs be a real king?

The hidden message in the story, as my teacher Rabbi Dr. Donniel Hartman teaches, is that we have to pay attention or we will become like King Achashverosh-so entitled, so self consumed that we become indifferent to the plight of others. Even Queen Esther had been consumed into the harem and only when her uncle, Mordechai, reminds her does she wake up and then wakes up the king. 

Part of the hidden messages of the Purim story remind us that earthly kings are mortal, not Gods, as was the ancient custom. And that only God was and is Sovereign over all. The Purim story is a cautionary tale that also teaches us to pay attention beyond our own narrow worlds - to be concerned with the plight of our people, the Jewish people and all those who may be dehumanized by the indifference of others.

I wish you each a Purim filled with joy and celebration and a wake-up call to pay attention beyond your own narrow interests. Judaism calls us to be concerned about the world around us and those who have no voice, including the voice of our own people, world wide.

Happy Purim.
 

Don Margolin is being honored, not only for his commitment to MOKA this past year, but for his overall contributions to Congregation Kol Ami since joining the Temple.  He chaired Kol Ami's 2014 Thanksgiving Day event, in addition to being part of the Game Night volunteer efforts, at Triangle Square. A monthly volunteer at SOVA, the Jewish Family Services Food Pantry, Don has also offered his time and efforts for various MOKA events.  

Don will be officially honored at MOKA's Brotherhood Shabbat Service on Friday, March 13 at 8pm.  There will also be a special Shabbat Dinner at 6:30pm in the Gan Shalom.  For the Shabbat Dinner ticket information, please email mokakolami@gmail.com.