Rabbi Daniel Siegel – Head of Jewish Life              

Purim and possibility 

Our school community celebrates Purim together, with masquerading and costume that speaks to difference, diversity, individuality and uniqueness. Yet, one element often marks the day that is not at all unique-the same three word question: “Who are you”?

 “‘Who are YOU?’ said the Caterpillar…
‘I – I hardly know, Sir, just at present – at least I know who I WAS when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.’
‘What do you mean by that?’ said the Caterpillar sternly. ‘Explain yourself!’
‘I can’t explain MYSELF, I’m afraid Sir,’ said Alice, ‘because I’m not myself, you see.’”

Purim reminds us that the Me you see may not be the Me I be.

The caterpillar has yet to be the chrysalis and then the butterfly it may be and so it is missing the wonderland of us for the “Who are you”?

In our class on Freedom in the Jewish tradition, we discussed that when Moshe asks God “Who are You”?, the response is: Know that “becoming” (אהיה) is who I am.

Purim reminds us that we all live in the spectrum between the caterpillar and our divine selves. The wonder of being is becoming, otherwise we crawl along rather than take flight.

On Purim we are commanded to celebrate to the point of not knowing who we are (ad lo yada). It is a time to glimpse who we might be.

“You see, so many out-of-the-way things had happened lately, that Alice had begun to think that very few things indeed were really impossible.” ~Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland~

Chag Purim Sameach/חג פורים שמח