Purim 2002
Purim is the true American holiday. It began with a party where everyone was drunk out of their heads. The music was loud and blaring. Everyone was dressed in his or her kinky best, and the king wanted to show off his gorgeous wife.
The kingdom of Persia was a polyglot of cultures. No religion was central, and everyone had the opportunity to name his own god. The king had one agenda, to party and have a good time. He paid no attention to the poverty of Persia, or to problems facing non royal classes. He had no concept of right and wrong. Courts made decisions upon a whim. There were no morals, no justice; life was cutthroat. People rose to power with fast talk and a bag load of bias.
One of those people who rose to power in that way was a man named Haman. The king was attracted to him because by his machinations the king would become wealthier at the expense of the poor of the land, and the king did not care whom he hurt on his way to more wealth.
Haman learned not to like Jews because Jews were the one people who would not play his game, who would not bow down to him. Jews were an ethically centered people who recognized that there was more to success than popularity and wealth. They understood that a life without meaning is an unhappy life. They were willing to sacrifice today's joys for the knowledge that a life worth living is a life worth lived.
Mordecai, the Jew, lived his life that way. He was ethical and moral to a fault. He would not compromise his belief in one God, and he would never bow down to Haman. He was ready to help Persian society in any way that he could, as long as Persian society had a place for Jews and for Jewish practice. For him Persia was a place where he could become a better person. He recognized that any place could serve that function. He happened to be in Persia as a consequence of the last Exile from the Holy Land.
Mordecai was poor and without power. Yet, he was a man of conviction and passion. He had no bias or prejudice. He was willing to work with all people. Indeed, by his action the king was saved.
Haman was wealthy and had power. He was willing to use that power for any purpose that he desired. He never thought that his power could end, so he threatened Mordecai and the Jewish people with death. He used his power to buy the right to put the Jewish people to death. Haman built the scaffolding to complete his machinations, and he would have been successful but for the conscience of King Ahasveros and the king's love of Esther, the niece of Mordecai.
The king missed one night of sleep, perhaps only one hour, perhaps less, but in that time he was told about a poor man, Mordecai, who acted righteously and saved the king's life. He later discovered that Mordecai's niece was the woman he loved. Haman was hanged. His wealth and his political clout were no match to the power of conscience and the potential of a good deed. His wealth and political clout ultimately brought destruction about him because he lacked conscience and the capacity to do good deeds.
We live in a world like the world of Haman. Our heroes are athletes. The great people are celebraties. Morality is a remnant of past times. Every man cares about "Number One" and nobody else. The poor get poorer and the rich get richer. And the homeless die of hunger while the rest of us party.
There is a lesson in Purim, in the Book of Esther for us sophisticated and post modern people. A little bit of conscience and a good deed can save a world.
B'Shalom, Rabbi Aaron Kriegel