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Getting Ready for a Joyful Purim

2/15/2011

 
If there is one Jewish holiday that screams out "joy," it has to be Purim. Yet, I'm sure that there are things we can do to make Purim an even better expression of joyous Judaism.
Instead of going through another year of  the same old youth group carnival, the same old spiel of Broadway retreads, and the same old dry Megillah reading, we can learn from each other to create a Purim of real, heartfelt joy. Come on, people, I want to hear your best ideas!

My friend, Rabbi Riqi Kosovske of Congregation Beit Ahavah in Northampton, Massachusetts, has a couple of ideas that I really love. Her congregation is currently planning its third annual "Queen Esther's Drag Ball," a Purim night event for adults held at a local dance club. The following day they will have their fourth annual "Megillah Reading and Purim Justice Fair." Rabbi Riqi says she got the idea of a "justice fair" from IKAR, the joyful and innovative congregation in Los Angeles. 

She explains that, in her congregation's Purim fair, there are no junky plastic prizes. For an entry fee of two to five dollars (discounts for those in costume), participants play games to win "Mitzvah Money."  The Mitzvah Money is awarded freely at the booths where participants play different kinds of games. After playing, participants take their winnings to the "Justice Table" where they can divide it any way they wish by placing it into six large tzedakah boxes. Each box has the name of a social justice organization and a poster that explains what the organization does. At the end of the evening, members of the youth group count the Mitzvah Money in each box to determine the percentage that each organization will receive of the money raised at the event.

I love this idea because it gets right to the heart of what I mean when I say that we need innovative ideas to make Judaism more joyful. It promotes broad community participation in an activity that is fun, memorable and makes people feel good about being Jewish. Most importantly, it gives meaning to the holiday and reinforces the mitzvah of Matanot LaEvyonim—making gifts to the needy on Purim.

What are your best ideas for making Purim even more joyful? Please respond with your comments so that your ideas can be planted like seeds in Jewish communities everywhere to create  a more joyful and meaningful Judaism.
Reb Jeff link
2/16/2011 02:22:49 am

I'm grateful to my teacher, Rabbi Kerry Olitzky, for another interesting program tied to Purim. Big Tent Judaism has launched a campaign called "There's No Shame in Asking," which encourages Jewish institutions (synagogues, schools, community centers, etc.) to send postcards to members and potential members letting them know how to ask for adjusted dues, tuition and fees. (Read about it here: http://joi.org/bigtent/?sec=find&page=purim_info).

The tie-in to Purim, of course, is in the name of the program. The financial barriers to participation in the Jewish community are a deciding factor for many Jewish families -- even for those who understand and share the values of Jewish communal life. These families should be encouraged to act courageously as Queen Esther did by revealing their financial challenges and asking about adjusted dues, tuitions and fees.

Rabbi Olitzky is the Executive Director of the Jewish Outreach Institute, which coordinates the Big Tent Judaism Coalition.

To this d'rash on the Purim story, I would add another. The story of Esther makes a point about how King Achashverosh is limited by his inability to adjust his own decrees. In contrast, God is able to allow Chesed (compassion) to overrule Din (decrees of judgment). Our Jewish institutions need to be a little bit less like Achashverosh in our ability to see beyond real financial anxieties and overdeveloped emphasis on "fairness" by compassionately allowing Jews with financial challenges to participate fully in the life of the Jewish community.


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