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Interfaith Esther

6/20/2012

 
I had the pleasure tonight of studying the book of Esther in an unusual (for me) context. First of all, we are nowhere near the holiday of Purim, the time of year at which Jews usually read Esther. Secondly, I was teaching at the local Catholic church at the invitation of the church's Wednesday night Bible study group. This was the second of two sessions we did together on Esther, and more than thirty people came to participate as we read the book from the perspectives of two different faiths.
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Parishioners from St. Joseph Catholic Church in Stuart see the book of Esther through Jewish eyes as they appreciate the Hebrew scroll.
I've studied and taught Esther dozens of times before. I don't think I said anything very different about the book tonight than what I have said in the past. I focused on the way the book portrays God's presence hiding in the shadows of our lives, sometimes barely noticeable, but always there. I talked about the two competing visions of reality portrayed in the book—a world that is random and meaningless versus a world that is purposeful and ruled by a moral order. I presented the book as a lesson about how the world is the opposite of how it sometimes appears to us.

The thing that was different about tonight's study was not the teacher. It was the class. I was humbled by the way the participants so warmly and openly embraced a stranger, someone from outside of their faith, who came to teach a text that they consider to be part of their own sacred canon. 

In fact, they did more than that. They gleefully used the groggers I brought to class. They had as much fun twirling them as any group of Hebrew school children I have ever seen. They pored over the Hebrew scroll of Esther I brought and treated it as an object of great sanctity.

Yes, I can imagine a synagogue welcoming a Christian teacher with as much enthusiasm as I received tonight. Yet, there is something special in the experience of being the one who is so  welcomed. I am grateful for the kindness of my new friends at St. Joseph Catholic Church of Stuart. 

The book of Esther, after all, does teach us that appearances can be deceiving. Sometimes, we discover that there is a deeper truth that underlies the masks we wear through life. Tonight, I learned again that where people expect to see only differences, there can be great commonality. Conventional expectations were inverted tonight in a way that reminds me of the way the terror of destruction in the book of Esther was transformed for the Jews of Shushan into "light, gladness and honor" (Esther 8:16).

It is an honor, indeed, to witness the shining of that light.


Other Posts on This Topic:
Tetzaveh: Games of Chance
Purim: Who Knows?
Nine Students, a Baby and a Wedding
Barb L.
6/21/2012 03:26:15 am

I'm sure the people who attended are saying similar things --- how wonderful it is to recognize and appreciate both the commonality and the different approach. Meeting and getting to know "the other", whatever that is, generally leads to better understanding and less distrust. Whether we want to admit it or not, we're all in this together!

Tom Masty
6/21/2012 06:52:36 am

St. Joseph's was amazed and thrilled by the joint study of the Book of Esther. Everyone was delighted with the bible study and Rabbi Goldwasser is an amazing teacher who touched our hearts with his warmth, laughter and insights. We are indeed lucky to have such wonder friends and are grateful to those that came to our parish for this special gathering! Hopefully we can find other ways to learn and pray together in the near future.

Jeffrey Goldwasser
6/21/2012 07:43:58 am

Thank you, Tom, for your kind words and the warmth of your community.

IWe link
6/23/2012 06:07:05 pm

I have been one of the silent readers for quite a time. Thanks for sharing your experiences here.

During the last five years I have organized a monthly interfaith bible study in a intercultural community center by facilitating it as a bibliodrama. I highly recommend and something occured what you described in your post about writing a dvar torah:

"And then I ask, "So what is this Torah saying about you? When has this Torah you're telling me about been a part of your life?" It does not happen every time—but it happens often enough—that the child looks at me with wide eyes as if to say, "Me? The Torah is about me? What do I have to do with it?" And that is when we really begin."

Yes, it begins when people immerse in the text, become part of the text and the text becomes part of them.


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