Timeless Torah

A Jewish dog’s problem! How do you break the kvetch syndrome?

“…the month that was reversed for them from grief to joy.” (Esther 9:22) “When the month of Adar enters, we increase in joy.” (Talmud, Taanit 26b)

This year’s special offer: a 60-day program of outlook-modification.

Purim is a time when Jews had plenty to complain about. But they didn’t complain; they took four proactive steps. 1. They united; working together is critical. 2. They prayed for a miracle; appreciating Who’s really in charge. 3. They followed Mordechai; we need strong leadership. 4. Esther put a pragmatic plan in motion.

Each Adar, we’re offered that opportunity again. There’s much to complain about, but Adar is about joy. Joy means that circumstances don’t paralyze you. HINT #1: Joy comes from active participation , not armchair grumbling.

Four Reasons to Be Happy: 1) Because it’s a good way to get things done. 2) Because it’s a good thing to do. (Why should joy be just a tool, a means to an end?) 3) Because it’s a happy time. (Sometimes happy takes an effort to achieve. But there are times when happiness is in the air, and all you need to do is open yourself to it). 4) Because it’s what you are. This one is not really a reason. (Ultimately, joy is not a technique to master, nor a goal to achieve, nor even a state to surrender to. It’s what we are, by virtue of our bond with the One whom “Strength and joy are His place” (I Chronicles16:27). Why hide from what we are?)

Four types of joy: 1) The joy of mitzvah, for a Jew is commanded to “Serve G-d with Joy.” (Psalms 100:2) This joy, however, is not an end in itself, but for the sake of enhancing a mitzvah. 2) Rejoice in your festivals (Deuteronomy 16:15). Here, joy is not an accessory to another aim. The mitzvah itself is to rejoice. (The fact that one needs to be commanded to rejoice indicates that this is still not the ultimate). 3) The good-hearted is festive always (Proverbs 15:15). Joy is a state of being rather than an activity. This is experienced in Adar. (Awareness that one is rejoicing indicates that his joy is an assumed state rather than an intrinsic condition.) 4) One celebrates until he does not know. On Purim, joy permeate our soul, we don’t even know we’re rejoicing!

Talmud: On Purim a Jew is required to drink until one cannot distinguish between Cursed is Haman and Blessed is Mordechai.” Why would we want to achieve the state of not distinguishing?

From the time of Haman’s cursed libel until Mordechai success our ancestors must have been in a state of anxiety. If only they could have known earlier what they knew later, they could have avoided tremendous anguish. We must put our trust in G-d and avoid the anxiety that dominates the “in-between” state of the problem (Cursed is Haman) and the solution state (Blessed is Mordechai). HINT #2: Joy comes from trust in G-d that in the end everything follows a plan and that He knows best.

There are many joyous dates on the Jewish calendar, but none affect the entire month. Why Purim? Haman thought to take advantage of the Jews when they were at their lowest point. Haman, however, needed one more sign indicating the Jews’ vulnerability; a lottery. Talmud: Haman, “My lottery fell on the month when Moses died.”

Through the course of a lifetime every person undergoes drastic changes; fluctuation being the most consistent feature of life. There is one constant: the very identity of the person. The same is true with our nation. We have ups and downs, but our very identity, the fact that we are G-d’s chosen nation, is never affected. Indeed our perpetual relationship with G-d is more evident when we are exiled. This phenomenon demonstrates the ability of our essential identity to survive no matter our external state. All other holidays celebrate the “highs” of our nation. And therefore their joy is limited. Highs don’t last. Purim celebrates a time when we were at a low point, and thus demonstrates our relationship with G-d is a constant. Adar, seemingly the most inauspicious month for the Jews is therefore the happiest month of the year. HINT #3: Joy is the state of accepting your Jewish identity and destiny.

To Be Continued…