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“Here in Israel, being truly joyous these days is very difficult. Though I am hopeful for better days ahead, I can’t gather myself to think about celebrations when our hostages are somewhere in darkness, and too many are suffering.”
For those who may recall, Rabbi Sinai, who joined us at CSK for one of our “Let’s Talk About Israel” programs, was supposed to join us as our scholar-in-residence from March 29-31. Unfortunately, Rabbi Sinai will not be joining us. As a result of the war, the IDF conducted an early draft for the army, and he and his wife, Karen’s, eldest son, Akiva, whom Alissa and I babysat for when he was just a toddler, will be drafted on March 31st into a special unit in Israel’s Navy. Rabbi Sinai obviously could not miss, as he described, "this moment of pride" in his family’s life.
We are just days away from the holiday of Purim, a holiday that is the most joyful day on the Jewish calendar. But, as Rabbi Sinai said, it is difficult to be truly joyous these days. Thankfully, there is something built into our holiday calendar this year that can help us begin to feel some joy on Purim this year.
In the story of Purim, Queen Esther calls on her people to fast with her in solidarity as she prepares for the daunting task of speaking to the king and freeing her people.
This year, The Jewish Education Project, M² and Kol Ha'Ot invited Jews around the world to transform Ta’anit Esther (the Fast of Esther) into a fast on behalf of the Israeli women who are still held hostage in Gaza:
Ta'anit Liri. Ta'anit Karina. Ta'anit Agam. Ta'anit Daniela. Ta'anit Romi. Ta'anit Naama. Ta'anit Eden. Ta'anit Noa. Ta'anit Emily. Ta'anit Arbel. Ta'anit Amit Esther. Ta'anit Doron. Ta'anit Shiri. Ta'anit Karmel.
In their merit, we focused on all hostages, including men, the elderly, and children Ariel and Kfir.
Just as Queen Esther fasted to overturn a decree against her people, we fast this year from sunrise to sunset today, Thursday, March 21, on behalf of the hostages, and to bring awareness to their plight.
Usually, the Fast of Esther ends with so much joy that one can be forgiven for forgetting why they were fasting in the first place! But this year is different. We end the fast tonight, and we then begin our preparations for Shabbat, our Sanctuary in Time, where we will all begin the new book of Leviticus, and in our special maftir from Deuteronomy 25:17-19, we read about Haman’s ancestor, Amalek, “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way, when you were leaving Egypt… Amalek attacked our most vulnerable, those who were in the back of the camp, and therefore, earned an infamous place as our greatest enemy." This Shabbat before Purim is called Parashat Zachor, named after the commandment, “you shall wipe out the memory of Amalek from under the heaven - you shall not forget!” This Shabbat, I will speak about what we do with this confusing commandment, and if it applies today.
On Saturday evening, our sadness, which will have already been lightened by the holiness of Shabbat, will turn to even greater joy with our Purim celebration and megillah reading! We have an incredible Broadway-themed shpiel planned, new megillah readers, including many of our teens and pre-teens, and much more. On Sunday morning, we will meet at 10 AM for megillah reading and the Bat Mitzvah of Zahara Carmi.
In the spirit of Queen Esther's bravery and solidarity, let us observe Ta'anit Liri. Ta'anit Karina. Ta'anit Agam. Ta'anit Daniela. Ta'anit Romi. Ta'anit Naama. Ta'anit Eden. Ta'anit Noa. Ta'anit Emily. Ta'anit Arbel. Ta'anit Amit Esther. Ta'anit Doron. Ta'anit Shiri. Ta'anit Karmel, and the names of all the hostages, fasting today from sunrise to sunset to raise awareness of their plight and pray for their safe return.
May this Purim be a source of strength and unity as we continue to navigate through challenging times, guided by the values of faith, courage, and hope.
T’zom Kal,
Rabbi David Baum
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