We and G-d are True Partners in Helping to Improve the World in Which We Live (March-April 2007)

As we celebrate the holidays of Purim and Passover, we are struck by a discrepancy in the way we commemorate them. Both recognize that the Jewish people were rescued from the grip of despots who sought to annihilate us. Passover has Pharaoh to blame while Purim was Haman. But there the similarity ends. On Purim we throw all caution to the wind, party hardy, and pretend that we have no care in the world. But on Passover, we turn into pious people, tighten our belts, restrict our diets, and get as serious as we possibly can. Why do we respond so differently to these two examples of being saved?

The answer, I believe, can be found in the differing ways in which we explain our belief in fate. Sometimes our tradition allows us to feel that G-d gives us the free will to rise to great heights to resolve problems that are largely of our own making. In today's times, for example, we may come to admit that we are responsible for the harmful effects of Global Warming, and yet we may also believe that we have the resources and the means to mitigate its harmful effects and adapt to the world's changing climactic conditions.

Certainly, this is the philosophy of Purim. As you recall, the Jewish people were slated to be annihilated, but Mordecai and his niece Esther proved smarter than the wicked Haman and they came to save the day by showing the King, Esther's husband, the harm that Haman's edict would bring on his beloved wife, who just happened to be Jewish. The Rabbis even point out that, try as you might, you won't find G-d's name mentioned even once in the story of Purim. It is as if, the Jewish people, through their own cunning and resolve, were able to thwart plans to annihilate them.

The story of Passover, however, demonstrates quite a different view of our belief in fate, namely, that G-d is intimately involved in bringing about the rescue of the Jewish people from slavery. The Torah makes it a point to state repeatedly that it is G-d directly and alone who is responsible for delivering the Israelites out of Egypt. Without G-d's direct hand, we would probably still be slaves unto Pharaoh in Egypt.

In our times, we could easily point to the miraculous rebirth of the state of Israel and the saving of the remnant of the Jewish people (who had nearly become extinct at the hands of the murderous Nazis) as proof that G-d must have been playing a significant role behind the scenes to stop an evil Empire and to return Jews to their homeland where they were excluded for 2000 years.

Perhaps, now we can understand why we are carefree on Purim and so serious on Passover. When our rescue results from the dogged work we do to overcome evil, we have a right to let go and congratulate ourselves on our victory. Our carefree attitude on Purim demonstrates that if human beings can combat evil-especially resulting from their own carelessness—then they are capable of solving any problem that might plague them in the future. The human race is certainly capable of preventing its annihilation from this earth.

But when we need G-d to save us, as the case on Passover, it is natural for us to take a sobering view of how "there but by the grace of G-d" go we. If not for G-d's intervention, the Jewish people might have become a footnote in world history. During Passover, we fill this holiday with countless symbols to remind ourselves of how much we need to rely on G-d to dig us out of problems that prove too challenging for us to solve on our own. We accept the sobering diet of Passover, using matzah to remind ourselves of our humbleness before G-d and the importance of G-d in our lives.

Purim and Passover are, therefore, complementary. Each is a necessary part of our tradition, designed to help us carve out a sound and sane philosophy of life. As strange and paradoxical as it might seem, we need to believe in both ourselves and in G-d as legitimate heroes in the fight against evil. Relying on ourselves alone is hubris, giving us a false sense of security, which in turn may very well sow the seeds of our own destruction. Trusting only in G-d, though, blinds us to our own responsibilities as we mistakenly wait for G-d to solve all our problems.

That is why in Judaism we and G-d are true partners in working toward bettering the world in which we live. As partners, we believe that G-d will ensure that good will outweigh evil and that the spirit will vanquish the sword. At the same time we believe that we cannot just sit around and wait for these events to happen, for G-d to rescue us. We have to do whatever is in our power to improve this world NOW!

So, whether you are having a fun or serious time during the holidays, think of how much progress we and G-d have made and how much there is yet to accomplish.

May the past and coming holy days inspire you and your family toward greater achievement, happiness, and success

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