Purim

Valentine’s Day is not high on my list of favorite holidays.

First, a fat angel sitting on a cloud shooting arrows at people doesn’t resonate with me.

Then there is the honoring of some man deemed a saint (says who?) due to some legends which is pretty shaky ground for a special day of remembrance.

And then the commercialization of a day promoting the spending on diamonds, flowers, and chocolates.  Because they want me to spend money is not reason for me to spend money.

However, there is a pretty strong reason for a special day to celebrate love and marriage.  Its basis is found in the Bible.  It is Purim.  What?  Yes, Purim!  It is the annual day set apart by the Jews to commemorate their survival from sure death because of the actions of a wife, the acceptance of a husband, and the hand of the God of love.

You know the story found in the Bible.  Esther had been selected as queen by King Xerxes of Persia about 475 B.C.  A key cabinet member under Xerxes took issue with the Jews and was able to bring about a decree giving the native people the right and even mandate to kill all Jews.  The queen’s uncle challenged Queen Esther to approach her husband with the truth of what was about to happened and plead for help.  In those days, the wife was only permitted to come before her husband if she was invited.  To come and not be accepted meant death.

The Queen’s uncle reminded her that she, being a Jew, would die if she didn’t try.  Her response was, “If I perish, I perish” and went to present herself to her husband.  The king extended his scepter which granted her permission to come and thus spared her from death.  She approached her husband wisely and he responded well and the Jews were spared all with God’s clear intervention (the king’s middle of the night reading material was about the uncle’s sparing his life – God’s hand clearly evident).

The Jews established the day after their successful defense as an annual day of remembrance and celebration.  So the 14^th of the last month of their religious calendar is Purim.  The day is called Purim from the word Pur which means “casting of lots”  (the Jews’ enemy had used casting of lots to determine the day to terminate the Jews).  The day falls in our February or March (this year it begins sundown on March 20^th). Occasionally, Purim falls on February 14^th.

It is my contention that Valentine’s Day is actually a corruption of Purim.  So rather than thinking about God, God’s providence, the Bible, and the triumph of good; we are left with fat angels, legends, and chocolates.

So, Purim is about a marriage, a spouse’s family, an uncle, a wife’s desire, a husband’s response, and a couple working together to bless others.  Now that is something to ponder and celebrate.  So, Happy Purim!