As we approach the festival of Purim, it's time to uncork the wine and find some great costumes! But there is another side that we often forget.
On Purim there is a custom to recite Chapter 22 of the Book of Tehillim. Tradition tells us that this psalm was recited by Esther the evening before she appealed to King Achashverosh to save the Jewish people from the wicked Haman (Midrash Tehillim and Megilla 15b). At first glance the chapter appears to present a feeling of despair, neglect and even abandonment by Hashem.
The most famous phrase of this psalm is verse 2, “Hashem Hashem why have you forsaken me?” Midrash teaches us that this is Esther praying to Hashem as she enters the throne room. However, classical commentators connect this to later suffering, adding that this is a cry of the Jewish people as they go into exile. Radak states that “the collective cry of the Jewish people is spoken in the singular, since we are as one person with one heart”.
These interpretations do not contradict one another – just as Esther felt utterly alone when she attempted to save the Jewish people, so too the general feeling of exile is one of being abandoned and alone.
It is puzzling that we read this on Purim, one of the most joyous days of the Jewish calendar. It is a day for physical celebrations, with feasting, drinking and dressing up. Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to read this psalm only on Ta’anit Esther, the day that commemorates the communal fast held before Esther approached Achashverosh?
We can answer this with a parable. Imagine an innocent man sentenced to be hanged for a murder he did not commit. A reprieve arrives at the last minute, and the executioner cuts his neck free from the noose. Of course he and his family rejoice. There is feasting and celebrations galore – what a wonderful gift to be given your life back. The family might even celebrate annually on the anniversary of his acquittal. Yet, a dark shadow will always remain at the back of their minds. Despite the joy they feel, they still remember how close they came to losing him forever.
This is one of the reasons why we recite such a despairing chapter of Tehillim on such a joyous day – to remind us of how close we came to losing everything. The dark shadow of exile still hangs over us and this chapter reminds us that G-d provided us with the salvation at the time of Purim and still provides it constantly today. Indeed, the chapter ends with an uplifting vision of future salvation, with prosperity and joy to those who serve G-d – something we still aspire towards today.
The Purim story did end happily, so we rejoice, but, just like the man saved from the noose at the last moment, we still need to remember what could have been.
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