Purim - Living by rules and then breaking them
Megillat Esther and all it entails
Summary: Everyone in the Purim story is “orthodox” including Haman - they see themselves as absolutely required to live by the rules. This provides an interesting meditation on our most rule-breaking holiday.
***
At a certain point a law is made that the women of Shushan and the whole kingdom must give honor to their husbands. What does it say about a country - or a household - when such a law must be made?
Of course we would hope that husbands and wives - and everyone - would offer respect to one another because it’s the right thing to do, but clearly that is not always happening, so rules and laws are made. When people do not - and feel they cannot - get what they want and need as a natural outcome of who and how they are, they might hope that rules and agreements will allow them to get it.
In addition to mutual respect, we would hope that people would have a natural desire to ensure and preserve the safety of others. But people cannot always be counted on to think that way, so we have speed limits in school zones, and laws against drunk driving.
Unfortunately we might have to choose between addressing people’s attitudes and addressing their rules. You might think you could do both, and that changing rules will change attitudes, but that is not always so. As wonderful as it would be that people would would obey traffic laws for the safety of others, we all know that many people obey those laws in order to not be penalized, and if they somehow had a guarantee that they would not be caught, they might in fact engage with those behaviors. So, laws sometimes embody and encourage shifts in attitude, and sometimes they stand in place of certain attitudes, while doing nothing to address the underlying issues. Who knows what changed in Shushan as a result of Achashveirosh’s new legislation?
In truth, the story of the Megillah is the story of rules and laws and how they limit and guide people. Achashveirosh is required to consult with his advisors when making decisions governing the kingdom; officers will be appointed to gather every beautiful virgin woman; the king’s potential wives must be treated with oils and cosmetics before seeing the king; Esther is bound not to tell anyone where she is from; everyone must bow down to Haman; the Jews will be killed on the 14th of Adar; one does not come before the king’s gate wearing sackcloth; anyone who comes to see the king in his inner chamber without being invited will die, unless the king extends his scepter; once a letter is written with the king’s seal, it cannot be repealed.
There are more, though some of them seem to be internal and personal commitments rather than laws: Haman must make the decision when to kill the Jews based on change; the king must reward someone who has done him a favor; Mordecai must not bow before Haman.
We see all the key characters in the story - Haman, Mordecai, Esther, Achashveirosh - deeply committed to or bound by their rules, some of their own making and some imposed from without, and suffering ensues. Esther cannot approach her own husband; Haman must wait 12 months to kill his nemeses; Mordecai imperils his entire people; Achashveirosh’s power is limited by his own decrees.
Surprisingly, the story ends with more rules - you must give gifts of food to your friend; you must give alms to at least two poor people; you must have a feast. And even, most surprisingly, according to the Talmud, you must become intoxicated on Purim to the point of losing some essential sense of distinction.
Some laws are like prisons. Some laws are like freedom.
And with that, suddenly, we’re breaking laws: getting intoxicated is strongly discouraged throughout our tradition and its literature. And if you happen to break or damage someone’s stuff on Purim, you don’t have to pay for it (Orach Chayim 695:2; 696:8; Choshen Mishpat 378:9). You can probably cross-dress on Purim (Rama Orach Chayim 696:8); you can probably pray while pretty intoxicated (Rav Kook in Olat R’iyah Purim).
Fascinating.