You shall explain to your child, on that day [Pesach] Ex, 13:8
Consequently, these days [Purim] are recalled and observed in every generation: by every family, every province, and every city. Esther 9:28
We are entering a season of Jewish storytelling. Two holidays, a month apart, recall two different miraculous deliverances of our ancestors. The first is described as more humorous - the holiday of Purim, when we remember our people almost being destroyed by the evil Haman and the way that Esther and Mordechai turned the tables and saved the Jews. We dress up in costumes; we send gifts of food (mishoach manot); we are commanded to eat and drink; and, of course, we read the story in the megillah. A month later, we think we are more serious: we clean all the chametz out of our homes; we invite over friends and family; we have a special festive meal - the seder (which also has requirements of wine), and, or course, we tell the story in our haggadah. (Although Passover may seem the more serious holyday, there is as much laughter around the seder table as there is at the megillah reading, for many families.)
A focus of both these holydays, however, is the story that we have to tell. In some ways, both stories are similar: The Jewish people are in danger. A member of the community (Esther/Moses) needs to step up and speak to the ruler (Ahasverus/Pharoah) to rescue our people. They each need a helper (Mordechai/Aaron). Things end up worse before they get better. In the end, however, there is a delivery so remarkable, that we write it down and put it on our yearly Jewish calendar to celebrate for all time.
There is also a principal difference between the two stories. In the Passover story, God acts directly - bringing Moses back from exile, telling him what to say, creating miracles - signs and portents. In the Esther story, God is not mentioned at all. (For this reason, the Sages almost decided not to include this book in the Bible.) Instead, it is solely human action that makes the difference- although there are a lot of fortunate coincidences in the story.
We also have a story to tell about our congregation - Temple Sholom. We have been around for over a century - moving from North Plainfield to Plainfield to Fanwood to our current home in Scotch Plains. There have been many ups and downs over those years - many people who have come and gone. I like to think of our congregation as the lucky little congregation that could. We were told that we could not survive a move out of our building in Plainfield, that we could not last as guests in a church, or that we could never raise enough money to build a new building - and, just barely, we did all these things. Once again, like congregations - Jewish or not - all over, we are facing challenges: challenges not just about our finances, but about our community and our activities. We were down an administrator - but we found Jill Brown. We are down a Director of Education, but our former Director, Michelle Shapiro Abraham, is helping while we find someone new. Our leadership has been stepping up - all the way through COVID and the aftermath. But, we need the help of all of the members of our community - we need to tell OUR story, and we need to tell it loud.
We often contrast ourselves to other congregations - we are not them. We need to tell our story with a positive spin. We are a small congregation, where everyone has the chance to know everyone else; where the only way to get a double-B’nei Mitzvah is if you bring your own twin or parent. We have wonderful social events - our Supper Club, Chili Cook-Off, and Casino Night - which are more about coming together as a community than raising money. Our congregants partner with clergy to create meaningful religious worship - whether our recent Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month service, which featured students going back 25 years; our Congregational Second Night Seder - prepared by congregants in our own kitchen; the beautiful Sukkah that we build together each year; our Potluck Shabbat Saturday morning services, or the thirteen year-olds showing how they can create “meaningful Jewish worship” as they become bet mitzvah. We support refugees, the homeless, families of transplant patients, other members of our community, and our family in Israel. Our youth groups throw a great Purim carnival for the younger children; and the younger children create a choir to sing at worship. We are not a congregation where you can fall through the cracks. Instead, you will end up moving chairs, selling 50/50 tickets, figuring out how to maximize your scrip contribution, or just joining with other congregants at a local restaurant for a quick meal that also fundraises for the Religious School. We are a congregation where, when a former president and lifelong member dies, his Temple friends gather together to create a fund that will carry on his legacy of wisdom and leadership.
As we enter this season of Jewish storytelling, we encourage you to tell the story of our community as well. We are no less a link in the chain of Jewish tradition than Moses or Esther. Let us find times to celebrate together, and to share that celebration with others - some of whom we have yet to meet. Chagim s’meichim!
