A Purim dream: 14 Adar II 5768, Purim Day. I opened the newspaper and read all the headlines and the stories that followed them.
The war in Iraq ends. The troops are coming home. The Iraqi people find a political solution to their differences which contributes to real peace in the country. Following on the heels of their success, the Israelis and Palestinians acknowledge the wisdom of a two-state solution and lay down their differences and their guns. The Palestinian people begin to dream of a future for themselves and their children. The Israelis celebrate the dream they never relinquished. Bin Laden is found and tried. European countries recognize the peace between these customarily warring peoples and praise them for their inherent wisdom. Muslims are respected for their moderate and contemporary outlook; Jews are praised for their extraordinary contributions to world events and culture. Without bias or prejudice, representatives of the three Abrahamic religions sit down together and talk about common problems and world peace. At home in the U.S., 45 million more Americans claim access to national health care. Fourteen thousand citizens in the city of Houston find permanent homes, and for the first time in years they don’t sleep at night on the streets. Education in America is preparing children to compete in the world in science and mathematics. Poverty is addressed by government, corporations, and the nation’s wealthiest members. They resolve to reduce abject poverty by significant measures over ten years. Crime is down. Our nation’s citizens are meaningfully employed and save for their future. Government officials live up to their responsibilities. Democrats and Republicans unite in the interest of our nation’s future. Bipartisanship creates national health care for all, restores relations with foreign nations, and establishes a transparent government. Senior citizens anticipate quality of life as they age. Our nation’s infrastructure is repaired and replaced to make bridges, roads, and levees safe, once and for all. New Orleans is granted funds to rebuild itself with dignity for all its citizens. Hate crimes include violent acts against any person with respect to race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender. Drug use is reduced; real opportunities for teens on the increase. Abortion is a woman’s choice. The death penalty is abolished. Prison recidivism is at its lowest point in years. The President of the United States enjoys highest poll ratings ever. POTUS hears the people; applies experience and wisdom; builds consensus among the parties and the nations. Immigration to America welcomes “your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.”
A Purim dream. It comes every year at this season. It turns the world upside-down. The powerful become weak and the weak, powerful. Mordechai and Esther triumph and Haman swings from the gallows. For just one day, everything seems right. More than Shabbat, which is filled with hopes of a Messianic age, and more than the High Holydays, which introduce us to new responsibilities, Purim invites us into a world where everything looks upside-down, and everything feels right-side up.
On this Purim, I urge you to dream, too. I can’t tell you that dreams come true, but we can’t stop believing that they might. Jews have always said, even in the midst of its historical tragedies, “Ani Ma’amin,” I believe. Purim isn’t just a silly holiday. It makes the impossible seem possible; and it turns the unreal into reality, even if it’s only for a day.
From my desk to yours, Happy Purim and Shabbat Shalom.
__________________________________________________
Contact Rabbi Lyon