WhatsappThere is a concept in Judaism that with each Jewish Holiday there is a correlating energy. For example, the most obvious is light at Hanukkah. At Purim, the energy is happiness. In fact, the entire month of Adar, the lunar month in which Purim falls, is a month of happiness. We sing “Mishenichnas Adar Marbim B’Simcha – When the month of Adar arrives, we should increase our joy.” But why?
The Jewish calendar is filled with many festivals where we rejoice and celebrate. So why is Adar, and specifically Purim, chosen as “THE” festival of happiness?
The Purim story in short (in fact, possibly even over simplyfying it,) is about the evil Haman trying to wipe out the Jews from Persia and the rest of the provinces ruled by the king at the time. It was the strength of Mordechai and Esther, with the hidden Hand of God, that saved the Jews and enabled them to stop this massacre. This alone seems like a good reason to be happy but I came across another idea too.
The month following Adar, the month of Purim, is Nissan – the month in which Passover falls. Passover is the Jewish Holiday where we celebrate redemption, freedom. The Children of Israel were slaves in Egypt and with the Hand of God, they were freed from slavery. From the splitting of the Red Sea, the Children of Israel wondered in the desert and this led to them becoming the Jewish people when they received the Torah at Mount Sinai.
From here we see that Passover is about the freedom of the nation. It is the beginning of the nation’s journey. But how do we prepare for that? Purim and Adar are the start of the time of freedom and redemption in the Jewish calendar. It is a time to be happy! Happy that we today can stand free and practice our beliefs.
