Drash for erev Purim

In my classroom I sometimes tell terrible puns,

My grandpa was a great punster

As is my Zohar teacher, Elliot Ginsburg

Why are jokes funny – it’s the unexpected juxtaposition of two things that go together.

That’s’ why Purim is such a radical, spiritual holiday, and maybe why humor is such a great Jewish thing.

Shema Yisrael, listen up, Yah our G!d is one, and ein od – there is nothing else, all is G!d.

Wait, all? The thorns and the rose,  what about the people that disagree with us. I know all about them, I know their story and refuse to listen any more. I did that to a relative in January, “writing him off” I said and Purim is the only thing that brought me around.

What if we could really blur the edges between Mordechcccai and Haman, to see ourselves in the eye of the other, to hold out the possibility that they might change from one nano second to the next.

Jill Hammer writes:  Mordechai represents the desire in us not to bow down to anyone. Haman symbolizes the desire in us for power over others.

A world of peace, war will cease,  I can see you are me in disguise, I’ll wipe the tears from your eyes.

Roberta spoke of this earlier in the week:  I am the pirate, I am the abused one

Dangerous, radical, this one-ness, maybe even funny. But it could lead to redemption.

Yesterday I shared the words of R’ Ariel Burger about his mentor Elie Weisel: the face of Elie Wiesel is a map of the world if the world had been wounded and still managed to laugh.

Ariel went on to talk about having an“an open heart, in spite of everything.”

And Wiesel said “I teach with an open heart, not for moral reasons, but for pragmatic ones.”

Understanding of what our role is here on this planet is why we must embrace opposites, Mordechai and Haman, science and spirit, strength and love,-to hold opposites at views at the same time, to create a chimera, a hybrid, a collage, a synthesis which is balanced as the sephirot of chesed and din are balanced

Embracing Opposites

How do we merge the two?

How do we hold the dissonance

How do we cleave to You

In this eternal dance?

G!d’s love is a rose,

But what of brutal thorns?

what are we to do:

how do they become You?

How do we merge the love of G!d

Holding it with the Judge as G!d?

How can hope for redemption jibe

with history cruel beyond imagination

The soaring mind of Rambam 

with Zohar’s erotic  passion?

Bewildering, inspiring

Answer my burning question.

And face of Elie Wiesel –

Is a map of the world,

if the world had been wounded,

yet still managed to laugh.

How do we merge the two?

How do we hold the dissonance

How do we cleave to You

In this eternal dance?

We need to hold opposites

 in our embrace.

interplay of awe and wisdom

Ignites G!d in this place

Bringing Boundless energy and Compassion

The interplay of awe with wisdom

Ramban alone, science – could mean a cool, cruel, uncaring, though-awe inspiring G!D

With all of its splendor, its draft with lonely (David Wilcox)

How could Zohar – magic bunk according to Gratz – not received Mi Sinai, rather written Ramak, yet how can its beauty and its artistry carry us away on the wings of hope and possibility?

Ariel Burger described the face of Elie Wiesel – a map of the world, if the world had been wounded, yet learned to laugh

How do we merge the two: knowledge of the Holocaust with still maintaining possibilities for hope, laughter, redemption

Imagination is more important than knowledge, for it encompasses all  – Einstein

Understanding of what our role is here on this planet with scientific understanding of our planet and our bodies?

I am convinced it is absolutely necessary to see both – to hold opposites at views at the same time, to create a chimera, a hybrid, a collage, a synthesis which is balanced as the sephirot of chesed and din are balanced.