Page 9 - HaMizrachi #7BackgroundwithJIF-Purim

Chief Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein

purim:

Cynicism vs Holiness

n Proverbs (27:21) it says Ish lefi When the Jewish people came out One of the Torah’s core concepts is
mahalalo – a person according of Egypt, no one dared to threaten kedusha. Kedusha is difficult to capture in
I to their praise, which Rabbeinu them. The Torah describes the fear one English word, though it is generally
Yonah interprets to mean that a person and trepidation that the nations felt in translated as holiness. Kedusha entails
is known by whom and what they praise. the face of this people, which had just designating something for a specific
From their praise you will discover what emerged victorious from Egypt, the purpose, making something unique.
is important to them and what their superpower at that time, and which had This is why the key component of a
values are. witnessed the miracles of the 10 plagues Jewish marriage ceremony is kiddushin,
and the splitting of the sea. There was signifying that there is a special
Rav Yitzchak Hutner says that there are an aura of invincibility about the Jewish relationship here, and that this man and
some people – cynics – who actually people, until Amalek launched their this woman have designated one another
praise nothing. In the language of our attack. as their spouse, to the exclusion of all
Sages, such a person is called a letz, a others. The concept of kedusha conveys
scoffer. For the cynic, life is empty; there What gave Amalek the confidence to us that there is something special in
is nothing worthy of praise, nothing to attack the Jews? Their cynicism. this world, and that this world is the very
important, special or meaningful. They had heard of the plagues and the opposite of randomness. The theory of
Cynicism means looking at life coldly miracles but they cynically rejected their random evolution seeks to exclude G-d
and valuing nothing. Citing the Midrash significance. Amalek’s worldview was from the creation of the world. It claims
which compares Amalek to the letz, based on a philosophy of randomness: that the awesome magnificence we see
Rav Hutner says that this insight about life is meaningless and makes no all around us, in all of its perfection, just
cynicism is the gateway to understanding difference, and things just happen. came about by chance. If that dismal
the essential philosophical struggle Haman’s method of casting lots for a view was true; if we are all here because
portrayed by Purim. date for the genocide stemmed from of some big accident, then life is indeed
Amalek’s worldview. The word Purim meaningless and our behaviour, whether
One key Purim question is: why did represents the philosophy against which good or bad, moral or immoral, would
Haman cast random lots to choose a date the Jewish people were fighting at the make no difference. That is the ultimate
for destroying the Jewish people, instead time – the philosophy of Amalek, the cynicism.
of planning and choosing an appropriate worldview that life is empty and random. In contrast, Torah is founded on the
date? principle that human life is sacred. It is
Torah is based on a belief in purpose
Haman came from the nation of and Divine Providence. G-d created the not just an accident. All human beings
Amalek, the ultimate cynics. We see world and it is perfect by design; it didn’t are created by G-d with a G-dly soul,
their true nature exhibited in the first just happen. Each one of us is in this and with a holy mission on earth. This is
attack against the Jewish people, where world because G-d wants us to be here. kedusha: recognising that life is special,
the verse says asher karcha baderech, He has given each of us a mission to that what we do is special, and that every
who chanced upon you on the way. fulfil, and therefore what we do is indeed human being is special. Life is filled with
The word karcha, from the word meaningful and important. Everything purpose and meaning. And that is what
we celebrate with the great victory of
mikreh, means by chance, indicative of we do on a daily basis has significance Purim.
Amalek’s philosophy that everything in His eyes; it is neither random nor
happens by chance. They believed in meaningless. Amalek believed none of Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein is the Chief
the randomness of life and so were the this. They believed that nothing was Rabbi of South Africa
ultimate cynics. important or special. office@chiefrabbi.co.za

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