Page 62 - HaMizrachi Purim Australia 5781

GENERAL INTEREST SOCIAL COMMENTARY

Rabbi Chaim Navon

The Real Joy of Purim

n a July day in 1518, Mrs. Trof- A few years ago, Israeli high school Still, when we drink and behave in
fea went out into the streets of yeshiva students uploaded an offen- moderation, this custom has taste and
OStrasbourg and began to dance. sive video as a promo for the upcom- meaning, within the boundaries of
She danced for six days straight. In ing Purim celebrations. Their Principal Purim.
those six days, 34 people contracted her responded appropriately and canceled
‘fever’ and joined the ongoing dance. the celebrations. My wife asked me if, Sadly, the revelry of Adar in Israeli
Within a month, there were hundreds in my opinion, the punishment was not yeshiva high schools often crosses the
of dancers on the streets of the country excessive. I told her I didn’t think it was boundaries of halacha and of respect-
who had been dancing for days on end. excessive at all. On the contrary. In my fulness, and it is difficult to find any
To this day, no full explanation has been opinion, all the revelry of Adar should educational value in such festivities.
found for that dance fever. Some of the be cancelled in the yeshivas, even in Tremendous effort and enormous
dancers writhed in pain and begged institutions where the students know resources are wasted on grandiose cel-
for mercy but could not stop dancing. better than to publicize vulgar videos. ebrations, which are sometimes replete
Some explain the incident as an out- Yes, it is accepted in our tradition that with vanity and insults. Some teachers
break of mass hysteria. Many died from on one day a year, for a few hours, the are hesitant to intervene, for fear they
heart attacks, strokes or exhaustion. will just be ridiculed.
restraints are lifted a little. But even
A less fatal case occurred in Tanzania then it’s not good to exaggerate. The The joy of youth is good and healthy.
in 1962. Three girls started laughing at Gemara tells of a Sage who drank too But it is good and healthy in Adar in the
school and could not stop. Most of the much, and in his drunkenness, killed same framework and in the same con-
boarding school students were infected another Sage (then prayed for him and text in which it is good in Cheshvan or
with the raging laughter. The princi- brought him back to life). The Nimukei Iyar. This is how the Rambam described
pal was forced to close the school and Yosef writes that a person can drink on the priorities of Purim: “It is better for
send the students home. The result was Purim, but “should not go crazy in his a person to increase the gifts for the
that the residents of the nearby villages drunkenness and be drawn to jest and poor than to add to his meal and send
were also infected with the laughter frivolity.” mishloach manot, for there is no greater
epidemic. 14 schools in the area were Despite this, many are very stringent and more glorious joy than to gladden
closed for extended periods, and mass about drunkenly letting go on Purim. the hearts of the poor, orphaned, wid-
laughter ceased only after a year and a This custom has been dressed in a owed and converts.” This is the joy the
half. When the three original laughers cover of ideology. As if drunkenness Rambam believed in: caring for others
were asked what was so funny to begin and letting loose reveal one’s inner holi- and actively demonstrating responsibil-
with, they were unable to answer. ity for the community.
ness. This is like saying we need to peel
Dancing and laughter are not always away a person’s skin to reveal his inner
joyous activities. Sometimes they organs. Just as the skin is part of the
are just a forced expression of social body, not just a shell, self-control and
dynamics. It is imperative to remem- restraint are intrinsic parts of ourselves.
ber this, especially during the month When we abandon self-control, we are Rabbi Chaim Navon is a renowned author
of Adar. less human, not more. and educator.

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