The joys (and hang overs) of Purim are still lingering in the air, and the Biblical portion of Ki Tisa arrives to teach us the secret to the most agonizing question of the religionist, the origin of one of the most important lessons of Jewish theology: Why is the Divine face so often hidden from our sights? Why does the world in general and life in particular so often seem to lack G-d's compassion and concern?
After all, Purim is the anti-holiday, featuring G-d's hiddenness; that is why G-d's name is absent from the Scroll of Esther. Although the Jewish community of Persia avoids destruction, it must nevertheless undergo a costly battle. At the end of the day, Esther remains the queen of a Gentile despot, and even at the conclusion of the story "the Jews are still servants to Ahasveros." No wonder we need to drink much wine in order to induce feelings of joy and gaiety. But why must we endure exile and angst, persecution and pogrom, as the built-in cost of our survival? "My G-d, why hast Thou forsaken us?"
Our Biblical portion of Ki Tisa provides the reason. The nation has sinned by worshiping the materialistic, hedonistic, orgiastic golden calf; Moses wishes total absolution for his nation and desires even more: that G-d's "face" constantly be with them (33:15), that they see G-d's "face", that G-d's goodness and compassion constantly be manifest. G-d explains that no individual may see G-d's face and live, that G-d can only lead "from behind", through a glass darkly, in back of a veiled curtain (hester panim; 33:23). Indeed, the Almighty even reveals why His hiddenness is necessary, why it is actually a blessing and not a curse:
It is the Jewish nation, therefore, that will play this special role and it is through the nation that - even if it be obscure - G-d will reveal Himself (or part of Himself, His back) to the world. Hence, G-d tells Moses that he must descend from the lofty and supernal heights of the heavens where he is receiving G-d's words and descend to the sinning Israelites around the golden calf - because the nation must be uplifted, purged and purified (32:7, Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 32). The second tablets of stone are hewn out and written down by Moses, an expression of the new reality that the leaders of the nation must interpret and expand upon G-d's Torah through the explications and applications, the decrees and enactments of the Oral Law. First the nation, G-d's messenger, must become whole and healed; then G-d's Name will be complete and manifest in our midst.
From this perspective, the Purim holiday takes on a new color. Yes, G-d is completely hidden in the assimilating, fractious and fragmented Jewish nation living in Persia towards the end of the sixth century BCE. Esther's very name reflects G-d's manifest absence (Esther, hester, hidden), as this woman of noble Jewish ancestry enters the Persian Emperor's harem. There were those Jews who patriotically identified the Persian Palace with the Desert Sanctuary and Holy Temple (Scroll of Esther 1:5 ff), and there were also those Jews who wept each midnight over Tikkun Hatzot (a prayerful plea for restoration of the Temple); there were those Jews who reveled together with the Persians at the sumptuous feast and bar, there were those Jews who ate only fish, and there were probably those Jews who showed up, but did not even touch a morsel of food. Was it not Haman who described the Jews of Persia as "scattered and separated" (3:8)?
And it was Esther, although she is reluctant at first and tries to convince Mordecai to stop his demonstrations, who eventually understood that even partial victory could only be won if the Jewish community were to unite under G-d. Hence, while Mordecai only stresses that Esther must remonstrate before Ahashverosh, Esther demands that first "Mordecai must go and assemble all the Jews of Shushan together, to declare a period of fasting and prayer; do not eat or drink anything for three days and nights. My servant girls and I will do the same. After that, I shall go to the king... and if I am destroyed, I shall be destroyed...." (4:15,16)
Esther wins the day - but only after she unites the Persian Jewish community. And so, our method of celebrating Purim expresses the unifying of our communal ties: giving charity to the poor, giving gifts to our friends, joining in communal meals, and reading the Scroll of Esther in large, communal gatherings. The more our nation unites, the more will G-d's Name be united; at that time, we will witness the unification of the world under the one G-d of justice, compassion and peace.
After all, Purim is the anti-holiday, featuring G-d's hiddenness; that is why G-d's name is absent from the Scroll of Esther. Although the Jewish community of Persia avoids destruction, it must nevertheless undergo a costly battle. At the end of the day, Esther remains the queen of a Gentile despot, and even at the conclusion of the story "the Jews are still servants to Ahasveros." No wonder we need to drink much wine in order to induce feelings of joy and gaiety. But why must we endure exile and angst, persecution and pogrom, as the built-in cost of our survival? "My G-d, why hast Thou forsaken us?"
Our Biblical portion of Ki Tisa provides the reason. The nation has sinned by worshiping the materialistic, hedonistic, orgiastic golden calf; Moses wishes total absolution for his nation and desires even more: that G-d's "face" constantly be with them (33:15), that they see G-d's "face", that G-d's goodness and compassion constantly be manifest. G-d explains that no individual may see G-d's face and live, that G-d can only lead "from behind", through a glass darkly, in back of a veiled curtain (hester panim; 33:23). Indeed, the Almighty even reveals why His hiddenness is necessary, why it is actually a blessing and not a curse:
"I shall send before you an agent [or messenger, or angel, or national leaders] and [in this manner, through the nation and its leaders] I shall banish the Canaanites.... [in] the land flowing with milk and honey; but I shall not arise in your midst, because you are a stiff-necked people, lest I consume you on the way...." And the Lord said to Moses, "Say to the children of Israel, 'You are a stiff-necked nation; if for one moment I shall arise in your midst, I shall destroy you....'" (33:2-5)G-d's open manifestation and direct intervention in human and cosmic affairs would be a double-edged sword, explains the Bible. Since immediate reward and punishment means uplifting the righteous and destroying the evil, the Israelites may well have found themselves to have been totally denuded even before their history got underway under such close Divine supervision and intimate, immediate involvement. G-d must therefore operate indirectly, through messengers. And so, He established a special relationship, a covenant, with our nation, which he shall lead only from behind; our nation which will have the obligation - and mission - to eventually make the world a fitting place for G-d's presence to be in its midst (34:10 ff, and 25:8). However, the nation will experience triumphs and tragedies, privileges and punishments, successes and setbacks, until the eventual vision of the full manifestation of G-d's great and holy Name is realized at the time of Redemption.
It is the Jewish nation, therefore, that will play this special role and it is through the nation that - even if it be obscure - G-d will reveal Himself (or part of Himself, His back) to the world. Hence, G-d tells Moses that he must descend from the lofty and supernal heights of the heavens where he is receiving G-d's words and descend to the sinning Israelites around the golden calf - because the nation must be uplifted, purged and purified (32:7, Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 32). The second tablets of stone are hewn out and written down by Moses, an expression of the new reality that the leaders of the nation must interpret and expand upon G-d's Torah through the explications and applications, the decrees and enactments of the Oral Law. First the nation, G-d's messenger, must become whole and healed; then G-d's Name will be complete and manifest in our midst.
From this perspective, the Purim holiday takes on a new color. Yes, G-d is completely hidden in the assimilating, fractious and fragmented Jewish nation living in Persia towards the end of the sixth century BCE. Esther's very name reflects G-d's manifest absence (Esther, hester, hidden), as this woman of noble Jewish ancestry enters the Persian Emperor's harem. There were those Jews who patriotically identified the Persian Palace with the Desert Sanctuary and Holy Temple (Scroll of Esther 1:5 ff), and there were also those Jews who wept each midnight over Tikkun Hatzot (a prayerful plea for restoration of the Temple); there were those Jews who reveled together with the Persians at the sumptuous feast and bar, there were those Jews who ate only fish, and there were probably those Jews who showed up, but did not even touch a morsel of food. Was it not Haman who described the Jews of Persia as "scattered and separated" (3:8)?
And it was Esther, although she is reluctant at first and tries to convince Mordecai to stop his demonstrations, who eventually understood that even partial victory could only be won if the Jewish community were to unite under G-d. Hence, while Mordecai only stresses that Esther must remonstrate before Ahashverosh, Esther demands that first "Mordecai must go and assemble all the Jews of Shushan together, to declare a period of fasting and prayer; do not eat or drink anything for three days and nights. My servant girls and I will do the same. After that, I shall go to the king... and if I am destroyed, I shall be destroyed...." (4:15,16)
Esther wins the day - but only after she unites the Persian Jewish community. And so, our method of celebrating Purim expresses the unifying of our communal ties: giving charity to the poor, giving gifts to our friends, joining in communal meals, and reading the Scroll of Esther in large, communal gatherings. The more our nation unites, the more will G-d's Name be united; at that time, we will witness the unification of the world under the one G-d of justice, compassion and peace.