Purim saved the Jews of Shushan from genocide, but not from suicidal assimilation. Self-destruction begins with idol-worship. In our postmodern world, we worship self-indulgence, giving up Jewish identity in order to enjoy the pleasures of the wider world. It shows the paradox: what you lose when separating from the outer, material world, you gain in your internal, spiritual world.
Real freedom is in overcoming addictions, not being enslaved by them.
Judaism teaches that self-restriction and self-discipline is what creates maturity. Assimilation asserts that there are no boundaries in pursuit of pleasure and power. Judaism teaches the importance of Shabbat, kashrut, family and community.
Purim is about sensuality. It glorifies the physical -- eating and drinking, dressing up and having a good time -- but only to mock its importance. In contrast, Judaism emphasizes a life of meaning and purpose.
Mordecai is the 'lonely man of faith' who reaffirms the belief that despair is madness, that the Jewish people will not only survive, but prevail, that in the inevitable darkness that descends, it will not be the final event, and that we will be redeemed. We simply don't know 'the Big Picture,' God's Will.
Moshe Dann- is a PhD historian, writer and journalist.