Jewish Carnival Day calls for light and hope

Inspiration

By Rabbi Rick Sherwin

Last Wednesday was PURIM, the Jewish version of Carnival Day

The holiday of spring fever when we the bask in rays

Of light and hope, with songs of escaping the dark past

And moving along the path to light that will last.

Our world today is filled with news hopeless and sad

We cannot protect our children in a world so bad

Weighted down with degradation and assault

So much discussion is focused on who's at fault.

Purim tells of a narcissistic megalomaniac demon

Who sought to blame and self-vaunt, his name was Haman.

When Mordecai mourned Esther asked, "What can we do?"

The answer was then as it is today, "It is up to you!"

Esther asked for three days of prayer, then took a stand

To the king, she said, "Save my People, this I demand."

His complacency shattered, he opened his mind and his ear

And began the holy task of pushing away darkness and fear.

We thus learn that our darkness of night can be pierced by light

As long as young Esthers stand and demand for what is right.

The younger generation needs our embrace as they speak out

For sanity and conscience, security and freedom with no doubt.

Today is Purim, with negative news and our hopes cut in half

We remind ourselves we must take a breath and laugh.

The Hamans of the world will ultimately fall and yield to right

Inspiring sanity and conscience leading us to a world of light.

Rabbi Rick Sherwin, a graduate of UCLA, was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. Rabbi Rick’s passion is filling spiritual services and interfaith educational programs with creativity, relevance, dialogue, and humor.