During WWII, a Nazi approached a Jewish concentration camp inmate with a sadistic challenge. “Figure out which one of my eyes is fake, or I kill you,” he proposed. The Jew looked closely at both eyes and immediately pointed to the fake one. “How did you know?” the Nazi asked, taken aback. “You bear so much hatred for the Jews, that as you spoke, I saw one eye gleam with sadism, while the other remained dull…”
This story got me thinking about the fact that we live in a society where our communication is so controlled; our daily lives are governed by endless protocol, acceptable manners, and defined procedures, leaving us to camouflage our true emotions behind a veil of proper behavior. But it seems the eyes cannot lie! Though we may attempt to show another face to the world, our eyes are the windows to our soul – they will always tell the truth.
If the power of evil can so easily break through the body’s pretenses, how much more so the power of goodness! This is, indeed, the lesson of the holiday of Purim: a day destined for tragedy, transformed to celebration! Purim energizes us to unearth the boundless joy we all have within ourselves. The inherent feeling of belonging we all have to Torah & Mitzvot, becomes a tangible conscious feeling of excitement. The perceived walls we created that stop us from connecting to ourselves are torn apart.
Shabat Shalom & Happy Purim!
Rabbi Mendy
