This week, the Hebrew month of Adar arrived…just when we needed it. Adar is associated with joy, and we can use an extra measure right now. But where might we find it? For some, their joy is magnified when they prepare their Purim costume. For others, it’s the long-awaited taste of hamentashen or the fun of a Purim carnival.
Minnesotans have additional reason to be happy – the much-anticipated drawdown of the ICE surge. Soon, no longer shall the sight of masked men instill fear; masks shall be a sign of levity. No longer shall whistles warn of danger; groggers shall blot out the memory of evil doers.
On the surface, having a Purim seudah – a feast with food and wine – would seem to be key to raising our “spirits.” But Rambam (MT Megillah and Chanukkah 2:17) challenges that assumption, teaching that there is an even higher form of joy and a better path to realizing it: “It is preferable for a person to increase their donations to the poor than to be lavish in their Purim feast or Purim gift baskets.”
Rambam is saying that on Purim, we should spend more money supporting people in need than we spend on parties and on gifts. The financial outlay is an expression of priority. Helping others is even more important than these core holiday mitzvot.
How does giving tzedakah increase the joy called for in Adar? Rambam continues, “For there is no greater and more splendid happiness than to gladden the hearts of the poor, the orphans, the widows, and the stranger.”
Notice that the joy of Adar is the joy of the vulnerable. They are happy because they have food in their kitchen, clothes on their backs, and shelter over their heads. Moreover, their spirits are lifted, and their hearts gladdened knowing someone is there for them.
In the process, they also sense that some One cares for them. As Rambam concludes, “One who brings happiness to the hearts of these unfortunate individuals resembles the Divine Presence.” In other words, the needy find joy sensing that God – through our outstretched hand – cares for them. And the giver discovers joy sensing their lives in alignment with the Divine Presence.
Despite heartbreak, anger, and worry that have been our “lot” since the start of the siege, Minnesotans have already experienced this kind of joy. Having generously opened their hearts and their hands, they’ve experienced the joy of justice, the joy of growing closer to their neighbors, the joy that comes from loving the stranger.
The psychological, financial, and emotional toll of the ICE surge in Minnesota is just beginning to be calculated. Its impact on families, on businesses, and on the hearts and minds of our neighbors will not quickly or easily be reversed. Therefore, tzedakah – for its material and emotional benefit – is needed now and for months to come.
Rather than focus on what brings us happiness, we are challenged to consider how we might bring joy to others. Rambam’s teaching on Purim calls on us to redouble our support of those in need and to understand that not in a party nor in a gift is the greatest happiness found. Rather, it is found in living a life of holiness walking in God’s ways.