Purim, party and paradox

"Purim celebrates the salvation of the Jews from the wicked Haman's scheme to exterminate all the Jewish men, women, and children living in the Persian empire in the year 357 B.C.E., which essentially meant all the Jews in the world. On Purim we are obligated to hear the Book of Esther which recounts the Purim story and enjoy a festive meal. We are also required to give charity to the poor, send two food items to a friend, and get so drunk that we do not know the difference between Haman, the villain, and Mordechai, the righteous hero of the story? (This last commandment, I understand, is very rigorously kept in college dorms all year round.)

The Kabbalah teaches that G-d is not just the one and only ruling power and there are no other gods, G-d is absolutely the one and only reality — there is nothing but G-d and we exist within G-d. We are souls — sparks, aspects and expressions of G-d — and we do not exist apart from Him but rather within Him. Our realization of this truth is the evolving story of history whereby we discover how united we are with G-d and each other. This realization of oneness is the ultimate experience of love.

Therefore, when Judaism asserts that G-d is one, it does not mean "one" in the dictionary sense of "the opposite of many." The oneness of G-d is the power of love, which transcends and includes both "one" and "many." It includes opposites in a simple oneness. Although our logical minds cannot understand this paradoxical oneness, we get a taste of it on Purim, because the story of Purim aptly illustrates that even the evil person who denies G-d and rebels against His will ironically serves to reveal G-d's truth and — to the evil person's own dismay — actually end up bringing blessing to the world.

On Purim, we celebrate that everything in the world goes according to G-d's plan — whether we see it or not. On Purim, we read the Megillas Ester and celebrate the revelation of G-d's hiddenness within the free choices of humanity. G-d's plan disguises itself and plays out even through the evil people of the world. But, on Purim, we actually see the truth behind the mask. To emulate G-d, the Master of Disguise, we, too dress up in disguises and party over this mysterious and marvelous paradox."

Click on the link below for the full article:

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/david/aaron_purim07.php3