Living the Chi Way in History and Today
Today is Purim, the most joyous day of the Jewish calendar. People celebrate by dressing up in costume and hearing the story of Purim. While the story is full of suspense and drama, it is not the plot but the values that are written between the lines that make the story applicable and interesting to us. Camp Chi lives by 3 core values; These are Respect (Kavod), Kindness (Chesed) and Community (Kehilah). During the summer we provide our campers with different perspectives on these values and many other things. So, it is in this sprit (Ruach, the unofficial 4th Chi value), that we share the Chi-efied version of the Story of the Purim. Go on, get your costumes on and come back to read on.
To make a long story short, the King of Persia, Achashverosh banishes his first wife and goes on a search for a new wife. A Jewish woman, named Esther becomes the apple of the king’s eye. It just so happens that Esther’s uncle, Mordechai is not well liked by the king’s second in command, Haman. One day, Mordechai, overhears 2 of the king’s guard plotting to kill the king. Mordechai is a man of the law and he respects the king greatly, as Achashverosh has allowed the Jewish people to flourish in Persia. It is out of respect for the king, that Mordechai shares this information and ultimately ends up saving the king’s life. The king is so grateful to and must find a way to repay Modechai’s kind gesture that he instructs Haman to parade Mordchai through town on his white horse and throw a parade in his honor so that he is respected as a king, kind, wise and strong.
Haman’s dislike for Mordechai only grows after this so Haman puts a plan together that rid Persia of all its Jews and it is approved by king! When news of this plan is released, Esther and her uncle are devastated. They begin to think of a way to save their people. Now Esther, has not told the king of her Jewish heritage, but with the existence of her community at risk, her position as Queen makes her an excellent candidate to step forward and save the Jewish people. At first she is hesitant and scared; she cannot just go to the King whenever she pleases. She must wait for the king to call on her or else she could be banished. After much deliberation, fasting and prayer, the Esther throws herself at the king’s feet, begging for mercy and inviting him and his advisor, Haman to a banquet where unbeknownst to the king and Haman she will reveal her true identity and plead for lives of each and every member of the Jewish community. In the end, the King, chooses love over politics and reverses the decree. Instead the King banishes Haman and his entire family and their descendents from the land of Persia indefinitely.
Through the story, it becomes evident that when you show kindness to others and respect others for who they are, you become respected as a leader of the community and it is the power and morals of the community that keeps us humble and kind. As you can tell, Chi’s values weren’t chosen at random, they were important values in the times of our ancestors and are still essential values today.
So we have fulfilled the custom of retelling the Purim story, albeit in a slightly different way, but there is one more Purim custom that we should note. It is called Mishloach Manot or Manot L’evionim, where one gives gifts and tzedakah (charity or donations), to those in need. We hope you will celebrate Purim by joining with your local community in the efforts to give to those in need and to exemplify Chi’s values and to truly live the Chi way not just today, on Purim, but every day.