Why Does Purim Occur on the Jewish Month of Adar?: An Insight on Purim and Happiness

A little over a week ago, the Jewish calendar reached the month of Adar. The Talmud (Ta'anit 29a) says that when the Jewish month of Adar begins, we increase our happiness. The Talmud continues to say that Jews should proceed with litigation in the month of Adar because of the good luck that is inherent within the month of Adar. During the month of Adar is the holiday of Purim. Purim commemorates the biblical account of the Book of Esther. In this Book, we see the story of how the Jewish people, who were at the time in exile in Persia, were saved by the cruelty of Haman, the king's vizier. What does the miracle of being saved from extinction have to do with happiness?

1. The Hebrew month Adar (אדר) has the same root as the Hebrew word for "strength" (אדיר). This correlates with the fact that the zodiacal sign of Pisces corresponds with the month of Adar. Pisces is the sign of the fishes. What do fishes have to do with Purim?
• Fish are seen as a fertile species, and thus are a symbol of blessing and fruitfulness. 
• I wrote a homily about four years ago on why fish have fins and scales. Fish are a metaphor for how we should behave. Fins help us propel forward, and scales protect us when life is bumpy. 
2. In the Exodus narrative, Adar was the last month that the Jews spent in Egypt. The month of Adar commemorates as the prelude to the Exodus, which leads to the receiving of Torah and commemorates freedom. Happiness is rooted in our freedom because it gives us the ability to reach our fullest potential. 
3. Jewish tradition teaches us that when the Jews accepted the Torah at Mount Sinai, it was done so under duress. The Talmud teaches (Shabbat 88a) that G-d held Mount Sinai over the heads of the Jewish people to accept Torah. However, it was during Purim that the Jewish people accepted the Torah voluntarily. The voluntary nature of accepting Torah and mitzvahs teaches us that we accept G-d out of love and not fear. Pirke Avot teaches that while fear is sometimes necessary, it is out of the love of G-d that we truly become close to G-d. Purim is such a happy moment because we come to G-d out of love, and not fear. 
4. Haman selected the month of Adar in attempts to annihilate the Jewish people not just because the Jewish people lost their Temple and were already down. Haman chose Adar because it was the month that Moses passed away. Haman took that as a sign to destroy the Jewish people. While that 7th of Adar was when Moses passed away, it was also the day when Moses was born. This reminds us that a fork in the road could be a crisis or an opportunity. Looking at research on happiness, about 40 percent of happiness is our own choice. We have the ability to take that 40 percent and choose what to do with it, much like the Jewish people decided what to do in terms of making the best of their situation.  
5. Some of the Purim practices liberate us from our usual routine and has the potential to encourage happiness. Mishloach Manot, the practice of sending gift baskets to at least two friends on Purim, encourages us to give. Giving is significant because research shows that giving leads to greater health and happiness. The practice of drinking on Purim tries to find a balance between not being sober and being drunk in order to connect to G-d in a different way. Wearing costumes is a way to reveal a different part of ourselves that we might not reveal other days of the year. Exploring different venues can help us find a different way of being happy that we might not have previously thought possible. 
6. Purim is a time where we turn things upside-down. Things that are normally not encouraged (e.g., drinking a fair amount of alcohol) or even forbidden (e.g., cross-dressing) are permitted on Purim. It turns life upside-down for a day. R. Geoff Mitelman brings up the idea that is the fact that life gets turned upside-down is the reason why we should be happy on Purim. The word Purim (פורים) comes from the Hebrew word "lot" (פור). During the entire Purim story, the fate of the Jewish people was uncertain. Purim is a reminder that we don't have full control over our lives, and that chasing after a security blanket or a bubble in which nothing hurts us ever is not only impossible, but precisely the wrong way to go about happiness. Sukkot teaches us a similar message: The sooner we get comfortable in the insecurity of life, the happier we will become because we are not chasing after something so elusive. 

To tie all of these ideas together, Purim is about how we choose to react to our circumstances. Life is not always fun. There are times where it is downright cruel and uncertain. The story of Purim is taking a moment of darkness, a moment where it looked like the Jewish people would be no more, and to transform it into light. And that's the point: the ability to make life a happier one comes from us. It is an internal process, and chasing after external validation or success leaves one empty. Am I saying that it's easy? Of course not! I'm working on it myself, and it comes with difficulty. However, the month of Adar reminds us that we take control over what we can and adapt to the rest. I'll end with the Serenity Prayer:

G-d, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.