Page 44 - issue
P. 44
Toward a
More
PURIMMeaningful
Our Sages teach us that Purim is an even holier day
than Yom Kippur, but this feeling of holiness can be
hard to access. Especially for women, who are often
very busy with the physical preparations and
demands of the day, Purim can be a challenging hol-
iday to relate to on a spiritual level. For that reason,
many women find themselves feeling disconnected
from the lofty ideals of the day.
These ideals, and the mitzvos of the day, are universal, but
the way in which we connect to them must be personalized in
order for our Purim to be meaningful. To do this, we need to
utilize our own unique personality and strengths when relating
to and engaging in the avoda (spiritual work) of Purim. This
self-awareness of who we are and what works to connect us to
Purim will help us (and those around us!) have a better experi-
ence overall and reduce the feelings of stress and burnout that
come from pushing ourselves too hard, particularly in areas
that don’t come as naturally to our personalities.
In his sefer Michtav M’Eliyahu, Rav Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler
explains that every individual’s personality is rooted in one of
three key traits and ways of interacting with the world: chesed
(loving-kindness), gevura (courageous submission to Hashem’s
authority), and emes (living a life guided by a worldview of
truth).* This orientation is both what drives the person and
what informs his or her perspective on life.
36 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
More
PURIMMeaningful
Our Sages teach us that Purim is an even holier day
than Yom Kippur, but this feeling of holiness can be
hard to access. Especially for women, who are often
very busy with the physical preparations and
demands of the day, Purim can be a challenging hol-
iday to relate to on a spiritual level. For that reason,
many women find themselves feeling disconnected
from the lofty ideals of the day.
These ideals, and the mitzvos of the day, are universal, but
the way in which we connect to them must be personalized in
order for our Purim to be meaningful. To do this, we need to
utilize our own unique personality and strengths when relating
to and engaging in the avoda (spiritual work) of Purim. This
self-awareness of who we are and what works to connect us to
Purim will help us (and those around us!) have a better experi-
ence overall and reduce the feelings of stress and burnout that
come from pushing ourselves too hard, particularly in areas
that don’t come as naturally to our personalities.
In his sefer Michtav M’Eliyahu, Rav Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler
explains that every individual’s personality is rooted in one of
three key traits and ways of interacting with the world: chesed
(loving-kindness), gevura (courageous submission to Hashem’s
authority), and emes (living a life guided by a worldview of
truth).* This orientation is both what drives the person and
what informs his or her perspective on life.
36 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
