By Rabbi Eli Friedman
The current Jewish year 5784 is a leap year. That means two things: Firstly, there is a thirteenth month this year. The month of Adar - which features the festival of Purim - is repeated, giving us Adar I and Adar II, with Purim on the 14th day of Adar II.
Secondly, thirty days before Purim, on the 14th day of Adar I, we have an extra festival called “Purim Katan”, which some might translate as “The Minor Purim.”
But while the name may imply a “minor” festival, a clever person will not be fooled into letting Purim Katan pass by unnoticed. Sure, a cynic may sniff that Purim Katan is no more than a courtesy nod at the date that would have been Purim had it not been a leap year. But cynicism is certainly not clever.
If the Divinely orchestrated Jewish tradition gave us a special day - a “special guest” who only visits once every few years - we would do well to investigate and utilize its unique quality.
And what is its unique quality? It puts us in a Purim mindset a month earlier than usual. Can that be called minor? Can thirty extra days of happy energy be a minor matter? For people fighting every day to find happiness, can the appearance of thirty happy days be dismissed as a minor event?
Purim reminds us of everything we love, hope, and pray for. The themes of Purim are priceless: miracles are about to happen; despair can turn to delight literally overnight; evil will always buckle under the weight of its own arrogance; every one of us has a crucial role to play in the destiny of our nation and our world; and of course, our respect for each other triggers G-d’s most sublime kindness to all of us.
Thirty days to immerse in the exquisite energies of miracles, hope, justice, purpose, and unity - hardly minor.
Small, perhaps. But small is not minor. The Hope Diamond is the size of a walnut. Microchips are even smaller. Atoms are microscopic. None of them are minor.
Purim Katan is small, but it is certainly not minor. Because, like Yom Kippur, Purim is a holy blur of a day. A single day - gone in a flash. Blink, and it’s gone.
What a marvelous gift to be given thirty days of build-up to Purim. An extra month to study, reflect and internalize Purim’s messages. An extra month to nurture the kind of genuine, inner joy that Purim deserves. And an extra month to spread the word, ensuring that Purim isn’t missed by any Jewish man, woman, or child in one’s sphere of influence.
Yes, Purim Katan may be small. But don’t let it fool you; Purim Katan can change your life.
