The lessons of Purim can be applied to Tennessee's gender-affirming care ban | Opinion
In 2023, Jews across Tennessee and all around the world celebrate the holiday of Purim March 6 to 7, based on the biblical Book of Esther. The Hebrew word Esther means hidden. Called a Megillah, the book is one of only two in all canonized scripture in which God’s role in the story is masked.
The holiday is likened to Halloween, as is observance calls for dressing up in costumes and encourages revelry. It is the one day on the Jewish calendar when we flip our traditions upside-down. Students tease their teachers. The drinking of alcohol is encouraged. Men dress as women.
This year Jewish children in Tennessee will wear costumes of their favorite fictional heroes. And adults will adorn the clothing of a different gender. For those who dress in clothes of other genders constantly or who are transitioning, such expressions are not costumes.
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One’s individuality is not something you can take off at the end of the night - it is a core part of one’s identity. We live in a country of free expression. People who cross dress on Purim benefit from safe spaces that are created in religious settings during the holiday. Far too many people who are gender non-conforming and transgender struggle with not having such places.
Purim is a holiday about breaking gender norms and gender stereotypes. The whole Megillah is a tragedy told comedically. The story begins with Queen Vashti refusing to parade naked before the King. While her decision would be reasonable and justified in today’s world, the Queen lived in a world where women were expected to be subservient to men. Vashti’s decision to reject the King’s command is also a rejection of the expectations of women in that society.
Additionally, the lived experience of Esther was no laughing matter. Her attractiveness got her noticed by the wrong people. She was eventually drafted into the royal harem for the gratification of a lustful, indulgent ruler. There is nothing funny about these events, other than the book’s ability to ridicule a civilization that perpetuates such atrocities and exposes the danger of when a government singles out any one group of people. Employing both irony and satire, the story lays bare the shallowness of the society’s values.
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Transgender people already face high rates of harassment in places of education and employment. Judaism has taught for centuries that, "People of intermediate sex and gender are not to be harmed; their lives are of equal value to any other person’s…This Jewish approach allows for genders between male and female. It opens space in society. It protects those who live in the places in between."
We live in an upside-down world. Our leaders should be creating inclusive places in our state that welcome all, especially marginalized members of trans and gender non-conforming communities. Instead of acting like the government of Persia, let’s enact laws that protect rather than persecute our own citizens for their freedom to choose their own identities.
Philip Rice is the Rabbi at Congregation Micah in Brentwood, TN
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Opinion: Tennessee would benefit from learning the story of Purim
