Purim is nearly here. The groggers have been gathered and costumes created. Kids and grown-ups alike are practicing their parts of the schpeel—jokes and lighthearted skits a-plenty. And the whole Magilla will be chanted, or read to fulfill the Mitzvah of “hearing” the tale. We will stomp our feet and boo you-know-who, cheer the heroes, and may even drink to the point of blurring the lines between them.
But what’s it all about?
Ah, yes…
The Persian king decreed that the Jews must die. They survived by way of Queen Esther. Now pass the Hamantashen, please.
Or maybe it’s simply about being yourself.
After all, each one of us is unique, and Fate has dealt each of us a particular hand. But what are we going to become? What will we make of our particular circumstances and opportunities?
What is my part and your part and his part and her part to play in world events, and in the happenings closer to home?
And what will compel me to be me—really me?
Will it take a national or even communal crisis for me to remove all masks, all pretences, all phoniness and fakery?
Will it take a calamity before the diversity of humankind is truly appreciated?
Break out the groggers and let the wine flow!
And let’s celebrate…
Person to person,
Face to face;
Each person’s uniqueness,
Each person’s right to be unique.
Hag Sameach, y’all!
Jewniquely Myself 
This is without a doubt your best post yet…it sounds almost like a drash! I was in my synagogue’s Purim Spiel a couple of years ago, which was a lot of fun, and there’s a big, lively carnival held afterward for young and old alike. But, honestly, I’m not one for masquerading I never was. Honesty has always been my best garment, and, if ou will, the masquerade of being able bodied when you don’t look like someone with a disability is all too common a problem in our community, and nothing to spiel about. Yes, what will it take to be ourselves, truly ourselves? Catharsis comes in as many forms as the players in a Purim Spiel. Hag Sameach!
Alysa and Ellen