Purim

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I spent a large portion of spring break recounting Sam and I's adventures in Providence when we watched JBK's Purimspiel. While my first impression of the experience was a combination of shock and hilarity, after having some time to think about it, my perspective on the evening changed. What really sticks with me is the reading of the Purim story before the Purimspiel itself. Everyone sits inside the synagogue for an hour and a half and attentively listens to the Hebrew reading of this story. Now, I have no prior exposure to Hebrew, besides the handful of Bar Mitzvahs I attended in my youth. However, to my surprise, I still got a lot out of this story. In our class, we are primarily exploring the experiential dimension of religion, through the lens of the five senses. I found that the act of experiencing this religious custom had its own peace associated with it, even with the chaos that accompanies Purim and the foreign languages that I have no knowledge of. I come from a very nonreligious family; I have never been to church in my life. But I found the act of sitting, listening, and participating in this tradition very therapeutic. It was almost meditative, and I found it similar to the state I find myself in during yoga classes. And then, hilarity ensued as JBK got up there and sung for everyone. I highly recommend taking a risk and observing a tradition you are not familiar with. I found this trip to be extremely rewarding.

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