Purim: An Art Lesson
Any artist knows the importance of looking at your work from a new angle. In my painting classes, I've learned to rotate my canvas, look at it in a mirror, and flip it upside down. Why? So I can really, truly see it.
We all get used to seeing the world from our own perspective. But if it's only from that one viewpoint, is it really accurate? Wouldn't it be better to see the world from as many angles as possible?
The Jewish holiday of Purim is about reversals. It retells a story from Jewish history that plays out like a Shakespearean comedy. "Kill all the Jews!" orders the story's villain, Haman. "The Queen is a Jew!" reveals the young bride of the king. Gasp! "What! How? Who? I don't get it!" cries the confused King of Persia. Naturally, beheading and other celebrations ensue.
But the Purim story can teach us more than a bit of Jewish history. The strange reversals and ironic plot twists in this story show us a useful way to look at calamity—turn it upside down. Just like a painting.