Please enjoy Rabbi Julie’s rhyming Purim story that was shared with the children at the One Room Shul House this past Sunday.
PURIM
Gather round, there’s a story to tell
Its about a girl named Esther and how her story fell
She lived at a time when the mean old king didn’t like the Jews
So she pretended that she was something else so no one ever knew
That she was a part of our people, all along
She hid her identity so she’d feel like she belonged
Well mean king Antiochus, set the stage
His own hatred was all the rage
Everyone felt free to spew hatred and mean
It was the worse kind of culture to ever be seen
Everyone who was different, took the fall
People chose not to care at all
Life was about getting only for you
And this selfish way to live, never works for a Jew.
WE are told, in no uncertain terms
To stand up for justice where ever the need for truth burns
Esther you see was afraid if they knew
So she hid the fact that she was a Jew
Her uncle Mordechai, took her to the court of the king
Because he was looking for beautiful princesses to be able to sing
He wanted women to be at his beckon and call
Its not a story that we like to tell at all
But he fell for Esther, the second their eyes met
He saw her beautiful face, and history was set
She became a beauty there to serve the king
She must have been frightened having to be such a thing
But those days were different, women had no rights
To say I wanna go home and sleep in my own bed tonight.
Esther’s destiny was different than today
And she carried it like a queen, and helped to pave the way
For the safety of the Jews to survive to this day
She spoiled the plans of mean old Haman the snot
He wanted to kill the Jews
And would stop at nothing for this plot
But queen Esther found the courage to stand up tall
And the rest is history, we survived after all.
So please come to Purim, which is only a few days away
We dress up in costumes and we play play play
We dance and sing as the Megillah is read
And we crush our fears inspired by Esters courage instead
We take a break from the seriousness of life
And we dance and sing that we are blessed to be alive
And we promise to stand tall when and if our time comes
To fight for the justice of others, and our rights to be one
With all humanity, regardless of color, religion or gender
A Jews place is to be like the beautiful and wise Queen Esther.
That’s Purim wrapped up in a rhyme
It’s a silly day with a message quite divine
Life can be hard, its full of twists and turns
Our job as Jews is to be sure that we learn
that God is watching and asking for our care
We must fight for the freedom of others and blot out despair
So get your costumes ready, the fun’s about to begin
Sometime we just have to celebrate when the good guys win.
