Today marks the Jewish holiday of Purim, or the celebration of Esther’s salvation of the Jewish People by speaking the truth. Below is an adapted excerpt from Dr. Jerry’s Climbing Jacob’s Ladder :
Esther: The Story of Truth and Self-Redemption
The story of Esther is one of speaking the truth and of recognizing God’s presence on Earth, even when his presence seems hidden. It is a timeless tale, as relevant today as it was thousands of years ago.
There is no greater quality that brings us nearer to the Divine King than truth. In the Purim story, we celebrate Esther’s special truth-telling quality that makes her one of the most unusual heroines in the Western Spiritual tradition. Her transfiguration from an attitude of resignation and fear to one of faith and courage takes place under the tutelage of her teacher and uncle, Mordechai.
By answering in truth, she convinces her husband, Xerxes, King of Persia, of her moral integrity. In the story, she takes no credit in revealing a plot to overthrow the King, but instead, she gives credit to her source – Mordechai – by stating that she speaks in his name, not her own. Giving credit is a moral act. To do the opposite is an act of theft, stealing something from another and claiming it as your own. This first act of speaking the truth sets a series of events in motion that ultimately saves her people.
Likewise, if we are not able to give credit to our Source of Life, there is no hope for the redemption of this world. The salvation of the world rests on our willingness to follow God’s request made in Eden, that we listen only to the voice of the Divine and not make the fundamental error of wanting to be God (all-powerful and all-knowing) or mistaking ourselves for God.
To not give credit to our Source is to mistake ourselves for God. This act leads us to believe we are above the law and are exempt from cosmic law (10 commandments) regarding our thoughts, feelings, and behavior. This has led us down a path of unprecedented death and destruction, creating the crisis of possible planetary extinction we now face. The way back from this brink resides with Esther.
Speaking the truth gives us the key to triumphing over evil and to fulfilling our purpose on earth to be a light unto the world. We are all born with the capacity to know truth and to act on it, but we give in early in life to conform to the mass conscious tendency to suppress the truth and support the lies heaped on us often under the threat of physical harm and death.
Telling the truth is not a common commodity we encounter on earth. So much of human history has been marked by the enmity people have shown to one another, being prompted to do so by the lies fed them by their rulers — and politicians. Thus, Esther’s story is one of truth; how truth can prevail over lying and calumny. Just as King Solomon said ‘Love is strong as death’, so truth is strong as evil.