RANDOM? MAYBE. MAYBE NOT

 Kids today have glommed onto the word random. Why? I do not to begin to understand the emergence of language trends nor the reasoning behind them, but there it is. Think how many terms have made their way into common everyday use. i.e. "My bad," and now we have the random growth of another word - random. Ask a young adult what that word means, and you will get a confused look, a shrug of the shoulder, and an answer similar to "I don't know; it was just random". Simply a random choice. 

However, random is not always random and thoughts and actions appearing to be unrelated actually are, with random having no skin in the game. And there one has another term that edged its way into everyday usage. Random? Maybe, though I think not. What follows is possibly a collection of random thoughts haunting the hallways of my mind and soul or perhaps not so random, come to think about it.

Today is the Jewish holiday of Purim, a holiday which hews closely to the funny, not so funny, trope of the theme of Jewish holidays. We were existentially threatened, repelled the attempt - usually at the cost of too many lives - and celebrated, with food, of course, playing a major role in said celebration. Random coincidence? Maybe, or maybe not.

Purim comes from the Hebrew term of the action of Haman. He 'cast a lot' to determine the day of death for Jews in the kingdom of Persia, agreed to by a fooled leader. The lot was for the day of planned extermination, one of so many attempts throughout the long and bloody history of the Jewish people. The day was the fourteenth day of the last month of the year - the fourteenth day of Adar. Today. And we celebrate with carnivals, with costumes galore, and rather than demanding treats, we bring them to others- to friends and family, and at least two to families in need. One can also donate to charitable organizations in lieu of food gifts, difficult in this world where so many are scattered.

Randomly, maybe, the thoughts crowded into my head. Why were we always facing these threats. For Purim, we were given official permission to fight back, to repel the attackers, the bloodthirsty crazed individuals who glommed onto any excuse to practice hate and drag others along with them. Does that mean that without permission to resist we were to stand there and accept death and mayhem? Perhaps, as for centuries Jews did not have the wherewithal to resist physically to any kind of meaningful degree but resisted in other ways. Keeping religion, tight families, organized communities with culture, with charity, with education. Even in the deepest days of darkness, even in the death camps, these qualities and traits were kept to the extent possible. And we survived yet another attempt at extermination.

And what now? These days celebrities are jumping onto the bandwagon of antisemitism with great glee and energy, while others send out messages of rejection of those celebrities. Random choices? I think not. The world today encourages hate, rewards those who spew violent, vitriolic words, who revel in the panic and spilled blood.  Schwarzenegger airs a video against antisemitism, conflating it, as usual, with other biases, so very wrong, and Bryan Allen reminds Black people that they owe much to the Jewish people, especially in the campaign for civil rights.

But the hate continues, all over the world. I believe Israel is wrong, very wrong in its planned judicial change, but it is not an entire nation - note the huge crowds and protests. Nor is it the only country with problematic judiciary systems - ahem - look in the mirror. Israel gets international condemnation by nations stained with their own corruption as double standards are denied. Israel defends itself against those who would see them all dead, destroy the State, even as myriad countries do far worse, and skate freely through international dealings. Their politicians are human - shame on them, yes, - but why are they worse, deserving of international attention and condemnations as others, manifestly far worse, are Teflon. Ahem - need that mirror again? 

Are we in the early stages of yet another Purim? Another holiday with days of blood and horror before us, before we feast? Are there more plotted "Day of Hate" days upon which one can be sure, we either resist one way or resist in another. Why must we always be hyperalert for these signs of growing antisemitism, of morphing from vague crazed rants of fringe groups to wide open ravings of supposed 'moderates', taking on the costumes of the fringe groups, either in open airing of internal hatreds once kept out of sight, and/or in the cynical perennial search for votes to retain power and gain wealth? Any which way is dangerous - not randomly either.

Today, a day of joy through the centuries, a day where life and the hand of G-d were celebrated, when wine and food flowed through the streets of Jewish towns and neighborhoods, when families and friends got together to share a Purim seudah- a Purim feast, most of my thoughts, not randomly so, will be of the lot cast by someone, which has beset Yitzy. Why a 12-year-old boy is afflicted in such a mortal manner is confusing. Was it random, bad luck, a case of randomness, a case of cancer cells taking a walk, seeking a new home and found one in him? Or is it not so random in ways which we cannot begin to fathom?

 Whatever we think, whatever choice we make, there is no randomness in the hurt, the pain, the confusion, the anger, the sadness, the hopes hinging on minuscule, blessed shrinking of a tumor.

And of course, there is no end to the tears.

No end to the continued need for the combined power of thoughts and prayers.

HEAL YITZY!

Yitzchak Elimelech ben Chana Sarah

May he be granted refuah shelaymah bimheyrah beyameinu. 

May he be granted a timely and complete healing.

May Hashem hear all our voices raised in prayer. 

Amen. Amen.