Rabbi Eliot J Baskin

Seventy-Second General Assembly Wednesday, March 11, 2020

STATE OF COLORADO 64th Legislative Day

Our Legislature meets this week when the Jewish world celebrates the holiday of Purim, which marks the salvation of the Jewish people from a threatened massacre in ancient Persia.

The Purim story is found in the biblical book of Esther which is one of two books in the Bible where God's name is never mentioned. Yet, our tradition insists that God is very much present in the story, in the actions of the characters who literally risk their lives to confront hatred and bigotry by taking a stand for justice, tolerance and compassion. Perhaps God's name is missing because it's not up to God, rather it's up to us.

The most important of the four obligations for this holiday is to give charity to the poor--it's not sufficient to to give a donation, you must place it in their open hand and see their eyes.

And when we gaze heavenward, we should "Pray as if everything depended on God. Act as if everything depended on us" (Ferdinand Isserman, often attributed to Augustine and Ignatius).

During this time of health and economic uncertainty, may you Senators and staff have the courage to come together to legislate with wisdom, kindness and resilience to manifest the Divine presence in our state with heroic actions and open hands and hearts so that we not only survive, but thrive together. It's up to us.

Amen.