Since we have already had a nahafoch hu year, this Purim let us do something different

Sit back, take a deep breath, and consider my radical proposal for Purim. But first, some background.

The topsy-turvy fortunes of the Jews of Persia are vividly portrayed by that memorable phrase in Megillas Esther 9:1, v’nahafoch hu. The best translation of nahafoch hu is “upside down” and “topsy-turvy.” On Purim, everything was inverted: Haman and his evil cohorts were eliminated, and the Jews slated for destruction fought back and defeated the enemy.

In keeping with this spirit of inversion, Jews historically have celebrated Purim in a nahafoch hu manner. Teetotalers imbibe wine and whiskey; light eaters ingest heavy meals; serious folks wear broad smiles; people hide themselves behind masks and beneath costumes. Everything is topsy-turvy.

In truth, who can deny that we are living these days in a topsy-turvy world? That which is normal is considered abnormal, and abnormal is the new normal.

A quick overview of this past year underscores that this has been a nahafoch hu year.

ITEM: Innocent Israelis are held in horrendous captivity by Hamas, while the world condemns Israel for defending itself, calling Israel a “genocide” nation.

ITEM: Hamas brutally slaughters Israeli men, women, children and even infants on October 7, and then demands “humanitarian” assistance from the world.

ITEM: The savagery of Hamas, instead of eliciting sympathy for Israel around the world, creates a new hostility against Israel in elite American universities, whose administrators ignore the organized anti-Semitism on their campuses, refusing to discipline anti-Semitic professors who hide behind the “free speech” shield, and who blame the Jews for causing the October 7 massacres.

ITEM: Proponents of “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” remain silent in the face of blatant Jew-hatred, and often encourage it. “Inclusion” excludes Jews, and “Equity” is for everyone but Jews.

ITEM: The world court ignores the human rights violations of half the world like Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Iran — but indicts Prime Minister Netanyahu for crimes against humanity.

ITEM: Humanitarian assistance for Gaza goes directly into the hands of Hamas, who use it for themselves and do nothing to assist their fellow countrymen — while the world condemns Israel for sending insufficient aid.

IITEM: Each of the innocent Israeli hostages is exchanged for hundreds of convicted murderous terrorists, which the world considers fair exchange.

The list goes on and on. Normality is turned upside down; madness and stupidity have overrun the human mind; all is topsy-turvy.

All this being so, I offer the following proposal: Since we have already had a nahafoch hu year, this Purim let us do something different, and instead of the usual frenetic Purim activities — fancy mishloach manos, over-the-top and overstuffed meals, heavy drinking, masks and disguises — instead of all this, let us this Purim do a real nahafoch hu and have a quiet Purim: A special seudah, but with a minimum of alcohol; send mishloach manos, but minimal ones and nothing spectacular, and only to a few neighbors and friends; hear the Megillah; recite al hanissim and thank Him for granting us another year of life.

We will sit at home and reflect how pleasant it is to experience an upside-down Purim — one that fulfills the halachah and is un-raucous, un-wild, un-intoxicated, un-jarring, un-discordant, and un-jangled. In brief, a Purim in which we quietly thank G-d for miracles, bayamim haheim… in those days and in our days.

That kind of normal, halachically oriented Purim would truly be a much needed counterpoint to the topsy-turvyness of the past year. All these nahafoch hu’s deserve to be turned right side up.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1052)