1. We should go back to Maimonides‘ "Hilchot Deot," part of his monumental "Mishneh Torah," which in the 12th century understood the importance of pluralism of thought÷ "There are many temperaments, all of which are different and each of which is distinct, and which are possessed by different people ... Of the temperaments, there are those that one has from the moment of one‘s creation [and] according to one‘s nature, and there are those temperaments that direct one‘s nature and that one will quickly acquire in magnitudes greater than that of the other temperaments.

2. Not surprisingly, Maimonides succinctly expresses this fact in his statement that "gifts for the poor deserve more attention than the festive meal and gifts for friends because there is no greater, richer happiness than bringing joy to the hearts of needy people, orphans, widows and proselytes" ("Mishneh Torah," laws governing Purim, Chapter 3, section 17). As we prepare costumes for our children and organize, with sticky fingers, gifts for our friends, as we debate which parties and events to attend, we should also remember that redemption is bound up not only with feasting and celebrations – certainly not only with food – but also, and perhaps mainly, with our capacity for enabling all Jews to participate in the joy and celebration.