THE HANGED MAN Cantor Katie Kaplan
What if Haman hung from his feet and not from a noose around the neck , more like The Hanged Man of the Tarot , card number XII ? Might surrender and enlightenment have overtaken him with a rush of blood to the head , legs bent in the number four , arms tied behind his back ?
Instead , some of our children are still being taught to parade around with Haman hanging from a noose on a tree in a modern day retaliatory lynching celebration . And when we fulfill the mitzvah of hearing the entire Megillah , we are supposed to somehow cheer for the person who can chant all 10 of the names of Haman ’ s sons as we hang them as well , in one breath .
Must we continue to punish violence with more violence , perpetuating the cycle , over and over again until we are all just empty shells of The Hanged Man walking upside down , asleep through the world ?
Tip me over and let me fall limp , hanging from my feet for I can no longer meet this fight with more violence .
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