Friday, March 13, 2009

Purim Message All Year Around


There are no obvious miracles in the Scroll of Esther. The events that unfold in the scroll took place over a nine year time span. The historical processes that led up to the victory over Haman seem to have taken place a long time before he devised his evil scheme.

Esther becomes queen in the seventh year of Ahashverosh's reign, Mordechai reveals the plot of Bigtan and Teresh approximately at the same time, while Haman's scheme comes onto the screen five years later - in the twelfth year of Ahashverosh's reign. Afterwards, nothing happens that cannot be explained logically. The ability to read the Scroll and to see G-d working behind the scenes - making history happen - highlights the uniqueness of the Jewish people.

A lot of miracles have been bestowed on the Jewish people throughout our history, but not all of them had a Mordechai and Esther that knew how to make them into a holiday that would endow the nation with light, joy and faith for all generations. Will the miracle of the return of the Jewish people to their land melt away, deliberately relegated to forgotten-status by Israel's president and Ministry of Education? Or will we tell the true story of Israel's renaissance and fulfill the dream to be a treasured nation - a Jewish nation that strives to perfect the world in the Kingdom of Heaven?

Netanyahu may be forced into creating a "rightist" coalition - but it will not change Israel's reality at all. His battle against the faith based revolution that is the only hope for Israel cost the Likud approximately 10 mandates. But it did bring the faith based alternative to center stage.

Purim is over. Its message, though, must remain with us. In the face of all those who attempt to make us forget who we are, those for whom everything that happens is mere coincidence and those who are looking for no more than a "place under the sun," we are confident that ultimately the Jewish alternative will win!

Shabbat Shalom

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