The glaring news report "Anti-Semitic Crimes Spike", brings shivers to my being. This sharp rise is due to a significant increase in incidents in schools and on college campuses. These expressions of hatred begin to affect our relationships with others and very often fosters greater disrespect and distrust resulting in communities becoming more and more secluded and isolated.
Leo Tolstoy once wrote "Anti-Semitism is a mad passion akin to the lowest perversion of diseased human nature. It is the will to hate".
With such an attitude spreading through our society, we begin to experience, misplaced anger, and simply a lack of common decency in our relationship with one another.
As Jews, we must always raise our voices against these ugly taunts. We must never permit these acts to undermine nor interfere in our strong traditional observances. Our lives must never be determined by the vile of others.
My greatest fear is that our youth are not prepared to face these challenges on a daily basis - be it in our schools and/or in our work places. It is interesting that we, all, can learn from the story of Purim how to face these challenges.
Purim is a day dedicated to remembering how two great Heroes, with indomitable strength, were able to foil the intentions of a Jew hater who planned to, physically, annihilate the entire Jewish population of Shushan.
It is no accident that the modern day Shushan is Iran, who, with distorted minds, think that they have the ability to finish the job that Haman started. They fail to realize that with G-D's help and the State of Israel, our Jewish State, in all its glory, will always protect our Jewish brethren.
With these thoughts in mind, I return to Megillat Esther for guidance, and to relive the way Esther and Mordechai acted at that historical crucial hour.
The Midrash relates a discussion between Moshe and Hashem. Moshe believed that he is was not capable of leading the Jews to freedom, G-D admonishes him and says, עד מתי אתה משפיל עצמך,"How long will you continue to make yourself small?" In essence, this statement is saying to all of us as it did to Moshe, "How long will we be little ourselves, and continue to fear these people. It is time to remove these fears and stand with great pride as we face this bigotry and hatred head on. We must regain our pride and hear the words of Hashem, “We have been selected to be the "light unto the nations of the world" and nothing must stand in the way of this achievement.”
It is sad to see that many people feel "superfluous" and insecure and unimportant and insignificant. I would encourage them to turn to the Megillah for inspiration and Chizuk.
Remember, well, what Chazal say, אין השעה מצפה אלא לך, "The hour waits for no one, but you."
This is the most important message that we need to take away from the story of Purim.
When things became serious and the Jewish People were threatened, Mordechai approaches Esther to go immediately to Achashverosh, to plead for the Jews survival. At that point, for whatever reason, she hesitates, and Mordechai utters, what, I think, are the most dynamic words of the entire Megillah, "כי אם החרש תחרישי כעת הזאת רוח והצלה יעמד ליהודים ממקום אחר ואת ובית אביך תאבדו, "For if you insist in keeping silent at a time like this, then relief and deliverance will come to the Jews, from some other place, while you and your father's house will perish." And then Mordechai says to Esther the most enigmatic words for all of us to hear,
ומי יודע אם לעת כזאת הגעת למלכות, "And who knows whether it was just for such a time that you were sent forth on this journey?"
What powerful words for all of us to digest. Esther and everyone are being told that there is a job to be done in life and there is no one else who can do it but us.
There is a place in our society which is reserved just for us and only we can fulfill that mission. No one else can stand in that place. No one else can do that particular job. So we need to hone up to it, or else our failure to do so will be our demise.
We need to invest all of our strength to achieve the betterment of our society and not to relegate it to someone else. “The hour waits for no one but you". Hatred cannot and must not rule our lives. We are enjoined to face up to it and to defeat it, wherever and whenever it raises its ugly head.
As we celebrate Purim, with our families and friends, let us always act with confidence, that there is a Divine Providential design that will bring our salvation and the salvation of all Jews throughout the world.
Let us dedicate ourselves to a greater allegiance and commitment to Judaism. In doing so we will reap the blessing as recorded in the Megillah,
" ליהודים היתה אורה ושמחה, For the Jews there was light and joy, gladness and honor".
May this holiday of Purim inspires greater loyalty to our Judaic way of life and may we be Zocheh, to experience the ביאת גואל צדק במהרה בימנו.
Freilichin Purim
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