A little more than 2,500 years and 1,700 kilometers (just over 1,000 miles) separate the events of Purim in the ancient city of Shushan from modern-day Israel. This is a fair distance, and yet there are some stories that, like a fine wine, distance and time only enhance. The Scroll of Esther could have just as easily been drawn from a headline in a current newspaper. One of the central motives in it is the unwillingness of a popular leader, Mordechai the Jew, to toe the line of dictates and expected norms. Mordechai was the only one who would not bow down to or dance before Haman, enemy of the Jews. He was the only one who warned his people against taking part in King Ahasuerus' famous feast using plundered vessels from the Holy Temple, after the king ordered the attendance of representatives from all groups of his subjects. Mordechai was also the only one who, upon the signing of the decree ordering the collective annihilation of the entire people of Israel, did not lose his wits; rather he began working on a number of levels -- spiritual, tactical and practical -- to undo the evil decree, leaving us with the great miracles of Purim that we still celebrate today. The dilemmas he faced are the same ones that have guided our people along nearly the entire path through Jewish history. That is the way things are when you are a lamb among wolves. There has almost always been tension between the desire to act in the way expected of Jews and the social and internal pressures -- to the point of threats in the form of the Inquisition and the Crusades -- to toe the line with what is going on around us. Truthfully? It is a lot easier to make a decision when you do not have too many choices. Flip forward one month on your calendar, and we reach the story of the people of Israel leaving Egypt and jumping into the Red Sea -- the result of the powerful Egyptian army at their tail, leaving them with their backs against the wall, or, to be precise, their faces against the sea. But what happens when it's not all black and white? When you don't really know whether now is the time to stand tall and declare "We are proud Jews," or whether it is time to bow our heads, swallow our pride and wait months or years for the rage to die down, even if that means giving up our independent identity. The 10 chapters of the Scroll of Esther grant us a rare glimpse into the dynamics of this deliberation. The pendulum swings between a false, plastic sense of belonging, feeling we belong to the family of nations, and feelings of heartfelt joy and happiness after we were saved by miracles that allowed us to live as true Jews. Throughout these fascinating goings-on, the figure of Mordechai appears as a beacon, lighting our way. Just as the Waze application navigates us through unknown roads, so too does Mordechai refuse to submit or bow down to Haman and everything he symbolizes, standing tall, truly proud of his Jewish identity. And, what do you know, it seems it is specifically this strong stance that ultimately leads to "light and gladness and joy and honor" (Esther 8:16). And this is, if we wish it to be, the "will" of Mordechai the Jew for us, even in Israel in 2017. Rabbi Ariel Lemberg is the secretary general of Chassidei Chabad.
Purim: A time to stand tall
מערכת ישראל היום
מערכת "ישראל היום“ מפיקה ומעדכנת תכנים חדשותיים, מבזקים ופרשנויות לאורך כל שעות היממה. התוכן נערך בקפדנות, נבדק עובדתית ומוגש לציבור מתוך האמונה שהקוראים ראויים לעיתונות טובה יותר - אמינה, אובייקטיבית ועניינית.
