Page 11 - HaMizrachi #7BackgroundwithJIF-Purim

Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon Rabbanit Sharon Rimon

THE MEGILLAH’S

OFT-MISSED MESSAGE

he story of Megillat Esther develop close relations with the rulers of confronting the myriad challenges
takes place in exile and so that they could have influence in involved in making aliyah at the time. 5
T describes how the Jewish the government and some measure Megillat Esther describes the high
people were saved from the decree of control over their fate. Mordechai price those Jews paid for remaining in
of those who wished to destroy and Esther are the paradigms of this,
us. Although G-d’s name is not as they rise to key positions in the exile.
mentioned in the Megillah, the precise government and succeed in convincing Life in exile entails many challenges,
orchestration of the events brings the king to save their people. ranging from spiritual assimilation to
about the salvation of the Jews, clearly
indicating that it is Divine Providence Of course, Haman’s decree of physical destruction at the hands of
that guides everything that takes place annihilation is the first of many anti- anti-Semites. While it is true that G-d
in the story. Semitic decrees imposed on the Jews watches over the Jewish people even
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in exile. The Megillah story tells of when we are in exile – as described
In many respects, the story of the the Jewish people’s miraculous survival in Megillat Esther and as proven
Megillah reflects the history of the despite all the attempts to destroy
Jews in exile over the course of us and the ever-present danger of throughout history – the calamitous
thousands of years. assimilation. events experienced by our people
exact a toll and prove to us again and
First, we find that the Jews of the Thus we celebrate Purim not only again that life in exile is not our natural
Diaspora wanted to be partners in the to commemorate a distant historical habitat.
culture of the nations among whom event, but also to remind us of the
they lived, just as the Jews of Persia Divine Providence that guides the Yes, there are still many challenges
participated in Achashverosh’s feast. Jewish people and allows us to survive in making aliyah, but an important
Indeed, according to Rabbi Shimon and thrive despite the lengthy exile
bar Yochai, this was the reason the and the existential dangers – both message of Purim is to embrace the
Jews were threatened with annihilation physical and spiritual – that we have opportunity to return to Eretz Yisrael
at the time of the Purim story. 1 faced and continue to face throughout and renew our national and spiritual
history. independence.
We further find that the Jewish people
has persisted in maintaining Jewish But that is not all.
identity throughout the generations, Megillat Esther also reflects another 1
despite living among other peoples. oft-ignored historical reality. The Megillah 12a.
In fact, this was Haman’s precise events of the Megillah took place at 2 Esther 3:8.
accusation against us: 3 Pharaoh’s decrees against the Jews were issued
the same time as the Return to Zion.
“There is a certain nation, scattered Achashverosh was one of the Persian before they were considered a unified nation.
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and dispersed among the other kings of the Achaemenid Empire, See Ezra, ch. 1.
peoples in all the provinces of your which began when Cyrus conquered 5 These difficulties are described in the books
realm, whose laws are different from Babylonia. Cyrus permitted the Jews of Tanach written at that time: Ezra, Nechemia,
those of any other people and who do to return to Eretz Yisrael and rebuild Chaggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
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not obey the king’s laws, and it is not the Beit HaMikdash. Nevertheless,
in Your Majesty’s interest to tolerate although the Jews were permitted to
them.” 2 return to Eretz Yisrael and although Rabbanit Sharon Rimon teaches Tanach
some had already begun to rebuild the
Moreover, over the centuries, the Jews Beit HaMikdash, most of the nation and is Content Editor for the Herzog
in exile have made many attempts to preferred to remain in exile instead Tanach website: www.hatanakh.com/en

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