Page 42 - HaMizrachi Purim 5783 USA

A Revolution

of Jewish Pride

Rabbi Elie Mischel

ntisemitism is back – and it’s alone to fight these acts of hate. Victims antisemitism he personified was just
no longer disqualifying, even are not the ones to cure antisemitism.” a passing phase and would soon blow
in the greatest halls of power. Yes, we are sometimes victims, and in over. Only Mordechai refused to go along:
AIn May 2021, as Hamas rockets Pittsburgh, tragically so. But is passively ה ֶו ֲח ַּ ת ְ ׁשִי אל ְו ,ע ַר ְכִי אל י ַכ ֳ ּ ד ְר ָמּו, “and Mordechai
ֹ
ֹ
rained down upon Israeli homes and hoping that the good gentiles of Amer- would not bow down or prostrate him-
Rashida Tlaib accused Israel of bomb- ica stand up in our defense the wisest self before him” (Esther 3:2). The midrash
ing Palestinian schools, President Biden response to antisemitism? describes a strange backstory to Morde-
praised the congresswoman, saying “I Certainly, as believing Jews, we must turn chai’s obstinate refusal to bow: “Haman
admire your intellect, I admire your pas- said to Mordechai: ‘Why won’t you bow
sion, and I admire your concern for so to Hashem in prayer – just as Mordechai down to me? Your grandfather Ya’akov
and Esther did in Shushan, thousands of
many other people.” Meanwhile, former bowed down before my grandfather
President Trump has no problem dining years ago. But Mordechai did not rely only Eisav!’ Mordechai answered: ‘My grand-
on prayer. He took active steps to defeat
with white nationalist Nick Fuentes and father [Binyamin] was not yet born when
the antisemite Kanye West, legitimizing and destroy the Jew-haters who threat- Ya’akov bowed down to Eisav… I am G-d’s
Jew-haters who formerly occupied the ened our people. I believe he has much nobleman, for all the other tribes were
margins of society. to teach us – if we are willing to listen. born in exile, but my grandfather was
Many hope this is simply a passing phase. The man who would not bow born in Eretz Yisrael!’” (Esther Rabbah 7:9)
During Shavuot of 2020, Black Lives Mordechai’s rationale seems faulty. It’s
Matter rioters in the Fairfax neighbor- The time period of Purim is eerily similar true that the father of his tribe, Binyamin,
hood of Los Angeles shouted “Kill the to our current generation. Like the United was not yet born when the rest of the
Jews”, scrawling antisemitic graffiti on States, the Persian kingdom took great family bowed down to Eisav. But why
the walls of five Orthodox synagogues pains to emphasize its tolerance and accep- should the timing of his forefather’s birth
ׂ
and three day schools. But when I spoke tance of all peoples, ׁשי ִא ָו- ׁשי ִא ןֹוצ ְר ִּ כ ,תֹוש ֲע ַל, exempt him from bowing to Haman? And
with a local Orthodox rabbi the following “to do according to the will of every why is it significant that Binyamin, alone
week, he downplayed the incidents and man”. But just as the “tolerant” United among the sons of Ya’akov, was born in
said “give it time, it will blow over”. Umm, States now tolerates blatant antisem- Eretz Yisrael?
not exactly. itism among its political class, Persian
“tolerance” led to the rise of Haman, who
Other Jews have called out the problem, An Eretz Yisrael Jew
but maintain that the solution is not in sought nothing less than the genocide of
the Jewish people.
our hands. Rabbi Jeffrey Myers of the Exile is synonymous with fear – a debil-
Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh The Jews of Persia prudently bowed itating spiritual condition. Rav Kook
told CNN: “It cannot fall on Jewish people before Haman, assuming the writes that “it is impossible for the Divine

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