Page 42 - HaMizrachi Purim Australia 5781

PURIM READING

Esther, Chapter Six

— ו קרפ ,רתסא תליגמ — Rabbanit Sally Mayer

Esther, Yosef,

and the First Gulf War

oth the language and the sto- י ִּ מ ַ ע ת ֶ א א ָ צ ְ מִי ר ׁ ֶ ש ֲ א ה ָ ע ָ ר ָּ ב י ִ תי ִ א ָ ר ְ ו ל ַ כּוא – how Israel with Scud missiles, the air raid
ryline of Megillat Esther are can I stand by and see the evil that will sirens that blared and the gas masks we
Brich in parallels to the story of befall my nation – the same words that wore. I remember how amazed we were
Yosef in Egypt. What are these paral- Yehuda uses when begging the ruler to that G-d protected us from terrible
ְ
lels? And what is the message of these let Binyamin go home: י ִ ב ָ א ל ֶ א ה ֶ ל ֱ ע ֶ א ךי ֵ א casualties in those attacks. And then
many connections? ת ֶ א א ָ צ ְ מִי ר ׁ ֶ ש ֲ א ע ָ ר ָ ב ה ֶ א ְ ר ֶ א ן ֶּ פ י ִּ ת ִ א ּוּנֶני ֵ א ר ַ עַּנ ַ ה ְ ו the war ended on Purim, and it was
י ִ ב ָ א – how can I go back to my father, clear to us all that it was Yad Hashem,
First, Yosef and Esther are both children and the boy is not with me, lest I see the
of Rachel Imeinu, as Mordechai, Esther’s evil that will befall my father? that the leader of Persia (Iraq) was once
cousin, is described as an ish yemini – again attacking us, and G-d saved us
on Purim, just as He did in the time
from the shevet of Binyamin. They are What is the point of all of these
both described as beautiful: yefeh/yefat similarities? What message did Esther of the Megillah. Then it occurred to
toar. Both are a Jew in disguise – Yosef’s and Mordechai intend to send by using me that when the history books write
brothers think he is an Egyptian viceroy, language that clearly compares their about the Gulf War, they will not talk
about G-d. They’ll talk about the date
and Esther hides her Jewish identity story to that of Yosef in Mitzrayim?
from the royal court. In both cases, we it began, the date it ended, the strategy
find an inconsolable mourner – Ya’akov The story of Yosef is the story of a Jew Saddam employed in trying to bring
Israel into the war. The story in the
tears his clothes, puts on sackcloth, and in galut, exiled from his homeland. The history books would actually read…
refuses to be comforted by his children Torah makes it abundantly clear that just like the Megillah, with no mention
over the loss of Yosef; Mordechai too G-d is with Yosef every step of the way of G-d. This is the message of Megillat
tears his clothing and puts on sackcloth – we read that Potiphar saw that G-d Esther: That it is our job to see the Hand
blessed his house because of Yosef, that
when he hears of Haman’s evil decree, G-d was clearly with Yosef in jail – the of G-d in history, and furthermore, to
and he refuses to accept Esther’s offer name of G-d appears again and again sense the presence of G-d in our very
of a change of clothing. throughout the story. The Megillah, own lives.
Both Yosef and Esther are where they on the other hand, is written without
are for a reason – Yosef tells his brothers even one mention of the name of G-d,
that G-d planned his descent to Egypt to symbolize that G-d is hidden from
so that he could save everyone from us. Mordechai and Esther intentionally
famine, and Mordechai says to Esther: evoke the Yosef story to teach us that
who knows, perhaps this (to save the even though we are in galut, and even
Jews) is why you have become queen? when we cannot see G-d, He is with
When Ya’akov sends Binyamin down us, and, even more importantly, G-d
to Egypt to the ruler who asked to see will redeem us, as the Jews ultimately
left Egypt to enter the Promised Land.
him, he says to his son י ִּ ת ְ ל ָ כׁ ָ ש י ִּ ת ְ לֹכׁ ָ ש רׁ ֶ ש ֲ א ַּ כ
– and if I am bereft, so be it. Clearly This idea reminds me of my experience Rabbanit Sally Mayer serves as Rosh Mid-
parallel language describes Esther’s when I was in Israel for the year at Ohr rasha at Midreshet Lindenbaum’s Overseas
attitude to going to the king when Torah Stone’s Midreshet Lindenbaum Program and teaches Talmud and Halacha.
she has not been called: י ִּ ת ְ ד ַ ב ָ א ר ׁ ֶ ש ֲ א ַ כ ְ ו during the first Gulf War, in 1991. I
י ִּ ת ְ ד ָ ב ָ א – and if I am destroyed/killed, remember how scared everyone in A member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau
so be it. She also uses the words, ה ָ כ ָ כי ֵ א Israel was, as Saddam Hussein attacked mizrachi.org/speakers

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