Page 60 - HaMizrachi Purim Australia 5781

GENERAL INTEREST

Rabbi Hart Levine

Purim as a

Diaspora Holiday?

urim, perhaps more than any Gathering Jews never disappear, having proud Jews in
other holiday, has particular res- While Yerushalayim contains a nat- all these places and spaces gives us an
Ponance for Religious Zionists in ural spiritual quality that brings Jews important tool in shaping hearts and
America. together, the story of Purim reminds minds, and defending our country, our
It is the only holiday that isn’t con- us of the role we have in the Diaspora people and our religion.
nected directly to Israel – there were to gather Jews together. At the same time, there definitely are
no special Purim offerings offered in Before Esther goes to see the king, she Purim connections to Israel highlighted
the Beit HaMikdash, and the story of tells Mordechai םי ִ דּוהְּי ַ ה־ל ָּ כ־ת ֶ א ס ֹונ ְּ כ ך ֵ ל in text and in practice. For example, the
ְ
Purim doesn’t take place in or on the (Esther 4:15), gather all the Jews to fast Megillah frames Mordechai’s ancestry
way to Israel. and pray for her. More than mass prayer exiled from Yerushalayim (Esther 2:6),
I want to share some ideas from the rallies that often use this verse, the idea and the Talmud teaches that the vessels
Megillah about our calling as Jews living of gathering Jews evokes the opportu- used by Achashverosh were from the
in the Diaspora. nity of Jewish outreach. In the current Beit HaMikdash (Megillah 11b) – both
state of Judaism in the Diaspora, the sections which are read to the tune of
Uncovering Hiddenness majority of Jews are not part of any Eicha. There’s also Shushan Purim,
The Rabbis in the Talmud (Chullin Jewish community and are spiritually which the Rabbis tie to Yehoshua “so as
139b) connect the name Esther to םי ִּ מ ַ עָֽ ה ןי ֵּ ב ד ָ רֹפ ְ מּו רָּז ֻ פ ְ מ (ibid 3:8). to give honor to Eretz Yisrael” (Talmud
G-d’s prophecy about a time when He I believe that Religious Zionist Jews in Yerushalmi, Megillah 1b), and which
will hide His face, יַנ ָּ פ רי ִּ ת ְ ס ַ א ר ֵּ ת ְ ס ַ ה י ִ כֹנ ָ א ְ ו the Diaspora should reach out to other practically is celebrated nowadays
(Devarim 31:17). Indeed, G-d’s name Jews and welcome them in, and connect almost exclusively in Israel. And two of
is missing, hidden, from the Megillah. them to a Judaism and Jewish commu- the three reasons given by the Talmud
(Megillah 14a) for why we don’t say
That doesn’t mean G-d isn’t in the story nities that are full of light, joy, gladness, Hallel on Purim are connected to Exile
of Purim, nor that G-d isn’t found in and honor (ibid 8:16). – because the miracle didn’t happen in
Exile, but rather that He is hidden. Until Israel, and because the story still ends
we are able to experience the richness Fighting Antisemitism under foreign rule.
of Judaism and G-d’s presence in Israel, Haman’s hatred for the Jews led to his
this presents an opportunity and a mis- plan to annihilate them, which was only Perhaps those connections show us that
sion to uncover and discover G-d in our stopped by Esther’s and Mordechai’s our past is in Israel, and our future is in
lives in Exile. heroic actions to stand up for them- Israel, but in the meantime, some of us
selves. Antisemitism and anti-Zionism are still in the Diaspora – and surely we
That takes many different forms, continue to rear their ugly heads in have a purpose and a calling while here.
including Torah, tefilla, mitzvot, and countries around the world, and Reli- To quote Mordechai (Esther 4:14), י ִ מּו
good deeds, and can occur in any place gious Zionist Jews in the Diaspora must ְּ ת ַ ע ַּג ִ ה תאֹז ָּ כ ת ֵ ע ְ ל־ם ִ א ַ ע ֵ דֹוי and who knows
in the world. And the same way Esther stand up for being Jewish and for Israel. if precisely for a time like this you are
brought salvation from her hidden That is true on college campuses, in here!
identity, we may be able to play a unique the halls of power, online, and whether
role in the redemption of the Jewish dealing with adversaries from the left Rabbi Hart Levine is Director of
people and of G-d’s hiddenness. or the right. Even if antisemitism will NextGen for RZA–Mizrachi.