Monday, March 31, 2014
I honestly cannot decide which is weirder!
I honestly have to say that this is by far the most interesting and unusual Megillah I have ever read. There are so many different aspects to the Megillah that just contribute to making it so weird. This week I noticed two things that I found were so unbelievably strange, it kind of seems like they were made up! I had a little disagreement with myself. I honestly could not pick which one was weirder.
Okay, in the Megillah we learned that Achashverosh could not sleep so he started to read his book of memories. The reason Achashverosh could not sleep was because he had a fear that his wife, Esther, and one of his highest official's, Haman, were plotting an evil plan against him. He was looking through his book of memories to see if there was anyone he could trust to find out details about the plan. Achashverosh then remembered Mordechai, an honest man who saved his life in the past who was never rewarded. As all of this was going on in the middle of the night, Haman comes walking up to his palace. Haman came to ask Achashverosh if he could kill Mordechai just as Achashverosh was thinking of praising and honoring him. Wait, what? Was I the only one confused about this? Haman just randomly came to Achashverosh's palace in the middle of the night!! And he came to destroy the person that Achashverosh was just thinking about saving?!? I found this really weird but some might even think it gets weirder.
We then discussed that Esther said that she wanted to kill Haman because he made a dcree to kill her people. Achashverosh left the room for a second then when he came back Haman was on top of Esther. ( We do not know why, which is kind of weird also, but that is besides the point.) Achashverosh was enraged that Haman was on top of Esther and did not know what to do with himself. We then hear about this man, Charvona, who just chimes in and says that Haman built a 50 ft gallows to hang Mordechai. Achashverosh then hung Haman on the gallows he built. I had the same response when I read this as I did to when I read the thing above. My response was, " wait, what?" I mean, honestly, I do not think anyone finds it normal and usual that this random man Charvona just happened to be there and reminded Achashverosh of the gallows Haman had previously built.
I cannot pick which one is weirder, but I am curious to hear what you think. Which one do y'all think was weirder?
The king
Like before Achoshvarosh isn't really as powerful as you think. Although this was said he begins to show that he does have a lot of power. You have to be called down to see him or asked by him if you want to see him. Esther was in an emergency when she needed his help. She was in great need and started to invite him to many parties. Later on she went to his throne. This was unexcpected and against the law, but the king new it had to be important. Later Esther told him about the Jews and he saved them. The king later figured out that Haman was in charge of this plan. The king actually started to use his power in a good way instead of just fame and popularity.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
The Purpose of Prayer
At this week's Latte and Learning, Mrs. Perl led a discussion about the purpose of remote prayer. She started by telling us about how she was running on the treadmill while watching The West Wing season 4, where there was a right-wing religious group that wanted to do a double-blind study on the effectiveness of remote prayer on patients who don't know they're being prayed for. On the show, the findings were that the people who didn't know they were being prayed for tended to get better more often than those who weren't being prayed for. We were then forced to think about the idea on a more personal level: we do a lot of remote prayer in Judaism, right? Isn't this "remote prayer" thing the same as saying Tehillim for someone who's sick? This segued into a discussion about the purpose of prayer.
In the group, there were two distinct opinions: either our prayers literally have the power to change G-d's verdict about the fate of a person or they don't. Proponents of the former position brought Torah sources about when the matriarchs prayed for children. In this sense, they changed what G-d had decreed for them. They also mentioned King Chizkiyahu, who prayed to G-d once and had 15 years added to his life as a result. Proponents of the latter position said that prayer is more of an opportunity to better yourself and improve your relationship with G-d rather than a chance to change your or anyone else's fate. They (and when I say "they", I mean "I") brought up the fact that prayers and tehillim don't always change a person's fate; in many cases, the person being davened for ultimately passes away. However, they can still leave behind a huge amount of inspiration and strength for the people that davened for their recovery. Although we didn't actually reach a consensus at the end of the session, I find that each different approach can be applied at a different time and for different reasons.
So how on Earth does this apply to Megillat Esther? Let's go back to Perek 4, when Mordechai is reasoning with Esther about whether or not she should risk her life and go before the king. What did he tell her? He told her that G-d would bring the salvation of the Jewish people through someone else if she didn't take the initiative. From here, it would seem that G-d decreed that the Jewish people would be saved, so their fasting would not actually change G-d's decree. Fast forward to the part where the Jews fast for three days. What were they fasting for and why did Esther ask them to fast? According to the Pesukim, the Jews were fasting in Esther's merit so that when she went before the king, he would raise his scepter to her and allow her to violate Da'at Hamelech. Taken literally, the Jews were trying to change or influence the decree that G-d had already made about Esther's fate.
In the group, there were two distinct opinions: either our prayers literally have the power to change G-d's verdict about the fate of a person or they don't. Proponents of the former position brought Torah sources about when the matriarchs prayed for children. In this sense, they changed what G-d had decreed for them. They also mentioned King Chizkiyahu, who prayed to G-d once and had 15 years added to his life as a result. Proponents of the latter position said that prayer is more of an opportunity to better yourself and improve your relationship with G-d rather than a chance to change your or anyone else's fate. They (and when I say "they", I mean "I") brought up the fact that prayers and tehillim don't always change a person's fate; in many cases, the person being davened for ultimately passes away. However, they can still leave behind a huge amount of inspiration and strength for the people that davened for their recovery. Although we didn't actually reach a consensus at the end of the session, I find that each different approach can be applied at a different time and for different reasons.
So how on Earth does this apply to Megillat Esther? Let's go back to Perek 4, when Mordechai is reasoning with Esther about whether or not she should risk her life and go before the king. What did he tell her? He told her that G-d would bring the salvation of the Jewish people through someone else if she didn't take the initiative. From here, it would seem that G-d decreed that the Jewish people would be saved, so their fasting would not actually change G-d's decree. Fast forward to the part where the Jews fast for three days. What were they fasting for and why did Esther ask them to fast? According to the Pesukim, the Jews were fasting in Esther's merit so that when she went before the king, he would raise his scepter to her and allow her to violate Da'at Hamelech. Taken literally, the Jews were trying to change or influence the decree that G-d had already made about Esther's fate.
I'd like to suggest that there was more to this fast. In the Latte and Learning discussion, I suggested that the purpose of prayer is introspection and strengthening one's relationship with G-d and, in the case of remote prayer, using one person's illness as fuel for your own prayer and connection to G-d. More than anything, I think that's what was happening here. Although we haven't discussed Esther's religious development too much in class, I feel like this was her purpose in getting the Jews to pray. On the one hand, she was scared for her life because she would have to violate the king's precious laws to do what Mordechai wanted her to. On the other hand, the Jewish people desperately needed to reconnect with G-d and introspect. While asking for their remote prayers, she got them to reach out to G-d and start rebuilding the connection that was lost when the Beit Hamikdash was destroyed. Isn't that dandy?
Hidden Persian Identity
Imagine if you moved to a new land. Everything is so foreign to you, you might even acquire a new name. When the Jews were sent into Galut and headed Perisa, most of them got new, Persian names. Two of the main characters of the Purim story and Megillat Esther, Esther and Mordechai, were two of the millions of people who had their names changed. But, who would have thought that two of the most Jewish names that we know, were actually of Persian origin.
Esther, whose name in Hebrew was really Hadassah, got her name changed when she arrived in Israel. Her Persian name, Esther came from the Persian word for star, setareh because Esther was described to be as beautiful as the morning star. In the Talmud, Esther is compared to the morning star. Though we usually interpret Esther's name as a hidden identity because her name Esther comes of Hester, meaning hidden, it was really a Persian names that she was given in her time in Galut.
If you ask anyone, Mordechai is known to be a pretty Jewish name. Who would have known that his name actually came from the Persian god's name Marduk. The name Marduk itself mains servant or follower. If you think about, Mordechai did become second in command to the king by the end of the Megillah, technically making him Achashverosh's servant and follower.
Who would have ever guessed that some of our iconic, historical, Jewish figures were hidden with Persian identities. Also, people name their children Esther and Mordechai all the time. Should Jewish people be naming their children these names that have Persian meaning behind them?
Esther, whose name in Hebrew was really Hadassah, got her name changed when she arrived in Israel. Her Persian name, Esther came from the Persian word for star, setareh because Esther was described to be as beautiful as the morning star. In the Talmud, Esther is compared to the morning star. Though we usually interpret Esther's name as a hidden identity because her name Esther comes of Hester, meaning hidden, it was really a Persian names that she was given in her time in Galut.
If you ask anyone, Mordechai is known to be a pretty Jewish name. Who would have known that his name actually came from the Persian god's name Marduk. The name Marduk itself mains servant or follower. If you think about, Mordechai did become second in command to the king by the end of the Megillah, technically making him Achashverosh's servant and follower.
Who would have ever guessed that some of our iconic, historical, Jewish figures were hidden with Persian identities. Also, people name their children Esther and Mordechai all the time. Should Jewish people be naming their children these names that have Persian meaning behind them?
Esther: Active Because of the Situation?
And so the plot thickens. In this week's Megillot class, we discussed Perakim 5-7, otherwise known as "Haman's downfall."
Perek Hey begins with Esther waiting in the courtyard outside of the king's inner chamber where the king was sitting. The king saw Esther and she immediately found favor in his eyes, so he extended his scepter to her, aware of the fact that Esther must truly desire something if she would risk her life like that. And so it goes. Achashverosh asks Esther what she requests and offers her up to half of his kingdom. "If it's good for the king," she responds, "will the king and Haman come to my party today?"Achashverosh accepts, but is wary, due to Esther's choice of words. Why is Haman being invited, he asks himself? Anyway, without a second to lose, Haman is summoned to the party, where Achashverosh asks Esther yet again what she desires. Esther replies and invites the king and Haman to yet another party. Now Achashverosh is on the verge of a breakdown. Maybe they're plotting against me, he wonders.
Meanwhile, Haman was ecstatic. He was getting the best of both worlds. However, his excitement is short-lived, because when he sees Mordechai sitting by the king's gate, he was filled with rage and had to restrain himself from lashing out. When he arrives home, he tells Zeresh and his friends all of his good fortune. But none of it means anything to him after seeing Mordechai. So, being the supportive wife that she was, Zeresh suggests the gallows as a way of getting rid of Mordecahi once and for all. The rationale for the gallows would be that Mordechai disobeyed "dat hamelech," something that could simply not be allowed. Haman should pitch the idea to the king the following day, and chances are, the king would agree. After all, Haman was his right-hand man.
In Perek Vav, the king just could not sleep. He was anxious and paranoid, believing that Esther and Haman were plotting against him. Suddenly, he had an "Eurkea!" moment of insight and brings out his "Sefer Zichronot" to search for a super-special spy (I really wanted to use alliteration) and happened to stumble across the story of Bigtan and Teresh. Realizing he never honored Mordechai for saving his life, the king comes up with the master plan of doing so in the very near future. And guess who comes to join the party? Haman. Lo and behold, he conveniently stands in the king's courtyard, unable to wait to suggest his idea of the gallows. Now the king is REALLY paranoid. He summons Haman inside, and asks him to give the king insight into what he should do to a man he wants to honor. Believing it is him, Haman paints the picture of transforming this man into a "king," dressed in the king's garments, riding his horse, and wearing his crown, making it very obvious that Haman wants him to be king. But today must really not be Haman's day, as he walks out of the palace with orders to do this to Mordechai.
After Haman's no good, very bad day, he returns in a gloomy mood to his house. To make matters worse, Zeresh begins to see that Haman's demise is rapidly approaching. If Mordechai is Jewish and Haman has started to fall before him, he will never prevail. Dun, dun, dun.
In Perek Zayin, Haman is finally vanquished. Haman and Achashverosh attend Esther's party. After a while, Esther makes her plea to the king, to save her people and prevent the genocide decreed upon them. And who is the evil man behind this? You guessed it right. Haman. Achashverosh is furious and goes for a walk in the garden, while Haman begins to beg for his life before the queen. When the king returns, he is in a state of complete wrath, as Haman is on top of Esther. Charvonah chimes in and mentions the gallows. Haman is hanged, and the king's anger abated. Sounds like a happily ever after. Well, not really. The Jews are still in peril.
One of the most interesting ideas in the Megillah is the character development Esther goes through. She begins as a passive, inactive queen, but later transforms into something greater, a leader. Throughout the story, she realizes the necessity of the situation and acts. But, do you think that this was some sort of variation on the flight-or-fight response, where she knew that her life depended on it and therefore mobilized herself to take action? It did, after all, take convincing from Mordechai to make it more personal. Do you think that Esther would have become so active if she didn't recognize that her life was on the line?
Perek Hey begins with Esther waiting in the courtyard outside of the king's inner chamber where the king was sitting. The king saw Esther and she immediately found favor in his eyes, so he extended his scepter to her, aware of the fact that Esther must truly desire something if she would risk her life like that. And so it goes. Achashverosh asks Esther what she requests and offers her up to half of his kingdom. "If it's good for the king," she responds, "will the king and Haman come to my party today?"Achashverosh accepts, but is wary, due to Esther's choice of words. Why is Haman being invited, he asks himself? Anyway, without a second to lose, Haman is summoned to the party, where Achashverosh asks Esther yet again what she desires. Esther replies and invites the king and Haman to yet another party. Now Achashverosh is on the verge of a breakdown. Maybe they're plotting against me, he wonders.
Meanwhile, Haman was ecstatic. He was getting the best of both worlds. However, his excitement is short-lived, because when he sees Mordechai sitting by the king's gate, he was filled with rage and had to restrain himself from lashing out. When he arrives home, he tells Zeresh and his friends all of his good fortune. But none of it means anything to him after seeing Mordechai. So, being the supportive wife that she was, Zeresh suggests the gallows as a way of getting rid of Mordecahi once and for all. The rationale for the gallows would be that Mordechai disobeyed "dat hamelech," something that could simply not be allowed. Haman should pitch the idea to the king the following day, and chances are, the king would agree. After all, Haman was his right-hand man.
In Perek Vav, the king just could not sleep. He was anxious and paranoid, believing that Esther and Haman were plotting against him. Suddenly, he had an "Eurkea!" moment of insight and brings out his "Sefer Zichronot" to search for a super-special spy (I really wanted to use alliteration) and happened to stumble across the story of Bigtan and Teresh. Realizing he never honored Mordechai for saving his life, the king comes up with the master plan of doing so in the very near future. And guess who comes to join the party? Haman. Lo and behold, he conveniently stands in the king's courtyard, unable to wait to suggest his idea of the gallows. Now the king is REALLY paranoid. He summons Haman inside, and asks him to give the king insight into what he should do to a man he wants to honor. Believing it is him, Haman paints the picture of transforming this man into a "king," dressed in the king's garments, riding his horse, and wearing his crown, making it very obvious that Haman wants him to be king. But today must really not be Haman's day, as he walks out of the palace with orders to do this to Mordechai.
After Haman's no good, very bad day, he returns in a gloomy mood to his house. To make matters worse, Zeresh begins to see that Haman's demise is rapidly approaching. If Mordechai is Jewish and Haman has started to fall before him, he will never prevail. Dun, dun, dun.
In Perek Zayin, Haman is finally vanquished. Haman and Achashverosh attend Esther's party. After a while, Esther makes her plea to the king, to save her people and prevent the genocide decreed upon them. And who is the evil man behind this? You guessed it right. Haman. Achashverosh is furious and goes for a walk in the garden, while Haman begins to beg for his life before the queen. When the king returns, he is in a state of complete wrath, as Haman is on top of Esther. Charvonah chimes in and mentions the gallows. Haman is hanged, and the king's anger abated. Sounds like a happily ever after. Well, not really. The Jews are still in peril.
One of the most interesting ideas in the Megillah is the character development Esther goes through. She begins as a passive, inactive queen, but later transforms into something greater, a leader. Throughout the story, she realizes the necessity of the situation and acts. But, do you think that this was some sort of variation on the flight-or-fight response, where she knew that her life depended on it and therefore mobilized herself to take action? It did, after all, take convincing from Mordechai to make it more personal. Do you think that Esther would have become so active if she didn't recognize that her life was on the line?
Fighting to the Death
This week in Megillot we discussed the rapid downfall of Haman. Perakim ה-ז discuss the details that eventually lead to Haman's demise. Perek ו begins with Achashverosh finding difficulty in falling asleep. He was anxious of Esther and Haman's motives, so he tells his servants to read him a story from his chronicles. It seems like he is looking back among the people who helped him in the past to find someone who could help get him information on Haman and Esther. Lo and behold, he comes across the story of Mordechai and finds and even better opportunity. He can honor Mordechai in front of the whole city, as he hadn't rewarded him for saving his life, thereby showing the people of the city what would happen to someone who helped the king.
As Achashverosh comes up with this brilliant plan, none other than Haman shows up at his door. Achashverosh becomes immediately suspicious- why would Haman be coming to him in the middle of the night? Meanwhile, Haman believes that the king has the utmost respect for him. Achashverosh decides to ask Haman what he should do for someone he wants to honor- emphasis on "someone". He is purposely being ambiguous, as he knows that Haman will think he is talking about him. How Haman responds to the question will reveal whether is planning to kill the king or not. Unfortunately for him, Haman answers exactly how Achashverosh expected him to.
Haman tells the king that he should give this person clothing that the king has already worn, the horse that the king has ridden on, and the king's own crown. He should have a servant bring this person around the city crying, "this shall be done the man whom the king wishes to honor!" The king understands this to mean that Haman is secretly wishing to be king himself. What he says next throws Haman completely off: Haman himself should take all of those things and do them to Mordechai. Haman unwillingly carried out the king's wishes and returned home with his face covered. Haman told his wife what had happened, though unlike before, when she suggested that he hang Mordechai, she now tells him that if he has started to fall before Mordechai the Jew, he will lose. As this is happening, the king's servants arrive to take Haman to Esther's second party.
Perek ז contains the last of Haman's downfall, which doesn't take long at all. Achashverosh again asks Esther what it is she really wants, and this time, Esther replies truthfully. She says that if it is good in the eyes of the king, she wants her life and her people as her request. She is playing on Achashverosh's love for her by making it all revolve around her and her life and her people. She continues that they were sold to be killed, though if they had only been sold, she wouldn't have said anything.
Esther is hinting to the decree about the Jews. She uses the same words in the decree when saying they had been sold to be killed, showing Achashverosh that his name was on a decree that he did not really agree with. The king was reasonable in agreeing to Haman's initial request, to simply punish the Jews, which could have been taken as enslavement. However, his chief adviser has decreed genocide, which the king did not want.
Near the end of Perek ז, Esther tells the king that it was Haman who had done this. The king leaves the room in fury, unable to think of what to do. Haman, in the meantime, begged Esther for forgiveness, though the king returns to see Haman lying on top of Esther. The king freaks out and commands that Haman be hanged on the gallows he had built for Mordechai, which Chavona, who popped up out of nowhere, graciously pointed out. The last pasuk says that the king's anger subsided when Haman was killed, implying that all he really cared about what his power, as nothing had been done about the decree.
So, it seems like Achashverosh was an insecure, paranoid king who simply killed anyone that made him nervous. This brought The Hunger Games to my mind. In both stories there is a power hungry leader who watches as many people are put to death (or are supposed to be put to death) and who kills anyone who causes any trouble. As we know, (*spoiler alert*) President Snow has Seneca Crane, the original Gamemaker, put to death after allowing Katniss and Peeta to survive. Achashverosh has Haman, his chief adviser, put to death for threatening his power. In both stories, there is a law that people must die. In both stories, there are power hungry leaders. One story is set in the past and one in the future. In seems that in this we can see that people like that and situations like that are timeless. What do you think?
As Achashverosh comes up with this brilliant plan, none other than Haman shows up at his door. Achashverosh becomes immediately suspicious- why would Haman be coming to him in the middle of the night? Meanwhile, Haman believes that the king has the utmost respect for him. Achashverosh decides to ask Haman what he should do for someone he wants to honor- emphasis on "someone". He is purposely being ambiguous, as he knows that Haman will think he is talking about him. How Haman responds to the question will reveal whether is planning to kill the king or not. Unfortunately for him, Haman answers exactly how Achashverosh expected him to.
Haman tells the king that he should give this person clothing that the king has already worn, the horse that the king has ridden on, and the king's own crown. He should have a servant bring this person around the city crying, "this shall be done the man whom the king wishes to honor!" The king understands this to mean that Haman is secretly wishing to be king himself. What he says next throws Haman completely off: Haman himself should take all of those things and do them to Mordechai. Haman unwillingly carried out the king's wishes and returned home with his face covered. Haman told his wife what had happened, though unlike before, when she suggested that he hang Mordechai, she now tells him that if he has started to fall before Mordechai the Jew, he will lose. As this is happening, the king's servants arrive to take Haman to Esther's second party.
Perek ז contains the last of Haman's downfall, which doesn't take long at all. Achashverosh again asks Esther what it is she really wants, and this time, Esther replies truthfully. She says that if it is good in the eyes of the king, she wants her life and her people as her request. She is playing on Achashverosh's love for her by making it all revolve around her and her life and her people. She continues that they were sold to be killed, though if they had only been sold, she wouldn't have said anything.
Esther is hinting to the decree about the Jews. She uses the same words in the decree when saying they had been sold to be killed, showing Achashverosh that his name was on a decree that he did not really agree with. The king was reasonable in agreeing to Haman's initial request, to simply punish the Jews, which could have been taken as enslavement. However, his chief adviser has decreed genocide, which the king did not want.
Near the end of Perek ז, Esther tells the king that it was Haman who had done this. The king leaves the room in fury, unable to think of what to do. Haman, in the meantime, begged Esther for forgiveness, though the king returns to see Haman lying on top of Esther. The king freaks out and commands that Haman be hanged on the gallows he had built for Mordechai, which Chavona, who popped up out of nowhere, graciously pointed out. The last pasuk says that the king's anger subsided when Haman was killed, implying that all he really cared about what his power, as nothing had been done about the decree.
So, it seems like Achashverosh was an insecure, paranoid king who simply killed anyone that made him nervous. This brought The Hunger Games to my mind. In both stories there is a power hungry leader who watches as many people are put to death (or are supposed to be put to death) and who kills anyone who causes any trouble. As we know, (*spoiler alert*) President Snow has Seneca Crane, the original Gamemaker, put to death after allowing Katniss and Peeta to survive. Achashverosh has Haman, his chief adviser, put to death for threatening his power. In both stories, there is a law that people must die. In both stories, there are power hungry leaders. One story is set in the past and one in the future. In seems that in this we can see that people like that and situations like that are timeless. What do you think?
Who Are These People?!
Queen Esther and her uncle, the heroic Mordechai.
I have always envisioned the two Purim main characters as Esther being so beautiful that the king could not say no to her, and so loyal to her people and Mordechai as being this wise, Rabbi-type guy who is the perfect Jew who guides Esther throughout the story and saves the Jews. Man, was I wrong. Just this last weekend, my perceptions of who these people were and what they might have looked like were shattered. Now I see Mordechai as this strong, cunning, political leader and Esther as a manipulating queen with quite a few tricks up her sleeve.
Let's begin with Mordechai. He's the guy who won't bow down to the evil Haman, who watches out for his niece, Esther, everyday and gives her advice, who foils a plot to kill the king because he's just that great, and is finally given Haman's job at the end. Now we have the best Jew ever with all this power in the Persian government, right? No. Wrong. Was Mordechai even all that great? Did he really save the Jews? Was he a good Jewish leader? Eh. Yes, he did help Esther take the first move in going to the King and asking him to save the Jews, but he doesn't actually do much else. He doesn't bow down to Haman, which could have gotten the entire nation killed. He saves the king and gets paraded around on a horse (but that whole story is meant to show us how the king was getting suspicious of Haman and all that--not really about Mordechai). After everything and Haman is hanged, Mordechai is given the ring and Haman's power. So, what does he do? He puts out another decree that lets the Jews defend themselves from their enemies. That day comes and the Jews end up killing about 76,000 people. That's not just defending--call me crazy, but that sounds like one bloody massacre. You would think with all the power Mordechai now had and with how smart he was supposed to be he could figure out a way to spare all these innocent lives. The tzadik-grandfather-type Mordechai I keep picturing would not be cool with letting all those people die.
Mordechai was powerful enough to orchestrate the killing of over 76,000 people. If he could do that, imagine how much power the guy has. If you remember, the Jews are not in the best situation right now. It is possible the Beit Hamikdash is build already in Israel and we know Coresh has already allowed the Jews to return to Israel--yet all these Jews are still in Persia. Mordechai--the Eish Yehudi--is supposed to be in Israel! All of these people should be in Israel, yet they were in Persia. Mordechai is now in such a powerful position, you would expect him to do something to help the Jewish people, maybe send them to Israel? Anything? Nope. Nadda.
Esther is one master of manipulation. She manipulates the king when she goes to see him (risking her life) and asks for him and Haman to attend a party she is making for him. She uses an ambiguous pronoun on purpose to throw him off and get him thinking. The king gets paranoid and anxious and let's it all get to his head. He starts getting suspicious of Haman and it's all because Esther was playing with his mind. Esther knows the king makes decisions based on his emotions, even though he wants everything to think he goes strictly by the law. She uses this to her advantage. After she violates the law with an overt emotional approach, she makes a more subtle emotional appeal to get the king to save her people. It ends up working and Mordechai gets the ring so he can write a new decree. Esther uses the king's insecurities against him. She makes him more paranoid and suspicious. Because of her, the Jews are saved.
Who would have thought that Mordechai was not a grandfather with a long beard who did everything like the perfect Jew should? I don't remember seeing that in the magnifying glass in the Artscroll Megilla..
I have always envisioned the two Purim main characters as Esther being so beautiful that the king could not say no to her, and so loyal to her people and Mordechai as being this wise, Rabbi-type guy who is the perfect Jew who guides Esther throughout the story and saves the Jews. Man, was I wrong. Just this last weekend, my perceptions of who these people were and what they might have looked like were shattered. Now I see Mordechai as this strong, cunning, political leader and Esther as a manipulating queen with quite a few tricks up her sleeve.
Let's begin with Mordechai. He's the guy who won't bow down to the evil Haman, who watches out for his niece, Esther, everyday and gives her advice, who foils a plot to kill the king because he's just that great, and is finally given Haman's job at the end. Now we have the best Jew ever with all this power in the Persian government, right? No. Wrong. Was Mordechai even all that great? Did he really save the Jews? Was he a good Jewish leader? Eh. Yes, he did help Esther take the first move in going to the King and asking him to save the Jews, but he doesn't actually do much else. He doesn't bow down to Haman, which could have gotten the entire nation killed. He saves the king and gets paraded around on a horse (but that whole story is meant to show us how the king was getting suspicious of Haman and all that--not really about Mordechai). After everything and Haman is hanged, Mordechai is given the ring and Haman's power. So, what does he do? He puts out another decree that lets the Jews defend themselves from their enemies. That day comes and the Jews end up killing about 76,000 people. That's not just defending--call me crazy, but that sounds like one bloody massacre. You would think with all the power Mordechai now had and with how smart he was supposed to be he could figure out a way to spare all these innocent lives. The tzadik-grandfather-type Mordechai I keep picturing would not be cool with letting all those people die.
Mordechai was powerful enough to orchestrate the killing of over 76,000 people. If he could do that, imagine how much power the guy has. If you remember, the Jews are not in the best situation right now. It is possible the Beit Hamikdash is build already in Israel and we know Coresh has already allowed the Jews to return to Israel--yet all these Jews are still in Persia. Mordechai--the Eish Yehudi--is supposed to be in Israel! All of these people should be in Israel, yet they were in Persia. Mordechai is now in such a powerful position, you would expect him to do something to help the Jewish people, maybe send them to Israel? Anything? Nope. Nadda.
Esther is one master of manipulation. She manipulates the king when she goes to see him (risking her life) and asks for him and Haman to attend a party she is making for him. She uses an ambiguous pronoun on purpose to throw him off and get him thinking. The king gets paranoid and anxious and let's it all get to his head. He starts getting suspicious of Haman and it's all because Esther was playing with his mind. Esther knows the king makes decisions based on his emotions, even though he wants everything to think he goes strictly by the law. She uses this to her advantage. After she violates the law with an overt emotional approach, she makes a more subtle emotional appeal to get the king to save her people. It ends up working and Mordechai gets the ring so he can write a new decree. Esther uses the king's insecurities against him. She makes him more paranoid and suspicious. Because of her, the Jews are saved.
Who would have thought that Mordechai was not a grandfather with a long beard who did everything like the perfect Jew should? I don't remember seeing that in the magnifying glass in the Artscroll Megilla..
This past week we talked more about Achashvarosh's insecurities. When Ester requests for a party with the king and Haman, Achashvarosh becomes a little suspicious. Why will Haman be at the party for him and his wife? At the party Ester says she wants another party for the king and Haman. That night, the king couldn't sleep because he was so paranoid. There had already been an attempt at his life. What are Ester and Haman planning? Are they going to try to kill him too?
Achashvarosh felt that his fears had been validated when Haman came to his door that very night. He decides to ask Haman how he should honor someone. Haman says the best way to honor someone is to dress him up in the king's clothes and parade him through the street on the king's horse. From Haman's answer, Achashvarosh thinks that Haman wants to be the king. This makes him worry about what will happen at the party the next day.
At the party the next day, Achashvarosh is very paranoid. He thinks that his queen and his right hand man are plotting against him. When Ester tells him that Haman is planning to kill her Achashvarosh decides to kill Haman. As he sees it, Haman is trying to take his power. That is the problem. After Haman is dead, the king's fear is gone, because he believes his kingdom and his power are safe.
Achashvarosh felt that his fears had been validated when Haman came to his door that very night. He decides to ask Haman how he should honor someone. Haman says the best way to honor someone is to dress him up in the king's clothes and parade him through the street on the king's horse. From Haman's answer, Achashvarosh thinks that Haman wants to be the king. This makes him worry about what will happen at the party the next day.
At the party the next day, Achashvarosh is very paranoid. He thinks that his queen and his right hand man are plotting against him. When Ester tells him that Haman is planning to kill her Achashvarosh decides to kill Haman. As he sees it, Haman is trying to take his power. That is the problem. After Haman is dead, the king's fear is gone, because he believes his kingdom and his power are safe.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Last week we learned the conversation between Esther and Mordechai. Their roles reverse and instead of Mordechai telling Esther what to do, she takes charge. In the beginning of Perek 4 it says that Esther did not know about the decree that the Jews would be killed, but she knew that something was up. Modechai sent Esther the decree that was sent as evidence so that she would believe him. Mordechai tells Esther to show Achashveirosh the decree that Haman sent out in his name. We would think that Esther would do what Mordechai says because she has always listened to him in the past. But, she makes someone go back and talk to Mordechai again. Esther says that she cannot go to the king without being called or else she will be killed unless the king decides not to. She had not seen Achashveirosh in 30 days so she thinks that the king is not interested in her anymore. Another law... This also is showing us how foolish the laws are because they can be changed easily.
Mordechai tells her that she is going to die anyways if she does not go and she should not think that just because she's in the palace, she will be saved. He also tells her that if she doesn't save the Jews, someone else will and that it is not all up to her. She shouldn't think that she is in control of if the Jews live or not, but if she does it than she will fulfill her destiny. Mordechai convinces her. Esther tells Mordechai that the jews need to fast and she will fast as well.
Mordechai tells her that she is going to die anyways if she does not go and she should not think that just because she's in the palace, she will be saved. He also tells her that if she doesn't save the Jews, someone else will and that it is not all up to her. She shouldn't think that she is in control of if the Jews live or not, but if she does it than she will fulfill her destiny. Mordechai convinces her. Esther tells Mordechai that the jews need to fast and she will fast as well.
Esther's Strategy
For Esther to tell both Haman and the King that she is a Jew, is a big deal. It's a very big risk and there is no way that she could have predicted what was going to be either of their responses. She had to come up with a plan on how to make it the least of a risk for her.
Both Haman and Achashverosh had very distinct personalities and Esther knew this and she knew how to play with them correctly.
Achashverosh: Wants everyone to think that he is powerful. Does not make is own decisions. Everything becomes a law to make him look powerful. He asks his advisors what to do when he has to make a decision. He will never make a decision on his own. His actions have no boundaries. If he does not like the consequence, he'll make anew law. he gives up his power to Haman. H doesn't know how to be powerful even though he makes himself look powerful. He is insecure and paranoid.
Haman: He is very vain and narcissistic. He craves honor and power, is easily angered and very impulsive.
1: On the third day of the fast - she gets dressed in queen attire. She is standing in the inner courtyard. The king was sitting on the throne.
Esther wanted to capitalize on Achashverosh's flaws. She created a situation where he will remember her favorably (He has not called her to him in a very long time and that makes her extra worried). Stating that there will be a party makes him excited and saying that Haman is also invited will make him jealous. She plans that he will start asking questions and getting worried. She is making him insecure. Do Esther and Haman want to kill him?
4: If this is good for you, will you come to a party I'm having for "him."
Now, if you think about what Esther is saying in this one word: "him" you realize how much of a genius she truly is. She says "him" playing with both Achashverosh's and Haman's flaws. They both crave power and they both love parties and being the center of attention. Here, she is getting them both interested in this idea, without them even realizing it.
It's like the saying "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", but here it's "power is in the eye of the beholder." Everyone can look at something in a different way and see it through their own eyes. They get to choose what makes what they're seeing beautiful. So to, Achashverosh and Haman are seeing the "him" as being themselves. They want the power, so they see it as "There is a party for me, oh, I must go."
Both Haman and Achashverosh had very distinct personalities and Esther knew this and she knew how to play with them correctly.
Achashverosh: Wants everyone to think that he is powerful. Does not make is own decisions. Everything becomes a law to make him look powerful. He asks his advisors what to do when he has to make a decision. He will never make a decision on his own. His actions have no boundaries. If he does not like the consequence, he'll make anew law. he gives up his power to Haman. H doesn't know how to be powerful even though he makes himself look powerful. He is insecure and paranoid.
Haman: He is very vain and narcissistic. He craves honor and power, is easily angered and very impulsive.
1: On the third day of the fast - she gets dressed in queen attire. She is standing in the inner courtyard. The king was sitting on the throne.
Esther wanted to capitalize on Achashverosh's flaws. She created a situation where he will remember her favorably (He has not called her to him in a very long time and that makes her extra worried). Stating that there will be a party makes him excited and saying that Haman is also invited will make him jealous. She plans that he will start asking questions and getting worried. She is making him insecure. Do Esther and Haman want to kill him?
4: If this is good for you, will you come to a party I'm having for "him."
Now, if you think about what Esther is saying in this one word: "him" you realize how much of a genius she truly is. She says "him" playing with both Achashverosh's and Haman's flaws. They both crave power and they both love parties and being the center of attention. Here, she is getting them both interested in this idea, without them even realizing it.
It's like the saying "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", but here it's "power is in the eye of the beholder." Everyone can look at something in a different way and see it through their own eyes. They get to choose what makes what they're seeing beautiful. So to, Achashverosh and Haman are seeing the "him" as being themselves. They want the power, so they see it as "There is a party for me, oh, I must go."
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Who is מורדכי?
Before learning מגילה with Mrs. Perl, one typically thinks that מורדכי is a huge צדיק, one of the most amazing men in Jewish history. In the text (so far at least) we don't see much evidence of his greatness. We do however have a lot of proof from מדרש, but now we are learning the מגילה with clear minds and no previous knowledge of ester. I'm not denying that מורדכי was a great צדיק but where exactly does this idea come from?
At this point in history, the Jews are suppose to be in Israel, but unfortunately they are in שושן which they have replaced Israel with. In their current location it is easy to acclimate into the secular society and loose your Jewish identity. Sadly, this is whats happening. מורדכי, our צדיק, is part of this too. He goes by a Persian name (Marduk), he is known as מורדכי היהודי and we could say that his parents gave him the name, he did';t pick it, but he does still seem to be a bit assimilated.
Could it be that we see מורדכי in such great light because he was great compared to everyone else, who were completely assimilated? Was he like נח l ? ט. אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת נֹחַ נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים הָיָה בְּדֹרֹתָיו אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים הִתְהַלֶּךְ נֹחַ: Who was a righteous man in his time.
מורדכי doesn't seem to be like this. It was written that an איש יהודי would save the Jews and bring them back to Israel. There is a strong belief that this man is מורדכי. If so, then מורדכי has huge potential, that he seems to be neglecting, as he is still in Persia. We know that Hashem only gives people potential that he knows they can reach.
If that is מורדכי's true destiny than first of all, why does he lecture אסתר about her destiny to save the Jews from Haman which is possibly why she is queen (that's a whole other topic) second, if he doesn't reach his potential than why is he still seen as this awesome man? Assumable this widespread idea of מורדכי being this amazing person would not exist with out proof. Unfortunately I don't know the answer yet, but I hope to find out soon so I can solve this mind boggling mystery.
Hashem is "hidden"
One of the things מגילת אסתר is famous for is that Hashem's name is never mentioned. There is a theme that Hashem's face is hidden.
When we read the מגילה we see a lot of 'coincidences' and everything falling into place a little too well. First, of all the women in the kingdom, אסתר is chosen to be the queen. Then, מורדכי just so happens to over hear a plot to kill the king and is able to save his life. All through the מגילה we have cases like this.
We could of course take the המן style approach and say that these things were infarct coincidences. Or we could use a classic Jewish analysis of the word מקרה (coincidence). מקרה unscrambled is 'רק מה, meaning only from G-d. This shows us that there really is no such thing as a coincidence because everything really comes from Hashem.
From this, people saying "Hashem's face is hidden in מגילת אסתר" sounds a little strange to me.We can easily see that His name is not specifically mentioned but Hashem doesn't look as though he's hiding. Everything that happens in the מגילה is clearly from Hashem. To me, it seems that Hashem's name isn't mentioned, because it's not necessary. It is so blatantly obvious that this is all the work of Hashem it doesn't need to be said.
When we read the מגילה we see a lot of 'coincidences' and everything falling into place a little too well. First, of all the women in the kingdom, אסתר is chosen to be the queen. Then, מורדכי just so happens to over hear a plot to kill the king and is able to save his life. All through the מגילה we have cases like this.
We could of course take the המן style approach and say that these things were infarct coincidences. Or we could use a classic Jewish analysis of the word מקרה (coincidence). מקרה unscrambled is 'רק מה, meaning only from G-d. This shows us that there really is no such thing as a coincidence because everything really comes from Hashem.
Mr. Mekonen: the Humanistic Psychologist
In Monday's psychology class, we did our Cinderella skits, where we talked about the many different ways of treating psychological disorders. As we were going through the various different skits, I was thinking about more practical applications for these different types of therapies. Suddenly, in a flash of intuition, it occurred to me that the Mekonen is a humanistic psychologist.
For those who aren't in psych, here's some background about humanistic psychology. Humanistic psychology and therapy are based on the idea that the ultimate goal in life is self-actualization, or the actualization of human potential. Humanistic therapy, or treatment for psychological disorders, involves a client-centered approach, including unconditional positive regard and empathy towards the patient. This means that the therapist will act in a positive way towards the person, regardless of the past. They will also empathize with the person and validate their pain. Does this sound familiar at all? This is exactly what happens in the second part of פרק ב׳ in Eicha.
Let's review the situation: the Mekonen has just listed a bunch of grievances against G-d. He called G-d the merciless enemy and accused him of ruthlessly killing people for no reason. In essence, he is questioning how G-d could be so evil as to create a situation in which mothers would have to eat their children. In the next part of the Perek, the Mekonen continues speaking, but now his remarks are directed at ירושלים herself. Let's imagine for a moment that the Mekonen is the therapist and that ירושלים is the emotionally disturbed patient. She's been crying non-stop for weeks. She's been sad about her immense loss and is now seething with anger at G-d. While she's sitting in the room, he's talking to her, trying to get her to talk.
At the start of the session, Jerusalem starts by venting her anger at G-d. She says that she's angry at G-d and that the situation is incredibly painful. She then goes silent while the Mekonen talks to her because she's so emotionally shaken and incapable of continuing. First, he validates her pain -- he empathizes with her! He says that the things that G-d did to her and her people were awful and unforgivable. In doing this, he establishes a rapport with ירושלים that helps her accept what he's saying. He is also making the conversation client-centered by making everything about her pain. In his next statement, he advises ירושלים to turn back to G-d. In this sense, he is showing unconditional positive regard; he is giving her a second chance, despite the fact that she sinned and has a troubled past. Like other humanistic therapists, he's putting her past behind her and is focusing on the present. After this "therapy session", we hear about the Gever and his development, followed by the culmination of the development of both the Mekonen and ירושלים. Talk about a change of perspective.
For those who aren't in psych, here's some background about humanistic psychology. Humanistic psychology and therapy are based on the idea that the ultimate goal in life is self-actualization, or the actualization of human potential. Humanistic therapy, or treatment for psychological disorders, involves a client-centered approach, including unconditional positive regard and empathy towards the patient. This means that the therapist will act in a positive way towards the person, regardless of the past. They will also empathize with the person and validate their pain. Does this sound familiar at all? This is exactly what happens in the second part of פרק ב׳ in Eicha.
Let's review the situation: the Mekonen has just listed a bunch of grievances against G-d. He called G-d the merciless enemy and accused him of ruthlessly killing people for no reason. In essence, he is questioning how G-d could be so evil as to create a situation in which mothers would have to eat their children. In the next part of the Perek, the Mekonen continues speaking, but now his remarks are directed at ירושלים herself. Let's imagine for a moment that the Mekonen is the therapist and that ירושלים is the emotionally disturbed patient. She's been crying non-stop for weeks. She's been sad about her immense loss and is now seething with anger at G-d. While she's sitting in the room, he's talking to her, trying to get her to talk.
At the start of the session, Jerusalem starts by venting her anger at G-d. She says that she's angry at G-d and that the situation is incredibly painful. She then goes silent while the Mekonen talks to her because she's so emotionally shaken and incapable of continuing. First, he validates her pain -- he empathizes with her! He says that the things that G-d did to her and her people were awful and unforgivable. In doing this, he establishes a rapport with ירושלים that helps her accept what he's saying. He is also making the conversation client-centered by making everything about her pain. In his next statement, he advises ירושלים to turn back to G-d. In this sense, he is showing unconditional positive regard; he is giving her a second chance, despite the fact that she sinned and has a troubled past. Like other humanistic therapists, he's putting her past behind her and is focusing on the present. After this "therapy session", we hear about the Gever and his development, followed by the culmination of the development of both the Mekonen and ירושלים. Talk about a change of perspective.
Conclusion: MIND BLOWING.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Achshevorsh needed to display his power to the diplomats and his officers to show off at his party. Acheshvaorsh needed to make laws for all the people so everything was properly organized. We see that the kingdom is all chaotic and everything seems so arbitrary. Achshevarosh couldn't control his own wife, and couldnt even convince her to come to his own party. Achsevarosh seems like he isn't able to make any decisions for himself, and he has to ask other people. He dosen't take responsibility for any of his own situations at all. The law of "Dat" in the kingdom. Achshevarosh feels powerful this way.
Ehster on the other hand finds favor in everyones eyes, and ultimately wins over the king. Ehster who was in the palace didnt know anything what was going on outside of the palace.
Ehster on the other hand finds favor in everyones eyes, and ultimately wins over the king. Ehster who was in the palace didnt know anything what was going on outside of the palace.
What were Haman's real intentions?
In the beginning of the Megillah, Haman decided that, after seeing that Mordechai would not bow down to him, to get rid of all the Jewish people. Now, let's think about that again. Why would Haman get rid of an entire people just because he had a problem with one particular Jew? Did he have a love of genocide?
I heard an interesting point in school a while ago which ties into this idea. We are commanded to get rid of the nation of Amalek. Put simply, this seems odd. Why would we do this? Well, firstly, some say that Amalek refers to anyone with a harmful mindset. What does this mean? Here's an idea; this could mean a mindset that everything happens by chance and that there is no order or control of the world.
Let's get back to Haman. Haman was an Aggagi, from the nation of Amalek. He, too, thought that the world was chaotic, and that there was no set order to the world or anyone in charge of it. This is why he wanted to get rid of all Jews- we have a totally opposite view of the world. We know that there is a way things do and must work, and that there is a God who controls it all. Haman's ideas clashed with ours; it was a philosophic battle. As such, after realizing the reason behind Mordechai's actions, Haman realized that this philosophy was a threat to his, and therefore must be obliterated.
I heard an interesting point in school a while ago which ties into this idea. We are commanded to get rid of the nation of Amalek. Put simply, this seems odd. Why would we do this? Well, firstly, some say that Amalek refers to anyone with a harmful mindset. What does this mean? Here's an idea; this could mean a mindset that everything happens by chance and that there is no order or control of the world.
Let's get back to Haman. Haman was an Aggagi, from the nation of Amalek. He, too, thought that the world was chaotic, and that there was no set order to the world or anyone in charge of it. This is why he wanted to get rid of all Jews- we have a totally opposite view of the world. We know that there is a way things do and must work, and that there is a God who controls it all. Haman's ideas clashed with ours; it was a philosophic battle. As such, after realizing the reason behind Mordechai's actions, Haman realized that this philosophy was a threat to his, and therefore must be obliterated.
The Irony in Between the Lines of the Megillah
In honor of the "Mind-Blowing"clip from our Megillot class that was featured in the Gala dinner video, I decided to reflect on what we learned then, which continues to tie into what we are learning now. In the time after the Coresh declaration, when the Jews were allowed to re-enter Israel and rebuild the Beit Hamikdash, there was a major disappointment with this great news- many Jews did not return, and instead decided to stay where they were in the diaspora. At this time, Yirmiyahu tells the people that after the exile, they should return to Israel (Habirah) and an Ish Yehudi will guide them. This fact becomes instrumental to our understanding of Megillat Esther. In the Megillah, Shushan is referred to as "Shushan Habirah," and Moredechai as "Ish Yehudi". This is the text's way of not-so-subtly hinting that something is wrong with this picture. Why is the Ish Yehudi not in Israel? Why is Shushan referred to as the "Birah," the name given to the holy city of Yerushalayim? This is telling us that, at the time this story occurred, the Ish Yehudi should have already led the people to Yerushalayim Habirah. However, this advice was clearly not followed.
There are other references to this idea in the text, such as comparisons between the Beit Hamikdash and Achashverosh's palace, to the Da'at of the kindgom, and more. Perhaps, a reason why God is "hidden" in the Megillah is to highlight this idea. The Jews did not do what God wanted, so He is currently unavailable until they get their acts together. He is sending them signs to direct them to the appropriate course of action, and it is up to them to do what must be done.
Achachverosh the Hypocrite
Achashverosh was a strange guy. At first glance, he seems like a great and all-powerful king. However, upon closer notice, this seems like a facade. He made rules that he couldn't break, tried to assert his power, had quite an ego, and made rules when no rules were necessary. Sounds like a control freak, right? One would think that he just needed the ultimate say. However, other actions of his seems to prove this theory wrong.
Achashverosh gave Haman his royal signet ring and told him to write a decree that pleased him concerning the Jews. He also needed to consult with his advisers every second, because he doesn't seem like he can come up with an idea himself. He makes rash decisions and is controlled by his emotions. Under the surface, it becomes clear the Achashverosh wants people to think he is super-powerful, but in reality he isn't. It sounds like he has an inferiority complex, and Freud would go so far as to say that he strives to be all controlling because he feels like he isn't actually powerful and doesn't want people to catch on to that idea. He's acting so people don't discover what he's actually like! This explains all the crazy and unbreakable Da'at of the kingdom; there are precise rules and orders that must be followed, or else. Extreme order (to the point of it being ridiculous and out of order) must be kept so that people never suspect his true nature. Go figure!
Achashverosh gave Haman his royal signet ring and told him to write a decree that pleased him concerning the Jews. He also needed to consult with his advisers every second, because he doesn't seem like he can come up with an idea himself. He makes rash decisions and is controlled by his emotions. Under the surface, it becomes clear the Achashverosh wants people to think he is super-powerful, but in reality he isn't. It sounds like he has an inferiority complex, and Freud would go so far as to say that he strives to be all controlling because he feels like he isn't actually powerful and doesn't want people to catch on to that idea. He's acting so people don't discover what he's actually like! This explains all the crazy and unbreakable Da'at of the kingdom; there are precise rules and orders that must be followed, or else. Extreme order (to the point of it being ridiculous and out of order) must be kept so that people never suspect his true nature. Go figure!
Purim: A Woman's Holiday?
We all know the story of the heroism of Queen Esther; we could recite it as young as 3 years old (except for the parts that Mrs. Perl obviously added.) We cheer for her and boo at Haman, and feel proud as she takes charge and saves the day-right?
Let me begin by talking about Chanukah. People do not immediately associate Jewish heroines with Chanukah, although we know that they exist. Yehudit saved the day by killing Greek general Holofornes. Yael killed Sisra. They both took matters into their own hands and acted, saving the day. Notice anything odd yet? I did. Queen Esther saved the Jews of Persia, but her story is different.
Esther's role changes as the Megillah progresses. At first, she is passive and doesn't take a stand. Mordechai has to tell her what is going on, and then tell her what to do. She is hesitant and doesn't want to take the first step. Slowly but surely, she gains confidence with herself and with her political prowess until she becomes the one giving the orders and making things happen. The heroines of Chanukah were different. They did not have to go on a journey and discover their strengths. Instead, they took immediate action and did what had to be done. Esther's role required more planning, time, and hesitation. She didn't and couldn't just jump in and make things happen, because that's not how the Da'at of the kingdom of Persia worked. In her situation, Esther's abilities and notions were just right. The way the heroines of Chanuka worked was different from the way Esther worked, and we can learn from both to gauge a situation and react appropriately depending on what type of action is deemed necessary.
Let me begin by talking about Chanukah. People do not immediately associate Jewish heroines with Chanukah, although we know that they exist. Yehudit saved the day by killing Greek general Holofornes. Yael killed Sisra. They both took matters into their own hands and acted, saving the day. Notice anything odd yet? I did. Queen Esther saved the Jews of Persia, but her story is different.
Esther's role changes as the Megillah progresses. At first, she is passive and doesn't take a stand. Mordechai has to tell her what is going on, and then tell her what to do. She is hesitant and doesn't want to take the first step. Slowly but surely, she gains confidence with herself and with her political prowess until she becomes the one giving the orders and making things happen. The heroines of Chanukah were different. They did not have to go on a journey and discover their strengths. Instead, they took immediate action and did what had to be done. Esther's role required more planning, time, and hesitation. She didn't and couldn't just jump in and make things happen, because that's not how the Da'at of the kingdom of Persia worked. In her situation, Esther's abilities and notions were just right. The way the heroines of Chanuka worked was different from the way Esther worked, and we can learn from both to gauge a situation and react appropriately depending on what type of action is deemed necessary.
The mystery magical story a long long time ago...
This purim story seems like a mystery magical a long long time ago. The beginning of the purim story starts off by saying king Acheshvarosh ruled over 127 provinces. It then continues and goes on to tell his story. In the third year of his kingdom he made a party- diplomats came and officers to display his wealth, glory and possessions for 180 days. At the end he made another party for everyone in shushan, it was the last 7 days of the party. He showed his richness of everything so much that they drank out of gold goblins. Everyone was allowed to do what they wanted. Vashti had a party for all the women during the same time as the other party. She wanted to show how beautiful her wife was- sends 7 advisers to bring her. She refuses to go and Achshevorsh becomes furious.
An interesting fact about Acheshvaroh's is that Achshevorsh's palace can be compared to the Beit hamikdash. The word "Shushan Ha'bira" connects the city with yirushaliam, and Yirushaliam is near the Beit Hamikdash.
An interesting fact about Acheshvaroh's is that Achshevorsh's palace can be compared to the Beit hamikdash. The word "Shushan Ha'bira" connects the city with yirushaliam, and Yirushaliam is near the Beit Hamikdash.
VeNahafoch Hu
In Purim and the Purim story there seems to be a recurring theme of opposites.
First, everything that happens in the second half of the megillah is an opposite of something that occurred in the first half.
Second, the megillah uses certain phrases and text to show us that the Jews are in Shushan, instead of Yerushaliam.
Third, one opinion of how much to drink on Purim, is so that you don't know the difference between Haman and Mordechai. (good and bad)
Lastly, the views of Amalek and their tactics, as we learned this past week, are completely the opposite of the Jew's.
What is the significance of all these opposites, and what are they supposed to teach us?
First, everything that happens in the second half of the megillah is an opposite of something that occurred in the first half.
Second, the megillah uses certain phrases and text to show us that the Jews are in Shushan, instead of Yerushaliam.
Third, one opinion of how much to drink on Purim, is so that you don't know the difference between Haman and Mordechai. (good and bad)
Lastly, the views of Amalek and their tactics, as we learned this past week, are completely the opposite of the Jew's.
What is the significance of all these opposites, and what are they supposed to teach us?
A Hateful Holiday?
So far, our study of Purim has been quite interesting. Everything is so messed up that it makes you rethink everything you've ever known--about Purim. Today, we talked about what I perceive to be the absolute craziest aspect of this whole Purim story. The craziest part is--it happens after zayin! Anyway, Achashveirosh spends the whole beginning of the megillah showing off his power and wealth, but when Esther tells him to saver her people, he says that he cannot rescind a decree, but Esther and Mordechai can make any decree they want and stamp it with his ring. So, they make the same exact decree that Haman did, except this ones gives the Jews the right to defend themselves against their enemies. Now we have a completely legal war where Persians are fighting Jews for absolutely no reason at all. The Jews end up killing 75,000 people in a day of mass murder and now we celebrate this lovely day year after year!
All of this is so absurd that I decided to completely change over the types of articles that give me insight into these types of issues (since I'm sure we will discuss in class) and instead looked into articles that reinforce the dilemma. This type of incident is the kind that seems to make the Jews look pretty bad. If you don't know what's going on and you just read the Megillah, it seems like the Jews are celebrating this mass murder of Persians every year. And many people do think that. I found articles on Iranian.com and one by David Duke, a former member of the House of Representatives on the horrors of Purim. Both point out that each year Jews celebrate the slaughter of 75,000 people as well as the hangings of Haman and his sons. We also yell and curse as his name is mentioned during the reading of the Megillah and apparently, children do "mock hangings" of Haman.
Not only that, but it's also a holiday of cannibalism since we eat food shaped like an ear (hamantashan). The issue of wiping out Amalak is also highlighted. They say that Mordechai knew it was his duty to ensure that we show no mercy toward gentiles and we must wipe out all of Amalek. Jews today must learn from him. Duke brings in the story of a rabbi, who in 1994, killed over 30 Palestinians with a machine gun on Purim. The articles then go off into how Jews are conspiring to initiate another genocide and so on.
My point is that the Purim story is so absurd that we must really understand it so we don't view it as a story that highlights hate and acceptable murder. I'm sure we'll have all the answers soon, but for now I've got a whole lot of questions about this crazy story.
All of this is so absurd that I decided to completely change over the types of articles that give me insight into these types of issues (since I'm sure we will discuss in class) and instead looked into articles that reinforce the dilemma. This type of incident is the kind that seems to make the Jews look pretty bad. If you don't know what's going on and you just read the Megillah, it seems like the Jews are celebrating this mass murder of Persians every year. And many people do think that. I found articles on Iranian.com and one by David Duke, a former member of the House of Representatives on the horrors of Purim. Both point out that each year Jews celebrate the slaughter of 75,000 people as well as the hangings of Haman and his sons. We also yell and curse as his name is mentioned during the reading of the Megillah and apparently, children do "mock hangings" of Haman.
Not only that, but it's also a holiday of cannibalism since we eat food shaped like an ear (hamantashan). The issue of wiping out Amalak is also highlighted. They say that Mordechai knew it was his duty to ensure that we show no mercy toward gentiles and we must wipe out all of Amalek. Jews today must learn from him. Duke brings in the story of a rabbi, who in 1994, killed over 30 Palestinians with a machine gun on Purim. The articles then go off into how Jews are conspiring to initiate another genocide and so on.
My point is that the Purim story is so absurd that we must really understand it so we don't view it as a story that highlights hate and acceptable murder. I'm sure we'll have all the answers soon, but for now I've got a whole lot of questions about this crazy story.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
The Heroes: They're Just Like Us
In this week's Megillot class, we discussed the remainder of Perek Gimel, and Perek Daled. While reading through the text, so many themes that I had never even considered emerged, and I'm excited to see which other ones we uncover in our analysis of the Megillah.
In Perek Gimel (8-16), Haman begins to indite his plan to kill the Jews. He tells Achashverosh that there is one nation spread among the other nations: their laws are different than any other nation, and they don't follow Achashverosh's laws. Therefore, there is no purpose in having them in the kingdom. If we destroy/enslave/capture the Jews, I'll (Haman) give you (Achashverosh) money in your treasury. Haman capitalized on the following ideas: that the Jews should be in Israel and the fact that the kingdom was predicated on "dat." Achashverosh gladly obliges and gives his ring to Haman, thus bestowing upon him the power to do as he wishes. However, Haman sends out the decree (that on the thirteenth day of Adar, the Jews can be obliterated) in the name of Achashverosh. Haman is planning to commit complete genocide, killing everyone from young to old. And he makes this the LAW. After the decree is delivered, the king and Haman sat down to drink and Shushan cried.
Then, we learned Perek Daled, which focuses on the interaction and dialogue between Mordechai and Esther. Mordechai knew everything that had been decreed. He rips his clothing and puts on sackcloth (a sign of mourning). He goes to the center of the city and cries a bitter scream. Mordechai then approaches the gate of the palace, as he cannot go inside, due to his state of dress. However, it was not just Mordechai who was in distress. In every area where the king's law reached, it was a time of great mourning and fasting for the Jews. Esther was told about Mordechai and it disturbed her, so she sent clothes to him. Mordechai refused them, and Esther called Hatach, her confidante, to inquire more of what was happening to Mordechai.
Hatach went to Mordechai at the street before the palace and Mordechai filled Hatach in on the decree. He also gave Hatach a copy of the decree to Esther, as she was unaware about it. Mordechai had to give her proof in order to initiate his next plan. He commands her to got the king and plead for her nation. Esther hears of this and in response, says that she cannot go to the king, as she was uninvited and will not find favor in his eyes. This is the LAW, unless he extends his scepter, which marks Esther condemning the kingdom and its arbitrary nature. Mordechai replies and tells Esther not to worry about her own soul. Don't think that just because you're in the king's palace, you will escape the fate of the Jews. If you remain silent and go to the king, someone else will save the Jews, but you and your family will be lost. Esther ponders this and begins the next stage, in which she requests that the Jews fast for her for three days, and then she will venture to Achashverosh's inner chamber. If she's lost, she will be lost.
What Mordechai tells Esther towards the end of Perek Daled was something so interesting. Anyone could have saved the Jews, but ESTHER was chosen. If you don't accept it, there will other salvation from G-d. There's a plan. If you fulfill it, you will have completed your potential. If not, it will still come. This was just so fascinating because I feel that it's something we encounter daily. The decisions we must choose, the sacrifices we have to make in today's modern world can be difficult difficult. Sometimes its easier to sit back and let things unfold. And when given the opportunity, we can shy away from it. But, what Esther teaches us is the importance of action. We have a destiny. Our purpose in this world is to fulfill it. And we need to take a stance. However, we don't live in our "own bubble." If we choose not to, G-d's plan will still be put into effect. But we have the incredible chance to be a part of this plan. And that is completely up to us.
This perek was completely mind-blowing for me. I found it so relatable and personal, since our leaders, our heroes, have endured similar challenges and obstacles. Which perek so far have you related to most? Why?
In Perek Gimel (8-16), Haman begins to indite his plan to kill the Jews. He tells Achashverosh that there is one nation spread among the other nations: their laws are different than any other nation, and they don't follow Achashverosh's laws. Therefore, there is no purpose in having them in the kingdom. If we destroy/enslave/capture the Jews, I'll (Haman) give you (Achashverosh) money in your treasury. Haman capitalized on the following ideas: that the Jews should be in Israel and the fact that the kingdom was predicated on "dat." Achashverosh gladly obliges and gives his ring to Haman, thus bestowing upon him the power to do as he wishes. However, Haman sends out the decree (that on the thirteenth day of Adar, the Jews can be obliterated) in the name of Achashverosh. Haman is planning to commit complete genocide, killing everyone from young to old. And he makes this the LAW. After the decree is delivered, the king and Haman sat down to drink and Shushan cried.
Then, we learned Perek Daled, which focuses on the interaction and dialogue between Mordechai and Esther. Mordechai knew everything that had been decreed. He rips his clothing and puts on sackcloth (a sign of mourning). He goes to the center of the city and cries a bitter scream. Mordechai then approaches the gate of the palace, as he cannot go inside, due to his state of dress. However, it was not just Mordechai who was in distress. In every area where the king's law reached, it was a time of great mourning and fasting for the Jews. Esther was told about Mordechai and it disturbed her, so she sent clothes to him. Mordechai refused them, and Esther called Hatach, her confidante, to inquire more of what was happening to Mordechai.
Hatach went to Mordechai at the street before the palace and Mordechai filled Hatach in on the decree. He also gave Hatach a copy of the decree to Esther, as she was unaware about it. Mordechai had to give her proof in order to initiate his next plan. He commands her to got the king and plead for her nation. Esther hears of this and in response, says that she cannot go to the king, as she was uninvited and will not find favor in his eyes. This is the LAW, unless he extends his scepter, which marks Esther condemning the kingdom and its arbitrary nature. Mordechai replies and tells Esther not to worry about her own soul. Don't think that just because you're in the king's palace, you will escape the fate of the Jews. If you remain silent and go to the king, someone else will save the Jews, but you and your family will be lost. Esther ponders this and begins the next stage, in which she requests that the Jews fast for her for three days, and then she will venture to Achashverosh's inner chamber. If she's lost, she will be lost.
What Mordechai tells Esther towards the end of Perek Daled was something so interesting. Anyone could have saved the Jews, but ESTHER was chosen. If you don't accept it, there will other salvation from G-d. There's a plan. If you fulfill it, you will have completed your potential. If not, it will still come. This was just so fascinating because I feel that it's something we encounter daily. The decisions we must choose, the sacrifices we have to make in today's modern world can be difficult difficult. Sometimes its easier to sit back and let things unfold. And when given the opportunity, we can shy away from it. But, what Esther teaches us is the importance of action. We have a destiny. Our purpose in this world is to fulfill it. And we need to take a stance. However, we don't live in our "own bubble." If we choose not to, G-d's plan will still be put into effect. But we have the incredible chance to be a part of this plan. And that is completely up to us.
This perek was completely mind-blowing for me. I found it so relatable and personal, since our leaders, our heroes, have endured similar challenges and obstacles. Which perek so far have you related to most? Why?
Does Ben Adam L'chavero Apply to Everyone In This World?
On Purim we are reminded of the nation that we despise, the nation that we hate. We are told to never forget to remember and destroy Amalek. Haman was from Amalek, but why should the Jews hate a nation so much when a huge part of our lives is the mitzvah of ben adam l'chavero?
When we say that we practice that mitzvah aren't we saying we are being considerate to other around us. And doesn't the Torah talk about specifically being an Or L'Goyim, a light unto the nations? Why are we supposed to destroy Amalek and break the mitzvah of ben adam l'chavero? Amalek wanted to destroy us, but didn't a bunch of other nations?
Maybe it's because they tried to annihilate us so many times, and other nations only did once? Does ben adam l'chavero only apply to Jewish people? I need someone to help me understand this, because I feel that it is an opinion question that only you can help me answer. Please post your answers! I WANT TO HEAR THEM AND FIGURE THIS OUT!
When we say that we practice that mitzvah aren't we saying we are being considerate to other around us. And doesn't the Torah talk about specifically being an Or L'Goyim, a light unto the nations? Why are we supposed to destroy Amalek and break the mitzvah of ben adam l'chavero? Amalek wanted to destroy us, but didn't a bunch of other nations?
Maybe it's because they tried to annihilate us so many times, and other nations only did once? Does ben adam l'chavero only apply to Jewish people? I need someone to help me understand this, because I feel that it is an opinion question that only you can help me answer. Please post your answers! I WANT TO HEAR THEM AND FIGURE THIS OUT!
Are they really hidden miracles?
For a long time as we learned Megillas Esther in elementary school we are told baout htese great hidden miracles that Hashem performed. I know that the whole time Hashem hid his face from the Jews and his name was never said and the fact that in all the chaos the Jews were having at that time, they were still saved through a series of events.
In class, as we read through the Megilla in way none of us have ever read before. We're not just seeing the positive side of the story and the greatness of all the characters, we are seeing the negative and the reality of the characters and their behaviors in the story.
As we read about the series of events in the Megilla, I had realized that the things that happened weren't all just coincidences. I was always taught that Achashverosh had woken up in the middle of the night, coincidentally, because he couldn't sleep that night.
As we go through in class, I have realized the truth to that part of the story. Achasheverosh wasn't just unable to sleep that night, he was thinking about why Esther was inviting him to another party and it was making him believe that they were out to kill him and that they were plotting something. Achashverosh didn't just look at his book coincidentally, he was looking in his book and trying to figure out if there would be any reason that Haman and Esther were plotting to kill him.
It makes me question the whole hidden miracles thing, and I hope that later we will see the Hashem aspect in it. What do you think? Do you see it as hidden miracles, or a series of small events that led up to this great big event?
In class, as we read through the Megilla in way none of us have ever read before. We're not just seeing the positive side of the story and the greatness of all the characters, we are seeing the negative and the reality of the characters and their behaviors in the story.
As we read about the series of events in the Megilla, I had realized that the things that happened weren't all just coincidences. I was always taught that Achashverosh had woken up in the middle of the night, coincidentally, because he couldn't sleep that night.
As we go through in class, I have realized the truth to that part of the story. Achasheverosh wasn't just unable to sleep that night, he was thinking about why Esther was inviting him to another party and it was making him believe that they were out to kill him and that they were plotting something. Achashverosh didn't just look at his book coincidentally, he was looking in his book and trying to figure out if there would be any reason that Haman and Esther were plotting to kill him.
It makes me question the whole hidden miracles thing, and I hope that later we will see the Hashem aspect in it. What do you think? Do you see it as hidden miracles, or a series of small events that led up to this great big event?
This week we were introduced to three more characters in the story of Ester. We met Haman, Mordechi, and Ester. As we were introduced to each one, we got a little insight into their lives. We can see from Mordechi and Ester's names that they, along with the rest of the Jews, are assimilating into the culture around them. Instead of going by Hadassah, she goes by her Persian name, Ester. Instead of having a Jewish or Hebrew name, Mordechi is named after a god.
One of the strange things we learned this week was the way Haman approached the king to ask if he could destroy all the Jews. Haman goes to Achashvarosh and says there is a spread out nation whose laws are different than all other nations. He says they do not keep the laws of the king. Haman says that nothing good can come from this. Why is Haman explaining the Jews in this weird way? As we already learnt, the Jews were supposed to be back in Yerushalyim during this point in history. When Haman says they are not following their king, he is not talking about Achashvarosh. Haman is really talking about Hashem because they were assimilating and did not go back to Israel like He wanted.
One of the strange things we learned this week was the way Haman approached the king to ask if he could destroy all the Jews. Haman goes to Achashvarosh and says there is a spread out nation whose laws are different than all other nations. He says they do not keep the laws of the king. Haman says that nothing good can come from this. Why is Haman explaining the Jews in this weird way? As we already learnt, the Jews were supposed to be back in Yerushalyim during this point in history. When Haman says they are not following their king, he is not talking about Achashvarosh. Haman is really talking about Hashem because they were assimilating and did not go back to Israel like He wanted.
Examining the simple things that were never really questioned
Personally, I feel like as a child when I read the Purim story, I kind of just accepted that Mordechai did not bow down to Haman. Anyone else with me? I always thought, " Well, everyone else bowed down to Haman but Mordechai just decided he did not want to so he didn't. When we were learning the Megillah in class, I started to think about it. Seriously, why couldn't Mordechai just make one simple movement because in all fairness, that was the decree? After I realized that Mordechai did not bow, I was kind of bothered. Was there a logical reason? Well to me, so far I have not seen any logical reasons.
We discussed in class how we will eventually see the reason for Mordechai rejecting the decree.
a. Is it possible that there was tension before with Haman and Mordechai?
b. Is it possible that Mordechai felt it was against his religion?
c. Is it possible that Mordechai was just extremely stubborn and decided not to bow down just to get his way?
d. Is it none of the above?
There are so many possiblities for the reason to the simple question asking why Mordechai would not bow down. I feel like knowing the answer to this is a key part of understanding the Megillah.
I then have a second question. We learned that Haman did not even see Mordechai disrespecting him, his guards saw it. Well, if there were so many people in the empire did we ever think about why the gaurds were specifically just watching Mordechai?
I feel like this is a quiz, but I am actually extremely curious. A lot of the times we kind of just except the small things, but I feel like us being clear on these little things is a key factor of us understanding the whole Megillah.
And now I want to know. What are your thoughts?
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Are You a Commander or the Commanded?
This week in Megillot, we continued along the story of Esther. When going through each section, we saw that unlike the happy fairy tale story we had learned for years and years, and the actual plot of the story is much...stranger. The wording itself does not give away any of the oddities taking place, but taking a closer look, we can really see how weird the entire megillah actually is.
So, after the previous scene that focused on Achashverosh and Vashti and Esther and Mordechai, we now open on Haman. As usual, we hear about how Haman sent out a law that all the people must bow down to him and then Mordechahi doesn't bow down and then Haman gets angry. And after he gets angry, what does he do? Not the normal thing, which would be to complain about Mordechai or figure out a way to get rid of him, no, instead, Haman runs to the king and requests that he be allowed to get rid of all of the Jews. Now, when he words this request, he is careful to be general about saying how exactly he would get rid of them. When he first introduces the idea, he begins by saying that there is one nation dispersed among the others (and, whether Haman intended this or not, it also implies that the Jews were dispersed instead of being in Yerushalayim) that does not follow the king's laws, but their own.
Haman understands that the king would become very upset when hearing that there are some people defying his laws, and he uses this to his advantage. The king agrees without a second thought, as if the wiping out of an entire nation was no big deal. When Haman receives the king's ring, he orders the scribes to send out a decree that on the 13th of Adar, all Jews, women and children, old and young, are to be slayed without mercy. He is telling the people of Persia to commit genocide. This was sent out as a law of the king- whom we know was so insecure about his kingdom that he sent out laws to rule every aspect of life.
After this decree is sent out, Mordechai hears of what was going on and proceeds to mourn, whilst crying in the middle of the city. He comes to the gates of the king, where Esther sees him sitting and wailing in sackcloth and ashes. As she is stuck in her quarters most of the time, she has no earthly idea what is going on, and is therefore quite perplexed and perhaps a little worried as to why Mordechai was acting this way. Mordechai and Esther begin to correspond through Esther's servant, Hatach, beginning with Esther sending Mordechai clothing, which he promptly turned away, and ending with Esther agreeing to go see the king.
During this conversation, something important happens. In the beginning, Mordechai commands Esther to go to the king and plead on behalf of her nation. She says that anyone who enters the king's chambers without permission is put to death, according to the law (which again shows how arbitrary the laws are). Mordechai responds to this by saying that Esther shouldn't think that since she is the queen, she will be spared. She would die either way. He adds that even if she decided not to go, salvation would come about anyway. Here it is important to notice that even though G-d's name is not used, it is implied that this salvation will come from G-d. Mordechai tells Esther that she was chosen to be put in the palace so she could bring salvation, so she shouldn't just not try. If she decides to do it, she would be taking her place in the plan and fulfilling her destiny.
This strikes a chord in Esther, who then decides to listen to Mordechai. She commands Mordechai to gather all of the Jews to fast for her for 3 days, and then she will go to the king. Should she die, so be it. Mordechai then did everything that Esther had commanded him.
So, Esther first began as the commanded and ended as the commander. She recognized her place in the plan of salvation and decided to take part in it. This is an important concept to keep in mind- there is always a plan. Sometimes we are placed in important positions, though we avoid it, and sometimes we take responsibility for what is to come. What we do is entirely dependent upon us. Should we except our place, then we will have fulfilled our destiny.
I think this can be compared to the story of Chanukah. Purim and Chanukah are famous for being holidays not commanded to be followed in the Torah, and I think there is a recurring theme within both stories. In the Purim story, it is Esther who stands up and takes her place in the salvation of the Jewish people. In the Chanukah story, it is Matisyahu and the Maccabees who stand up and take their place in the salvation of the Jewish people. Both times, the survival of the nation as a whole was hanging on the line, and both times, the people who stood up faced likelihoods of death. But in the end, accepting their fate was what kept them and the nation alive.
So, after the previous scene that focused on Achashverosh and Vashti and Esther and Mordechai, we now open on Haman. As usual, we hear about how Haman sent out a law that all the people must bow down to him and then Mordechahi doesn't bow down and then Haman gets angry. And after he gets angry, what does he do? Not the normal thing, which would be to complain about Mordechai or figure out a way to get rid of him, no, instead, Haman runs to the king and requests that he be allowed to get rid of all of the Jews. Now, when he words this request, he is careful to be general about saying how exactly he would get rid of them. When he first introduces the idea, he begins by saying that there is one nation dispersed among the others (and, whether Haman intended this or not, it also implies that the Jews were dispersed instead of being in Yerushalayim) that does not follow the king's laws, but their own.
Haman understands that the king would become very upset when hearing that there are some people defying his laws, and he uses this to his advantage. The king agrees without a second thought, as if the wiping out of an entire nation was no big deal. When Haman receives the king's ring, he orders the scribes to send out a decree that on the 13th of Adar, all Jews, women and children, old and young, are to be slayed without mercy. He is telling the people of Persia to commit genocide. This was sent out as a law of the king- whom we know was so insecure about his kingdom that he sent out laws to rule every aspect of life.
After this decree is sent out, Mordechai hears of what was going on and proceeds to mourn, whilst crying in the middle of the city. He comes to the gates of the king, where Esther sees him sitting and wailing in sackcloth and ashes. As she is stuck in her quarters most of the time, she has no earthly idea what is going on, and is therefore quite perplexed and perhaps a little worried as to why Mordechai was acting this way. Mordechai and Esther begin to correspond through Esther's servant, Hatach, beginning with Esther sending Mordechai clothing, which he promptly turned away, and ending with Esther agreeing to go see the king.
During this conversation, something important happens. In the beginning, Mordechai commands Esther to go to the king and plead on behalf of her nation. She says that anyone who enters the king's chambers without permission is put to death, according to the law (which again shows how arbitrary the laws are). Mordechai responds to this by saying that Esther shouldn't think that since she is the queen, she will be spared. She would die either way. He adds that even if she decided not to go, salvation would come about anyway. Here it is important to notice that even though G-d's name is not used, it is implied that this salvation will come from G-d. Mordechai tells Esther that she was chosen to be put in the palace so she could bring salvation, so she shouldn't just not try. If she decides to do it, she would be taking her place in the plan and fulfilling her destiny.
This strikes a chord in Esther, who then decides to listen to Mordechai. She commands Mordechai to gather all of the Jews to fast for her for 3 days, and then she will go to the king. Should she die, so be it. Mordechai then did everything that Esther had commanded him.
So, Esther first began as the commanded and ended as the commander. She recognized her place in the plan of salvation and decided to take part in it. This is an important concept to keep in mind- there is always a plan. Sometimes we are placed in important positions, though we avoid it, and sometimes we take responsibility for what is to come. What we do is entirely dependent upon us. Should we except our place, then we will have fulfilled our destiny.
I think this can be compared to the story of Chanukah. Purim and Chanukah are famous for being holidays not commanded to be followed in the Torah, and I think there is a recurring theme within both stories. In the Purim story, it is Esther who stands up and takes her place in the salvation of the Jewish people. In the Chanukah story, it is Matisyahu and the Maccabees who stand up and take their place in the salvation of the Jewish people. Both times, the survival of the nation as a whole was hanging on the line, and both times, the people who stood up faced likelihoods of death. But in the end, accepting their fate was what kept them and the nation alive.
Friday, March 21, 2014
The Dark Side of Purim
Something about Rabbi Perl's speech on Sunday really struck a chord for me. He asked us how many people the Jews killed. How many people the Jews killed, thought I. What is that supposed to mean? Rabbi Perl must be just like his wife- he must edit the megillah! Never once in my 17 (almost 18) years of living, and 15 years of learning about the megillah have I heard someone tell me that the Jews killed people in the megillah. Sure, maybe I skimmed over it during megillah reading, but that is doubtful, because the megillah gets kind've boring once the whole 'plot' story-line is over. So what was up with all this killing? Well, unfortunately we don't have an answer for this yet in class, but do any of you have any guesses, based on what we have learned so far, as to how this could fit in with the context of the Megillah?
So, though I don't have an answer to the question above, I do have more swell thoughts about "The Dark Side of Purim" thanks to an article by the same name on the Forward by Shaul Magid. Shaul starts off his article with an anecdote about Orthodox Israeli scientist and philosopher Yeshayahu Leibowitz. Mr. Leibowitz was once asked whether he would ever consider living outside of Israel. One would normally think that the response to such a question would be something along the lines of, No, I need to live in Israel because this is the land the God promised to the Jewish people. But, as the story goes, he said that he would not... because Israel was the only place he could live where he would never have to celebrate Purim. What the what?! Who wouldn't want to celebrate Purim? What kind of answer is that? It's a Jewish holiday of happiness and gift giving, of dressing up and eating a seudah. Why would he want to avoid that? And how could he avoid it? What is your response to this surprising answer?
Since Jerusalem is a walled city, it celebrates Purim a day after everyone else (on Shushan Purim). So, Mr. Leibowitz could properly avoid Pruim by being in Jerusalem for Purim and traveling to Tel Aviv on the evening after Purim. Pretty sneaky, huh? So, now we know how, but why did he feel the need to do this?
According to Leibowitz, Purim is essentially a the celebration of violence. It's the day that we drink to bloody revenge- to the time we killed Haman, his sons, and- oh, right- 75,000 other people! Purim is the day that we drink to celebrating the blotting out of the nation of Amalek (this could not be made any more clear by the fact that the Shabbat before Purim is Shabbat Zachor, when we gather to read about the command to wipe out Amalek). True, the Rabbis said that this commandment isn't such a big deal because, anyways, we don't know who Amalek is anymore. Even though we can't identify people from Amalek, we have never forgotten about them.. Take this example: a young settler in Israel named Ayelet was asked if she thought Amalek was alive today and she said, "Of course," and pointed toward an Arab village in the distance. What is your reaction to this story? Does it shock you? Or do you believe that it is okay to point out people as being from Amalek?
Does this give you a slightly different perspective of Purim, or is it blowing ideas out or proportion? Well, and I'm kind of surprised that I'm saying this, but I think this might be a little much. Don't get me wrong- the whole 'destroying Amalek' thing really gives me the creeps. I'm not a big fan of that thing; never have been. But I don't think that Purim is about destroying Amalek. I'm sure that by the time we're finished learning about Ester, we will have many themes and applications we can take with us... and I doubt that "destroying Amalek" will be one of them. We have discussed that Amalek represents the idea of randomness; that Amalek believes that the world is disorderly and that this directly contradicts with the Jewish view (that is, that everything in this life has meaning, and that ultimately it is God who controls everything). I think it's safe to say we should be able to dislike what it is Amalek stands for and wish for the destruction of that mentality without literally wishing for the physical destruction of people who think that way. What do you all think?
Zeresh
This week we learned about Haman's downfall (פרקים ה–ז). I didn't want to recap all three פרקים (mostly because Shabbos is rapidly approaching and I have to blog) but I wanted to focus on something that I found interesting.
In פרק ה when המן is on his way back from the party, all happy, and he runs into מרדכי who won't bow to him he gets SO angry. He goes to his wife and calls all of his loved ones together to tell them what had happened and consult them on what to do. Zeresh casually suggests that he build a gallow and hang המן on it. Is she insane?! That is TOTALLY not normal!! However, we learned that she said this because she knew המן and she knew that if there was any small bump in the road, he will go crazy and get very very angry.
I'd like to picture זרש as the type of woman who wants to make her husband happy and likes to see him calm. So she makes a suggestion that (while it is extreme) will calm her husband down. But much later (פרק ו) when אחשורוש rewarded מרדכי and המן consults his loved ones again, זרש tells him that if this מרדכי is from the Jews then he's never going to win. Why would זרש switch her opinion all of the sudden??
I know we said that it is because they believe in fate so much and that if המן had started to fall below מרדכי it was all over.. but maybe זרש really believed this. Maybe she saw how powerful us Jews are because of our strong faith (as מרדכי demonstrated) and she wasn't going to just straight out lie to her husband to make him happy..
I know it's far off.. but it's a nice thought!
In פרק ה when המן is on his way back from the party, all happy, and he runs into מרדכי who won't bow to him he gets SO angry. He goes to his wife and calls all of his loved ones together to tell them what had happened and consult them on what to do. Zeresh casually suggests that he build a gallow and hang המן on it. Is she insane?! That is TOTALLY not normal!! However, we learned that she said this because she knew המן and she knew that if there was any small bump in the road, he will go crazy and get very very angry.
I'd like to picture זרש as the type of woman who wants to make her husband happy and likes to see him calm. So she makes a suggestion that (while it is extreme) will calm her husband down. But much later (פרק ו) when אחשורוש rewarded מרדכי and המן consults his loved ones again, זרש tells him that if this מרדכי is from the Jews then he's never going to win. Why would זרש switch her opinion all of the sudden??
I know we said that it is because they believe in fate so much and that if המן had started to fall below מרדכי it was all over.. but maybe זרש really believed this. Maybe she saw how powerful us Jews are because of our strong faith (as מרדכי demonstrated) and she wasn't going to just straight out lie to her husband to make him happy..
I know it's far off.. but it's a nice thought!
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Mordechai won't Bow --- Let's Kill all the Jews
In the first half of Esther, Haman comes up with his evil decree to kill all the Jews.
Why? Because Mordechai did not bow down.
We talked about this in class, but doesn't this seem a little strange. One man, who you know nothing about, does not show you the respect you deserve, so you decide to kill his whole religion? Not even kill his children or his whole family, but his whole nation? It wasn't even that at first Haman wanted to get rid o just Mordechai, then moved to his kids, then his family, than the whole Jewish nation, but he jumped to killing the whole nation first.
Today, Mrs. Perl said something that stood out to me in class. She pointed out that it says that Amalek attacked us when we were lacking in our belief in G-d. We didn't see G-d anymore. As we know, Haman was from the nation of Amalek. As we also know, the Jew were supposed to be in Jerusalem with the Beit Hamikdash at the time the Purim story took place, but instead, they were assimilating with the Persians in Shushan. Maybe Haman saw that they were lacking a relationship with G-d and not seeing G-d, and took the opportunity to attack when he had an excuse to get angry and have an excuse to attack. (Mordechai not bowing as the excuse)
Why? Because Mordechai did not bow down.
We talked about this in class, but doesn't this seem a little strange. One man, who you know nothing about, does not show you the respect you deserve, so you decide to kill his whole religion? Not even kill his children or his whole family, but his whole nation? It wasn't even that at first Haman wanted to get rid o just Mordechai, then moved to his kids, then his family, than the whole Jewish nation, but he jumped to killing the whole nation first.
Today, Mrs. Perl said something that stood out to me in class. She pointed out that it says that Amalek attacked us when we were lacking in our belief in G-d. We didn't see G-d anymore. As we know, Haman was from the nation of Amalek. As we also know, the Jew were supposed to be in Jerusalem with the Beit Hamikdash at the time the Purim story took place, but instead, they were assimilating with the Persians in Shushan. Maybe Haman saw that they were lacking a relationship with G-d and not seeing G-d, and took the opportunity to attack when he had an excuse to get angry and have an excuse to attack. (Mordechai not bowing as the excuse)
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
We learn a lot about Achasveirosh in the beginning of the first Perek. It starts out telling us that he rules over 127 provinces and we assume that he is very powerful. But we learn something else very different. It begins by telling us that he has a party for 180 days for the diplomats and officers to display his wealth, glory, and possessions. He does this to show the important people how powerful he is because he wants to be so powerful. Then it says that there was a law that no one had to drink. This shows us a lot about the kingdom. It shows us that they had a system of government that has to control all aspects of their lives.
Achashveirosh demands Vashti to come down so that he can show her off. That will make him seem even more powerful. When Vashti refuses to come to Achashveirosh, he has to meet with a group of officials to decide what to do. He makes a law that women have to obey their husbands. He is showing us that he cannot rely on himself and has to consult others to make his own decisions. We also learn that he has to make many laws for the people to think that he has a lot of power. Then Achashveirosh has to find a new queen. His servant tells him to have all of the pretty women to be gathered. Once again he is not making a decision for himself. Once all of the women have been taken, another law is passed. The women have to be prepared for a year.
Finally Mordechai and Esther are introduced. But Esther is introduced with two names which was kind of confusing. We learned that Hadassah is her Hebrew name and Esther is her Persian name. Since she also has a Persian name we can tell that the Jews are assimilating. I find this very interesting and easy to relate to. Just like them, we have the opportunity to move back to Israel and many of us have secular names.
Achashveirosh demands Vashti to come down so that he can show her off. That will make him seem even more powerful. When Vashti refuses to come to Achashveirosh, he has to meet with a group of officials to decide what to do. He makes a law that women have to obey their husbands. He is showing us that he cannot rely on himself and has to consult others to make his own decisions. We also learn that he has to make many laws for the people to think that he has a lot of power. Then Achashveirosh has to find a new queen. His servant tells him to have all of the pretty women to be gathered. Once again he is not making a decision for himself. Once all of the women have been taken, another law is passed. The women have to be prepared for a year.
Finally Mordechai and Esther are introduced. But Esther is introduced with two names which was kind of confusing. We learned that Hadassah is her Hebrew name and Esther is her Persian name. Since she also has a Persian name we can tell that the Jews are assimilating. I find this very interesting and easy to relate to. Just like them, we have the opportunity to move back to Israel and many of us have secular names.
Esther needs to take charge.
This week we learned about Haman's decree to kill all of the Jews. He was so angry because one person in a huge crowd refused to bow down to him. I understand why he felt like he needed to destroy the entire people as I mentioned in a previous blog. He got permission from Achashverosh to make the decree. Now someone needs to come in and help stop Haman from playing out the decree. He even got to the point in making a date to kill the Jews. He got this far without anybody trying to stop him.
Mordechai finally steps in and talks to Esther. Although Esther has no power, she still is in the palace with the king and has better access to talk to him than most people in the kingdom. Mordechai sends a messenger to send a message to Esther. He tells her to seize the moment. Don't just sit there and wait for someone else to save the Jews because it will happen. The Jews will have salvation, but if she wants to be a part of it then she needs to take charge.
Esther is scared that the King will kill her if she comes to the king without being called to him. Maybe Esther thinks that she is not going to be affected by the decree to kill all the Jews. Achashverosh doesn't know that she is Jewish, so what makes anyone think she will be affected because she is in the palace with Achashverosh. But Mordechai makes it clear to Esther that she is also going to be killed. She is not going to be left behind just because she is in the king's palace. So Esther has a better chance to go to the king and tell her about the decree than to stay in the palace while all the other Jews die. The king can possibly find favor in her eyes, so she should go talk to him.
The king knows what a risk it was for her to come to him, so he knew she had something extremely important to talk about. He accepted the invitation because he knew it was important.
The only way we will make a difference in this world, is if we take charge like Esther! G-d has a plan in this world, but we have to decide if we are going to help Him play them out. So seize the moment and always do what your gut tells you. It is probably something beneficial to the world.
Mordechai finally steps in and talks to Esther. Although Esther has no power, she still is in the palace with the king and has better access to talk to him than most people in the kingdom. Mordechai sends a messenger to send a message to Esther. He tells her to seize the moment. Don't just sit there and wait for someone else to save the Jews because it will happen. The Jews will have salvation, but if she wants to be a part of it then she needs to take charge.
Esther is scared that the King will kill her if she comes to the king without being called to him. Maybe Esther thinks that she is not going to be affected by the decree to kill all the Jews. Achashverosh doesn't know that she is Jewish, so what makes anyone think she will be affected because she is in the palace with Achashverosh. But Mordechai makes it clear to Esther that she is also going to be killed. She is not going to be left behind just because she is in the king's palace. So Esther has a better chance to go to the king and tell her about the decree than to stay in the palace while all the other Jews die. The king can possibly find favor in her eyes, so she should go talk to him.
The king knows what a risk it was for her to come to him, so he knew she had something extremely important to talk about. He accepted the invitation because he knew it was important.
The only way we will make a difference in this world, is if we take charge like Esther! G-d has a plan in this world, but we have to decide if we are going to help Him play them out. So seize the moment and always do what your gut tells you. It is probably something beneficial to the world.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Sexism in the Persian society
I don't know about you, but after reading through he first few perekim of the megillah, I felt like I needed to take a long, steaming shower.
The way women were viewed during this time is appalling. Firstly, Achashverosh was infuriated when his wife declined his request for her to come down to his lavish party. Soooo Vashti has no freedom to make her own choices? Achashverosh really had to become completely enraged rather than calmly discuss his annoyance with his wife? After this incident, Achashverosh decides to meet with his trusted astrologer/advisors to find the law of what to do in this particular situation (because, as we learned, there had to be a law for everything.) His chief advisor states that Vashti had not only committed a crime against Achashverosh, but she had committed a crime against every man in the kingdom. Imagine that! And what was this "crime"? It was simply her refusal to attend a party she seemed to have zero interest in attending. To prevent this "crime" from ever occurring in any part of his kingdom, Achashverosh makes a law that women must always listen to their husbands. *scoffs*
Next Achashverosh's trusted advisors have another brilliant idea. They suggest that they could round up every pretty virgin woman in the kingdom for the king to pick a wife from. Of course, Achashverosh blissfully agrees to this idea. Now picture this for a second.. Achashverosh's advisors went to every single household in the vast kingdom and checked if there were any pretty virgins. These women had no say in the matter. If they were pretty, they had to leave their homes and their families to live in the women's section of the palace with all the other pretty virgins that had also been taken from their homes. These women were then prepared for an entire year for just one night with the king. They bathed in perfumes and "spiced" themselves. I don't know about you, but this sounds like they're about to be stuck into the oven and cooked at 350 degrees. After this one night with the king they'd be tossed right back to the women's quarter to wait until Achashverosh called for them again (which may or may not have happened.) They were forced to stay there for the rest of their lives.
The way women were treated is sickening. But perhaps this is included in the megillah to teach us something. Maybe this picture of the sexism that pervaded Persian society gives us a deeper understanding and appreciation for Esther's accomplishments. She managed to take a stand in a society that was attempting to tear her down in every way possible. It truly is amazing when you think about it for a moment.
The way women were viewed during this time is appalling. Firstly, Achashverosh was infuriated when his wife declined his request for her to come down to his lavish party. Soooo Vashti has no freedom to make her own choices? Achashverosh really had to become completely enraged rather than calmly discuss his annoyance with his wife? After this incident, Achashverosh decides to meet with his trusted astrologer/advisors to find the law of what to do in this particular situation (because, as we learned, there had to be a law for everything.) His chief advisor states that Vashti had not only committed a crime against Achashverosh, but she had committed a crime against every man in the kingdom. Imagine that! And what was this "crime"? It was simply her refusal to attend a party she seemed to have zero interest in attending. To prevent this "crime" from ever occurring in any part of his kingdom, Achashverosh makes a law that women must always listen to their husbands. *scoffs*
Next Achashverosh's trusted advisors have another brilliant idea. They suggest that they could round up every pretty virgin woman in the kingdom for the king to pick a wife from. Of course, Achashverosh blissfully agrees to this idea. Now picture this for a second.. Achashverosh's advisors went to every single household in the vast kingdom and checked if there were any pretty virgins. These women had no say in the matter. If they were pretty, they had to leave their homes and their families to live in the women's section of the palace with all the other pretty virgins that had also been taken from their homes. These women were then prepared for an entire year for just one night with the king. They bathed in perfumes and "spiced" themselves. I don't know about you, but this sounds like they're about to be stuck into the oven and cooked at 350 degrees. After this one night with the king they'd be tossed right back to the women's quarter to wait until Achashverosh called for them again (which may or may not have happened.) They were forced to stay there for the rest of their lives.
The way women were treated is sickening. But perhaps this is included in the megillah to teach us something. Maybe this picture of the sexism that pervaded Persian society gives us a deeper understanding and appreciation for Esther's accomplishments. She managed to take a stand in a society that was attempting to tear her down in every way possible. It truly is amazing when you think about it for a moment.
Shushan is Greedy for Power
So far, I have seen a constant idea throughout the Megillah, the need for more power. All of the people in Shushan are constantly trying to gain power. All though it is not said, it is recognized after looking at these examples...
- Bigtan and Teresh tried to overthrow the king. (clearly wanted power)
- The advisers are always giving ideas to the king and making laws for him. (are working their way up the ladder and are basically in control now that they are making the laws and decisions)
- Even the servants are giving ideas to the king. (they suggest the idea of getting the virgins together. they may be doing this to impress the king and get promoted)
- The servants point out Mordechai to Haman. (they were giving Haman a tip, maybe to make a good reputation for one of the kings highest advisers in hopes of getting recognized and promoted)
- Haman decides to kill all of the Jews (might see them as threat)
It seems that everyone in Shushan is constantly grasping for more power. Even the king, who should have power, is trying to at least make it look like he has power. This shows how bad the views of Persia were. Everyone, including the king, is going out of control making absurd laws, like getting the virgins and not letting the women have opinions or killing a whole nation because of one guy,in order to gain power. They need to realize that power isn't everything. Because of all of their greed, they seem to be causing a whole nation of people to be killed.
Ideas in the Megillah That Are Still Around Today
Personally, I feel like it is hard to connect to certain Jewish books. Sometimes I feel like they are so old and therefore useless. Although we are not so far into it, I have noticed that Megillat Esther is very different from many other Jewish books I have learned about. In the <egillah, I see many ideas or traditions that are still followed today which makes it easier to connect to. There are a few ideas that I wanted to discuss that took place in the sefer and still take place today.
First, I wanted to discuss part of the background. When we learned that in the Megilla shushan was referred to as "Shushan Habira." We talked about how the Jews were supposed to be in Yerushalayim but they were not, so they called Sushan " Shushan Habira." ( Yerushalayim was supposed to be "Yerushalayim Habira.) We then discussed why the Jews were in Shushan. Why would they be in Shushan if the 70 year exile decree was over and they could have gone back to Yerushalayim? There is no answer to the question. It is unclear why they were in Shushan if they could have been back in Yerushalayim, considering the exile was over.
Now let's bring up something else. Why are the Jews spread out all around the world when we could/should be in Israel, our home?
Yet again, there is no answer. There is no direct answer explaining why the Jews are not all together. Maybe it has to do with jobs, school, or just because.
Just like the Jews were not back in Shushan back then, today the Jews are not all in Israel.
I noticed one other similarity. We also discussed how Esther had two names, Hadassah and Esther. Esther was her Persian name and Hadassah was her " Jewish" name.
Today, many people have two names. They have one secular name that they are referred to in public and a second Jewish name, relating to their Judaism. We learned that Esther assimilated with the gentiles and was referred to as Esther around them. I found it interesting that even today this is done and we do it too.
These are just two examples that I found still apply to our modern world and wanted to share. Have a great Monday!
Lining up
As we continue to read through the story of Esther we realize that it was not exactly a miracle but mor of a line of coincidences. Some coincidence include Esther showing up for being the new prince, Mordechie being at the front gate, and the King having a dream. These steps were needed for this story to take place and result in success. This story was truly a success. Esther was able to help the Jewish people because of the previous plot. Without all of these events happening the story of Esther would not have been a success.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Megillat Esther: Veggietales Style
"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."
(Please skip to 2:49. The beginning is all fluff.)
I don't know how many of you have heard of Veggietales before now, but here's a little background. They're a Christian film company that makes cartoons involving vegetables that are meant to teach kids valuable life lessons. They also happen to enjoy making films about biblical tales. I first watched this video when I was around 8 years old, and hadn't thought about it until we started learning Megillat Esther.
The quote at the beginning is the basis for this blog post. In class, we've been talking a lot about character development and about how the main characters in the Megillah are not what we've always made them out to be. Putting Mordechai, Achashverosh, and Haman aside, Esther goes through a huge amount of character development. She starts out the Megillah as this passive girl who does what Mordechai tells her to. By the middle of Perek 4, she's starting to realize that she can't be so passive anymore. At the end of Perek 4, she commands Mordechai to tell the Jews to fast for her and he does what she commanded him to do. Talk about character development. In the span of a few short perakim, she changed from a passive "bystander" to an active, commanding leader. So, was she born great? No. Did she achieve greatness? Not really, unless you count being pretty as an achievement. Did she have "greatness" thrust upon her? Yeah -- she was given the opportunity to save her people and, after some pushing, she took the chance. That's definitely something that should be looked up to.
On a side note, notice how the video shows exactly what we were talking about in class! The king didn't kill Vashti and the advisor was the one calling the shots. Interesting, no? Maybe Mrs. Perl isn't editing Pesukim after all.
On a side note, notice how the video shows exactly what we were talking about in class! The king didn't kill Vashti and the advisor was the one calling the shots. Interesting, no? Maybe Mrs. Perl isn't editing Pesukim after all.
My Lucky Day
In this week's Megillot class, we discussed Perek Bet and began Perek Gimel. The events in these perakim, along with Perek Daled, set the stage for what happens in the second half of the megillah. So, let's get started!
Perek Bet (1-4) begins with the aftermath of the decree from Perek Aleph. Achar Hadevarim Haeleh, Achashverosh remembered Vashti and the decree. Achar Hadevarim Haeleh are three very important words to note when reading the megillah, as they provide a direct link, or connection, between what is coming next and what occurred in the past. Achashverosh seems to regret what he did, but we're unclear. Next, the nearei hamelech, literally, the lads of the king, who were servants on a less prestigious scale, suggested to the king that he take for himself young virgin women. Achashverosh can appoint officers in all the cities to bring all the women to Chagai, the supervisor, in order to spice them up. The girl who is most favorable in the eyes of the king will replace Vashti as queen. Sounds splendid, right? Well, Achashverosh appeared to think so and gleefully agreed.
Next, Pesukim 5-20 begin with the introduction of Mordechai. He was an "Ish Yehudi," a man from the tribe of Binyamin, and a descendent of the people who had been exiled from Yerushalayim. Mordechai was definitely a leader, yet he was in Shushan instead of Yerushalayim. This is a reference to Sefer Zecharyah. Anywho, Mordechai cared for Esther, as he was her cousin and she had no parents. This is the first time we are also introduced to Hadassah/Esther. On a side note, the name Esther comes from Ishtart, the goddess of love and fertility, and Moredechai's secular name was Marduk. This shows that the Jews were assimilated into the values of the society of the time. The remainder of the pesukim lead up to the coronation of Esther, and the persistence of Esther to keep her identity a secret. The third section (21-23) describes the foiled (by Mordechai) plot of Bigtan and Teresh to kill the king.
Then, we ventured on to Perek Gimel. The first section (1-7) is the beginning of Haman and his rise to power. Haman was a descendant of Agag, the king of Amalek (this story extends back to the time of Shaul). As a result of his promotion, all the servants of the king who were at the king would bow down to Haman, with the exception of Mordechai. When the servants saw this, they were in a bit of a kerfuffle and asked Mordechai why he would transgress the law of the king. However, Mordechai unwaveringly continued his refusal to bow down to Haman. When Haman was told about this by his servants and inquired more about the matter, he was enraged to find out it was true. In Haman's mind, things had just gotten personal. Immediately, Haman became intent on destroying all the Jews in the entire kingdom of Achashverosh. In order to do so, Haman decided to cast lots to find the best opportunity to kill the Jews, and wallah, Adar was the perfect time.
I titled my blog, My Lucky Day (if you have not read the book, I highly suggest it). As we saw/will see throughout the Pesukim we studied, Haman relied primarily on luck. In the mere several Pesukim depicting him, he decides to cast lots to determine the fate of the Jewish people. It may even be fair to say Haman possessed somewhat of an external locus of control, if you want to throw in a little psychology reference there. I feel like the theme of luck/coincidence is one of the most prevalent ideas/themes that is manifested throughout the Megillah. It is easy to, on face value, view the events that transpired and the effects that followed as purely coincidental. However, this is not the Jewish ideology. When we first discussed the background to the Megillah, one of the ideas that were presented by our class was Hester Panim, that Hashem hides His face, yet His hand is so intricately woven throughout the Megillah. In fact, this is a theme we have seen in all the Megillot we have studied. It is easy to attribute the good to ourselves and the bad to G-d, or even nothing to G-d. But, everything comes from G-d. And this is something we have to accept, even if we don't see His involvement in such a crystal clear manner.
Have a happy rest of your Purim!
Then, we ventured on to Perek Gimel. The first section (1-7) is the beginning of Haman and his rise to power. Haman was a descendant of Agag, the king of Amalek (this story extends back to the time of Shaul). As a result of his promotion, all the servants of the king who were at the king would bow down to Haman, with the exception of Mordechai. When the servants saw this, they were in a bit of a kerfuffle and asked Mordechai why he would transgress the law of the king. However, Mordechai unwaveringly continued his refusal to bow down to Haman. When Haman was told about this by his servants and inquired more about the matter, he was enraged to find out it was true. In Haman's mind, things had just gotten personal. Immediately, Haman became intent on destroying all the Jews in the entire kingdom of Achashverosh. In order to do so, Haman decided to cast lots to find the best opportunity to kill the Jews, and wallah, Adar was the perfect time.
I titled my blog, My Lucky Day (if you have not read the book, I highly suggest it). As we saw/will see throughout the Pesukim we studied, Haman relied primarily on luck. In the mere several Pesukim depicting him, he decides to cast lots to determine the fate of the Jewish people. It may even be fair to say Haman possessed somewhat of an external locus of control, if you want to throw in a little psychology reference there. I feel like the theme of luck/coincidence is one of the most prevalent ideas/themes that is manifested throughout the Megillah. It is easy to, on face value, view the events that transpired and the effects that followed as purely coincidental. However, this is not the Jewish ideology. When we first discussed the background to the Megillah, one of the ideas that were presented by our class was Hester Panim, that Hashem hides His face, yet His hand is so intricately woven throughout the Megillah. In fact, this is a theme we have seen in all the Megillot we have studied. It is easy to attribute the good to ourselves and the bad to G-d, or even nothing to G-d. But, everything comes from G-d. And this is something we have to accept, even if we don't see His involvement in such a crystal clear manner.
Have a happy rest of your Purim!
To return or not to return? That is the question.
When we started learning Megillat Esther, we discussed the difference between exile and diaspora. We said that an exile is a forced expulsion that is against the people's will. On the flip side, a diaspora is where people who were expelled from their homeland choose to stay in exile. The key here is that the "exile" is by choice. We talked about the implications of this in the context of Megillat Esther, where the Jewish people chose to remain outside of Israel and even went so far as to replace Jerusalem in their minds with Shushan, the capital city of the Persian empire. Although prophets were encouraging the people to head back to Israel, they made the conscious decision to stay in exile instead of returning, even after the Beit Hamikdash was rebuilt.
It goes without saying that this situation of choosing to remain in exile is quite comparable to the situation of the Jewish people today. In our 2,000 year exile, we only re-established Jewish sovereignty in Israel in 1948 and still, many Jews, including us, have chosen to remain in exile. We seem pretty fine with our decision. None of this is new to me or to you, I'm assuming. At this point, the question is whether there's a purpose for some people to remain in the diaspora. Some commentaries and modern poskim have said that there is a need for teachers of Torah in exile, so those teachers can stay in the diaspora. I'm wondering if there's more than that.
A few weeks ago, while I was at AIPAC, I really got to think about the role of Jews who live outside of Israel, especially in the modern world. The things that I saw at Policy Conference really solidified my opinion of what I have to do since I've chosen to live in exile. In essence, a Jew's role in exile is to stand up for Israel and for the Jewish people. In the modern world, with the BDS movement, rampant anti-Semitism, and lots of anti-Israel sentiments, the most necessary thing is for us to work to protect our homeland, even if we choose not to live there. As diaspora Jews, we have a distinct advantage over Israeli Jews in politics because people do not close themselves off to us on account of anti-Israel sentiments. Basically, stand up for your homeland and your people. Now that we've just had a holiday where one of the main mitzvot encourages unity and camaraderie, I think that working to keep Israel safe and secure is the right thing to do.
It goes without saying that this situation of choosing to remain in exile is quite comparable to the situation of the Jewish people today. In our 2,000 year exile, we only re-established Jewish sovereignty in Israel in 1948 and still, many Jews, including us, have chosen to remain in exile. We seem pretty fine with our decision. None of this is new to me or to you, I'm assuming. At this point, the question is whether there's a purpose for some people to remain in the diaspora. Some commentaries and modern poskim have said that there is a need for teachers of Torah in exile, so those teachers can stay in the diaspora. I'm wondering if there's more than that.
A few weeks ago, while I was at AIPAC, I really got to think about the role of Jews who live outside of Israel, especially in the modern world. The things that I saw at Policy Conference really solidified my opinion of what I have to do since I've chosen to live in exile. In essence, a Jew's role in exile is to stand up for Israel and for the Jewish people. In the modern world, with the BDS movement, rampant anti-Semitism, and lots of anti-Israel sentiments, the most necessary thing is for us to work to protect our homeland, even if we choose not to live there. As diaspora Jews, we have a distinct advantage over Israeli Jews in politics because people do not close themselves off to us on account of anti-Israel sentiments. Basically, stand up for your homeland and your people. Now that we've just had a holiday where one of the main mitzvot encourages unity and camaraderie, I think that working to keep Israel safe and secure is the right thing to do.
Happy (late) Purim and Merry Shushan Purim!
The Mystery Behind Mishloach Manot
Though we are only in the first half of the Megillah, I thought I would expound on a concept (and give a little preview) of something we are going to hear in the last perek of the Megillah. As I was listening to the Megillah at shul last night, I was thinking about where the mitzvah of giving mishloach manot came from. Is it just a kind act, or is there some special meaning behind it?
In the last perek of Megillat Esther, it says, "Mordechai... enjoined the [Jews] to make the fourteenth day of the month of Adar.. feasting and joy, and sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor." This source spells it our pretty simply, but there is a deeper meaning behind sending mishloach manot.
One of the big and main themes of Purim is friendship and unity. In the Megillah, when Haman asked Achashverosh if he could destroy the Jews, he said, "There are a certain people who are scatted and separate." But, when Esther prayed for G-d's help to not be destroyed, she knew that the unity of the Jews was essential. In all of Esther's efforts to save the Jews, she was always telling Mordechai to gather the Jews to do things, whether it be fast or feast. Because of Esther's efforts, we saw an immense amount of unity within the Jewish people still living in Shushan.
This story can teach us that no matter how much we, the Jews, are constantly under pressure and hatred, we must band together and fight for our lives like they did in the time of Megillat Esther.
I HOPE EVERYONE HAS A FUN FILLED PURIM!!
In the last perek of Megillat Esther, it says, "Mordechai... enjoined the [Jews] to make the fourteenth day of the month of Adar.. feasting and joy, and sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor." This source spells it our pretty simply, but there is a deeper meaning behind sending mishloach manot.
One of the big and main themes of Purim is friendship and unity. In the Megillah, when Haman asked Achashverosh if he could destroy the Jews, he said, "There are a certain people who are scatted and separate." But, when Esther prayed for G-d's help to not be destroyed, she knew that the unity of the Jews was essential. In all of Esther's efforts to save the Jews, she was always telling Mordechai to gather the Jews to do things, whether it be fast or feast. Because of Esther's efforts, we saw an immense amount of unity within the Jewish people still living in Shushan.
This story can teach us that no matter how much we, the Jews, are constantly under pressure and hatred, we must band together and fight for our lives like they did in the time of Megillat Esther.
I HOPE EVERYONE HAS A FUN FILLED PURIM!!
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