GOOD MORNING! We are now in the joyous Hebrew month of Adar! Some 2,500 years ago, the miracle of Purim saved the Jewish people from annihilation at the hands of the wicked Haman – a descendant of the mortal enemy of the Jewish nation, Amalek.

The Amalekites were the first nation that ambushed and attacked the newly formed Israelite nation immediately after they left Egypt some 3,350 years ago. The story ends with the eventual triumph of the Israelites and a chilling declaration from the Almighty: “God said to Moses – ‘Write this reminder in the Book (the Torah) […] I will totally obliterate the memory of Amalek from under the heavens’ […] The Lord has sworn that He will be at war with Amalek from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:8-16).

(Personally, I believe that to be considered part of the Amalekite nation one does not need have a biological or genetic connection, rather it’s about philosophy and ideology. I think this can be proven from the section of the Bible known as The Prophets. The somewhat involved discussion of this point is beyond the scope of this column. If interested, see Samuel I Chapters 15 and 30 or email me.)

Though I loath to repeat a topic I’ve already discussed twice in the past six months, circumstances are such that I am impelled to once again discuss antisemitism.

This past week a white supremacist extremist group posted a call for participation in a “National Day of Hate” for this past Shabbat, via a Telegram channel. The event was shared by at least three other supremacist groups. These groups were encouraging participants to “shock the masses” with nationwide “on-the-ground” activism by conducting banner drops, spreading propaganda, and engaging in demonstrations targeting the Jewish population and recruiting like-minded individuals to further the white supremacist extremist movement.

A few weeks ago, the world once again tuned in to watch the Super Bowl. This year’s Super Bowl featured a halftime show that was watched by nearly 120 million people. The performer of the halftime show sang a song produced by the Hitler-loving and Jew-hating lunatic known as Kanye West. She then went on to sing a song that featured him, and then actually sang one of his songs from over a decade ago! After her performance his song shot to number one on Apple iTunes. Not bad for a 13-year-old song.

Where was the worldwide condemnation from the national “woke” media? Nowhere. In fact, it was barely even mentioned. The New York Times opined that perhaps her performance was “an implicit statement of support for an embattled peer.” As if that somehow made it acceptable. How is this okay???

Anyone who needs a refresher course in the horrors of Jew hatred should watch the absolutely heart wrenching funerals of the two young brothers, ages 6 and 8, who were murdered by a terrorist two weeks ago when he ran his car into people doing nothing more than waiting at a bus stop. (The third victim was a newlywed 20-year-old young man – married all of two months.) The Arab terrorist was from Jerusalem.

Yes, I believe all of these people can be categorized as Amalekites. Their abhorrent behavior has no source beyond blatant antisemitism – Jew hatred. Because Purim is a national celebration of the salvation of the Jewish people from the murderous hands of the Amalekites, it is more important than ever that we closely examine this holiday and what it is all about.

Q & A: WHAT IS PURIM AND HOW DO WE CELEBRATE IT?

Purim is a holiday that has something for everyone and thus it is really, truly enjoyed by the entire family. It is a day of brotherhood, gift giving, and revelry with the requisite eating and imbibing of alcoholic beverages. The custom for both adults and children is to “dress up” in all sorts of costumes and go from house to house spreading joy and giving gifts of delicious foods and wines.

Sadly, this has led some to view Purim as a “Jewish Halloween” of sorts – a terrible sentiment reflecting a very superficial understanding of the holiday. In truth, Purim has a very deep and meaningful message.

The Talmud points out that in messianic times all the holidays will cease to exist – the only holiday that will continue to be celebrated is the holiday of Purim. Likewise, of all the holy books in the Bible the only ones that will remain relevant are the Five Books of Moses and the Book of Esther. What is so significant about this holiday and the message of the Book of Esther?

The story of Purim takes place in ancient Persia, some seventy years after the destruction of the first Beis Hamikdosh – the holy temple in Jerusalem. As mentioned, Haman hated the Jewish people and he conspired with King Achashverosh (head of the Persian monarchy which, at the time, ruled most of the known world – he is identified in world history as King Xerxes) to utterly annihilate the Jewish people from all corners of the kingdom.

The events surrounding the miraculous salvation of the Jewish nation through the hands of Queen Esther, with the guidance of Mordechai (who was the leader of the generation and also happened to be her uncle, others say he was her cousin), are recounted in detail in the Book of Esther.

The holiday derives its name from the word “pur,” which in Persian means “lots” – as in, “Haman cast lots for the most ‘auspicious’ date to kill the Jews.” The date fell out on the 13^th of Adar. The events of that date turned a day of planned destruction into a day of victory and joy. We celebrate Purim on the 14^th of Adar for “they gained relief on the fourteenth, which they made a day of feasting and gladness” (Esther 9:17). This year Purim begins Monday night, March 6^th and continues through Tuesday, March 7^th.

What is the possible explanation for taking the name of the holiday from the seemingly inconsequential incident of how Haman chose the date of his planned annihilation of the Jewish people? This seemingly small detail actually goes to the crux of the issue dividing the Jewish people and the Amalekites.

The Amalekites choose to believe in the philosophic concept known as deism – that God set creation in motion and thereafter did not intrude. In their view, God is a deus absconditus, a creator who deserted humanity. They want to believe that God has no part in their world. Thus, the ultimate proof of that is lots – a game of absolute chance. To them, there is no such thing as fate or destiny as the world is governed by chance and happenstance. That’s why Haman chose the day of annihilation through lots – “pur.”

Of course, the children of Abraham are the polar extreme of such a philosophy. After the miraculous exodus from Egypt all the nations of the world had recognized God’s intimate involvement with the world, and the Jewish people in particular. Thus, the other nations were terrified to engage them in battle, all except Amalek. Immediately after the Jewish people left Egypt the Amalekites embarked on what was clearly a suicide mission and launched a surprise attack. According to Jewish tradition, the Amalekites reasoned that even if they were not successful, they could at least “cool the waters” and expose the Jewish people to attacks from others.

This suicide mission achieved another goal: it illustrated a key tenet of Amalekite philosophy to all the other nations of the world. In a theocentric world, mankind has obligations, responsibilities, morals, and is not free to do whatever they please. Amalek would rather attack the Jewish nation, risking death and oblivion, than face the prospect of not having ultimate freedom. They would rather not exist than live under God.

Because the Amalekites are the embodiment of denial of God’s presence on earth, they are also the instrument of choice for punishing the Jews when their faith in God falters. Thus, all this continued antisemitism is also a reflection of the Jewish nation’s abandonment of their ancestral faith and continued downward spiral of assimilation. The more we choose to live in a world without our God and our Jewish identity, the stronger the forces of Amalek are brought to bear upon us.

Therefore, the story of Purim is crucial to understanding not just the history of the Jewish people, but also the future of the Jewish nation. Even in “the end of times,” we must be cognizant that the very survival of the Jewish nation is dependent solely on our individual commitment to Judaism. We must recommit to our Jewish identity and live as Jews. Only in this way can the ideals and purpose of this nationhood last until the final redemption. May we merit seeing it come speedily in our days. Amen.

On a personal note, I want to share that I just finished writing my father’s in-depth book on the story of Purim and the book of Esther. This was an eight-year project and is a product of many thousands of hours of work from myself and my team of writers and editors. It has an all-encompassing overview of the holiday and a verse by verse breakdown of the entire story of the Megillah with some rather astonishing revelations. (Please note, while it is eminently accessible, it is still a scholarly work – think more Scientific American and not People magazine.)

As long time readers are aware, much of what I write is based on the brilliant teachings of my father. So if you enjoy my insights then you will absolutely love this book. You can order it at: www.shabbatshalom.org/mask. As a special gift for Purim, I’m giving Shabbat Shalom readers 25% off from now until Purim. To receive your copy before Purim, please order as soon as possible.

Tetzaveh, Exodus 27:20 – 30:10

The Torah continues this week with the command to make for use in the Mishkan – the Portable Sanctuary – oil for the Menorah and clothes for the Cohanim – the Priests. It then gives instruction for the consecration of the Cohanim and the Outer Altar. The portion concludes with instructions for constructing the Incense Altar.