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The
World Turned Upside Down |
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Picture yourself living in a country where Jews
occupy high posts in the national government, are indispensable to trade and
the professions, and fear no harm from their neighbors. Things can’t really
go wrong - can they? Then you wake
up one morning to hear that the entire Jewish population of the planet is
declared by the government to be destined for total extermination. All the
apparatus of the most sophisticated state and military in the world are going
to be turned against the Jewish People with one goal: their utter
annihilation. At this point the logical thing would be for the
Jews to give up. There is nowhere to run in an empire covering most of two
continents. However, in
the most improbable series of events possible, someway, somehow, everything
is reversed and the forces arrayed against the Jewish people are destroyed
and the Jewish people emerge spiritually and physically stronger than ever. This was the
experience of the Jewish people in the Persian Empire of the late Iron Age
two and a half millennia ago. It serves as a fundamental lesson for our
people right now, deep into the Information Age. Contrary to
all the premises of historiography, wealth, necessary skills, intelligence,
talent and political power have not guaranteed our existence when we
possessed them, and again - against all logic –we have not been utterly
destroyed when we did not have them. Our history
in its broadest sweep, consists of the single statement that Purim articulates: “Against all the “rules” of history we are still here,
because G-d wants us to exist as people vibrant in our tradition and open to
using that to illuminate a G-dly, humane path for all humanity’s benefit.” This is why
the Megillah, (Esther 8:16-18)
after telling us about the renewed commitment of the Jewish people to the
observance and study of the Torah, then goes on to say, "…and Many of the peoples of the land
'Judaized',” (Heb. MITYAHADIM) meaning
to say not just that there were converts, but that people observing the
“living example“ of the Jews among them, began to integrate the universal
values of the Torah into their lives as they continued to live within their
own cultures. We should
remember that our brothers and sisters in Israel - and therefore every Jew in
the world - remain gravely threatened and need a renewed Purim of their own.
We need to pray and work for their relief from threat, and with the hope that
the whole region will learn from the precious humanity of Judaism to abandon
hatred and violence -the tools of Haman- and instead adopt the vision of
Esther who “Sends forth words of Truth and Peace” (Esther 9:29-30) On behalf
of Chani and myself, Happy Purim Shlomo Yaffe (Rabbi@Congregation
Agudas Achim ) |
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Rabbi’s Page |
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To contact us: |
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Phone: (860) 233-6241 Fax: (860) 233-6242 Email: agudas@sbcglobal.net |
