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To My Dear Congregation: Did you know that the Book of Ester did not contain the name of G-d? Why? Upon reading the Book of Ester one may find him or herself asking a question, “Where was G-d? In all of this story, how does it happen that a book in the Bible does not contain the name of G-d? How does it come about that the book is completely devoid itself from G-d's presence?” On the surface it seems that G-d is completely absent from the whole story. Let’s review it quickly. We know that King Achashverosh had a huge party. It lasted more than half a year. Everyone was invited, Jews and non-Jews alike—no discrimination. It was the first time in history that the Jews were accepted in all levels, invited to parties with the best. -–Or were they? Suddenly the king made a strange request. His wife was ordered to come naked before him to entertain his cabinet. She refused and was replaced by no other than a Jewish lady named Ester. So far only a coincidence. -–Or was it? The attempted assassination by Begtana and Teresh was foiled by no other than Mordecai, Queen Ester’s cousin. Coincidence or not? Shortly thereafter Haman was rising in stature and the Jews were the targets of his madness. The king agreed to annihilate the Jewish people. Queen Ester was informed of the plot. She asked Mordecai to gather all the Jews, fast for three days, and then she would risk her life. She did. The rest of the story is well known. The decree was countered with another decree—the right of the Jewish people to defend themselves. The Jewish people were saved. G-d’s name is still absent. Why? What can we learn from the story of Ester and Purim? When the Jewish people were invited to celebrate together with everyone, they went. The Jewish people not only celebrated, they wanted to get rid of their Jewish identity. The Jewish people were so eager to be accepted as the Persians they forgot they were Jewish. The Jewish people looked upon Judaism as a burden. Therefore G-d acted in kind. The Jewish people did not want G-d, and G-d turned his eyes away from the Jewish people. The Jewish people without G-d are like a body without a soul. The story of Ester teaches that it is ok to want to be accepted with the majority, but not at all costs. The story of Ester teaches us to maintain our identity, our religion, our faith, and our tradition. To walk away from our heritage is to invite calamity upon us. It was true in the time of Queen Ester and it is true in our time. Don’t hide your Jewishness. State who you are. Stand up to be counted. If we don’t, G-d will hide from us as well. Luckily for us, G-d is a good father. He hides his face only for a short while. Even though G-d hid his face from us, He did not forsake us. G-d made sure that events were set in a way the Jewish people had salvation. The Jews suffered but were not eliminated as their enemies were hoping. G-d’s name was absent, but His action was not. Placing the chain of events, G-d allowed the Jewish people to survive Haman’s plan. The only way to combat anti-Semitism is to be visible, speak up, pronounce your Judaism, and commit yourself to G-d, the Jewish people, the synagogue, your family, and all the Jewish values that the Torah teaches us.
RABBI ISRAEL VANA |
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