By Jeff Dunetz, Director of Special Projects, Herut NA
Hate speech and Antisemitic incidents across the world have grown to frightening levels. The holiday of Purim offers lessons about how to fight the hatred facing the Jewish world today.
On Purim, every Jew is commanded to listen to the reading of the Megillah Esther—literally, the scroll of Esther. The Megillah is a first-hand account written by Queen Esther and her cousin, Mordechai, who raised her; each of them is Jewish.
A summary of the story tells of Ahasuerus, the King of Persia, ordering all virgin females in the empire to participate in a pageant so that he could pick a wife. He chose Esther. Mordechai advises Esther to hide her faith.
When Mordechai hears some palace guards planning to kill the king, he tells Esther to pass the information on to the king. The wannabe assassins are foiled, and Mordechai’s deed is added to the royal chronicles for an eventual reward.
The King’s wretched Vizier, Haman, ordered everyone in Persia to bow down to him. Knowing a Jew only bows to G-d, Esther’s cousin refused to bow to Haman, making the Vizier very angry, so angry he decided to execute Mordechai. Even worse, he finds out that Mordechai is Jewish the Vizier convinces King Ahasuerus to grant him permission to kill all the Jews in the empire.
Adar was chosen because he learned that Moses died in that month, thinking it was a bad month for the Jews. But no one told him that Moses was also born in Adar making it a great month. Haman chose the fourteenth of Adar for the genocide by drawing lots. The Hebrew word for lot is Pur. Its plural is Purim, thus the holiday’s name.
Learning of Haman’s plot, Mordechai became mournful. He tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went out into the city crying and began praying out loud. His wails served to warn his brethren of the coming genocide. Throughout the empire, any Jew who heard Mordechai’s warning passed it along.
Mordechai urges Esther to intercede with the King on behalf of her fellow Jews. Esther would risk her life to do so because anyone who went to the king without first being summoned would be executed. But if the king extended his golden scepter when the person entered, their life is saved. Despite the danger, Esther refused to be silent and watched her fellow Jews killed. She spends three days praying and tells Mordechai to ask her fellow Jews to pray for the success of what she is about to do.
Esther goes to Ahasuerus. He extends his scepter approving her presence. Esther asks the King to come to a feast she prepares and bring Haman. At the first feast, Queen Esther asks the King to honor her by coming to a second feast. The second feast saw Esther telling the King she is Jewish, and that Haman plans to kill her and her people. An angry Ahasuerus has Haman executed. Ironically, the evil Vizier was executed on the gallows he built to execute Mordechai. Ahasuerus is reminded of Mordechai’s deed and appoints him the new Vizier. The King sends a message to the entire empire that the Jews are allowed to defend themselves.
The sea isn’t split, the sun doesn’t stop in the sky, and there were no plagues or any other overt miracles in the Purim story, giving the impression that the lesson of Purim is that G-d is always there, whether we see him or not. While that is certainly true, I’ve come to believe that the lesson of Purim is not about what G-d did or didn’t do; it’s about what mankind does or doesn’t do.
Chapter 19, verse 16 of Vayikra (Leviticus), the third book of the Torah, reads “Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people; neither shalt thou stand idly by as your neighbor’s blood is spilled: I am HaShem.”
That is the lesson of Purim for today’s Jewish world!
Mordechai learns of Haman’s plans and doesn’t remain silent; he speaks out publicly and ensures the message is passed throughout the empire. Being the Queen, Esther was probably safe from Haman’s evil plan, despite her safety, Esther risked her life to see the King and save her people. While she was preparing, the rest of the Jewish nation prayed for her success. Esther did safely see King Ahasuerus, but taking another risk, tells him of Haman’s wretched plans.
At the beginning of the megillah, Mordechai tells his cousin to hide her faith. It isn’t until she lets Ahasuerus know she is Jewish that Haman is defeated.
The world has changed in recent years. The scourge of Antisemitism has become acceptable throughout the world. Mobs are threatening Jews at college campuses. Some professors join them; some who fight the hate lose their jobs. Members of Congress are spreading anti-Jewish hate. In Great Britain, the Community Security Trust, British Jewry’s antisemitism watchdog, reported 3,528 Antisemitic incidents in 2024, only surpassed by the 4,300 the year before.
Last weekend was Shabbat Zakhor, when Jews are commanded to remember what Amalek did to us on our way out of Egypt. Since that time, even through today, Amalek’s descendants have been the archetypal enemy of the Jews. Haman was a descendant of Amalek. Jews are commanded to erase the memory of Amalek throughout the world.
On Shabbat Zakhor, 2025, a man climbed Big Ben’s Elizabeth Tower and stood by the giant clock for 16 hours, waving a Palestinian Flag.
All of the above came after the horrible terrorist massacre of Israelis in October 2023.
Folks, if there ever a time to not stand idly by, this is it. Jews must expose Antisemitism and fight it. Confront the mobs. Tell politicians to eliminate an organization’s aid like Trump did with Columbia U last week. Pressure other branches of the government to fight the hate, for example, pressure the IRS to remove the 501(C) (3) tax deduction of organizations spewing hate. Expose media outlets that ignore or spin Antisemitism. Teach silent Jews to get involved. And so much more. The most important act is to show pride; do not apologize for your faith or love of Israel.
