Purim 2024! The Middle East war is bombarding us on every side, is there anything significant for us in Purim and the book of Esther? Right or wrong, this time we are handling the sneaky Haman (Hamas) differently. Maybe because we do not have a covert Jewish woman sitting as queen in Iran’s palace. Esther prayed and fasted and knew how to don her most beautiful garments to be attractive enough to break the King’s rules about illegal entrance into the throne room. She had no invitation but she took a chance and went before the king. What Chutzpah! Really? She sounds a lot like a normal Israeli once you know the culture. Nobody takes no for an answer here, nor do we always follow protocol. How did we learn this? And did Esther (Hadassah) teach us something about rules that make no sense and the right to refuse something that does us harm?
Some Biblical scholars say that the book of Esther is a myth. Even if it is, there are lessons we can learn from its teaching about Jews in exile. Must Jews always take things into their own hands to be able to defend themselves? Is the Most High Eternal God of the Universe somehow gone on leave of absence? Or is He trying to get us to use our God-given wisdom and cunning to run the enemy out of our Promised Land? Is He somewhere in the shadows standing alongside us as we fight? Does He bring circumstances about so that even corrupt leaders are forced to make right choices about how and where to fight and whom to resist, even if it be the United States and Great Britain? Can we trust that things will go well in the long run? I often wonder what will happen when the United States decides to cut off all military aid to Israel–aid that they promised to their greatest ally in the Middle East. It is a horrifying thought and one that our leaders are trying to avoid by what appears to be stupid agreements with mediators who have betrayed Israel. And many of these mediators are actually Jewish!
So, Israel has offered 700 terrorists, some of them murderers, in exchange for 40 hostages! That is more than 17 to 1! Are we serious? But as we watch, I wonder if something will happen that will change the circumstances.. Are we really alone in this? Is the Great YHWH absent from this war? Or is He working behind the scenes?
Yesterday my husband and I attended a Purim Megillah reading. The normal Purim treats and drinks were on the table. Visitors from out of town were present as well as friends from our town in the Golan Heights. The Megillah reading was a normal 2000+ years traditional reading except for the fact that we sat outside and as the chazan was reading the scroll, IAF planes flew over every minute or so, continuing throughout the day in response to hundreds of attacks from the enemy. Many of us had figured in advance that with Ramadan in place, Purim 2024 was going to be under fire from Lebanon, Gaza, and Syria.
The loud sound of the F-15s overhead was enough to make some want another drink of the hard stuff. The Chazan tried to space the reading so that the planes would drown out the name “Haman”. I guess it was meaningful. For me, the service was a reminder that we were in another encounter with Haman, but this time we are in our Holy Land and the looming question is…”Why do we suffer Amalek after we return to our homeland?” Are we still exiles? Did we import some of that mentality from the diaspora? The celebration, if you will call it that, became meaningful to me when I began to contemplate what is happening on a spiritual level.
I recently questioned the need to continue Purim festivities. Must we remember that we are still in Persia–Iran? Amalek is, in fact, still in our midst! And 75,000 enemies killed at the command of Esther and Mordechai was still not enough to put an end to the hatred that has generated through the centuries.
Seventy-five thousand is a lot more than the MSM claims as Israel’s victims! Some reports say 32,000 Gazans killed.Maybe it would be better for Israel if this was true! Where is our thinking? Why are we pussyfooting around to save “innocent civilians” when we know what those same “civilians” did to our people on October 7? The old saying “never forget” seems to be forgotten. Why are we trying to make peace with those who have our necks on their chopping block? Where is the Chutzpah of the Queen of Persia? She did not, after all, try to be politically correct when she had Haman and his ten sons hung on the gallows!
When will we realize that something is walking out of step with the Eternal? How can we expect His full intervention? Maybe we should stop fasting to fulfill tradition and start fasting for a renewed vision as to what Hashem expects of us!
And then, we shall ARISE and take back that which was promised to us in the strength of YHWH, the Almighty God of the Universe!
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of YHWH rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but YHWH rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” Isa 60:1-3
Shalom in the Midst of War,
Ariella
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Take Hold the Tzitzit 
maybe because we didn’t kill amalek as we were instructed to do we are still suffering at his hands.
we now have the chance to finish that job with or without our “allies” help.
no ceasefire , no sending their evil leadership into exile with the help of YHVH we finish the job once and for all.
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