Today is the first of the Hebrew month of Adar, the month associated more than any other with joy and happiness. And in two weeks, our joy increases when we celebrate Purim, which presents our Jewish story in a nutshell: In the year 482 B.C.E., the Jews of the Persian Empire faced death, decreed by King Achashverosh, for not assimilating. “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the other people in all the provinces of your realm, whose laws are different from those of any other people and who do not obey the king’s laws and it is not in your majesty’s interest to tolerate them.” (Megillat Esther 3:9). The plot, instigated by Haman, the king’s evil vizier, urged the people to initiate a bloodbath and to loot and kill the Jews on the 15th day of the month of Adar.
A View from Jerusalem – March 2016
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