Zachor 5783 ~ March 3, 2023

Purim time! This Shabbat we will read from two sifre Torah. The first is the weekly reading of Tetzaveh and the continuation of the instructions on the building of the Tabernacle in the wilderness along with the creation of the priestly clothing to be worn by the High Priest. The second reading is “Zachor,” literally “remember,” which has been the Jewish world’s one word reminder to the world of the atrocities of the Shoah.

As we read the portion of Zachor we are reminded of how the Amalekite nation ambushed the fledgling people of Israel as they left Egypt after four hundred years of slavery. It is the shout out to ourselves to always be on guard of the anti-Semitism that prevails in our world. As a people and a nation, we are mindful of the many times in Jewish history that the Jewish people have been forced to flee countries out of their own choice or being banished by the powers that be, the many pogroms, the Holocaust, and other atrocities which the Jewish people have faced, in many countries, through the generations. Here in America, today, we sense that uptick, and, in that regard, my children understand what I have always reminded them of how important it is to always have a current passport.  How sad is that of a lesson to teach one’s child!

This coming Monday evening we will join together to read the Megillah. It is a story that we all know too well. Mordechai won’t bow down. Haman demands that King Achashveyrosh put every Jew in his kingdom to death and chooses the day to begin the slaughter of the Jewish people based on a lottery, which in Hebrew is a “pur,” hence the name Purim.  And then on the insistence of her uncle Mordechai, Esther pleads for the life of her people and herself, which ultimately is granted. But what follows is the topic for this day.

As the narrator of Megillat Esther (the scroll of Esther) points out, the decree against the Jewish people could not be totally erased. A second decree of the king allowed the Jewish people of Persia “to assemble and fight for their lives.” (Chapter 8: 11) And that is precisely what they did!

As I read this verse, I am mindful of my childhood friend and rabbinic colleague in Toronto whose cousins, 21-year-old Hillel Yaniv and 19-year-old Yagel Yaniv, were shot to death by a Palestinian gunman in the town of Hawara.  Their mother said the following after their murder: “We have suffered a huge slap in the face from God. We are trying to find the good things and the grace that we were prepared, that we had a family Shabbat, that we had good conversations with the boys yesterday, that we took family photos. God sends us graces. Even with this painful blow, He sends us graces.”

There was a totally different reaction by extremist settlers, from that of Hillel and Yagel’s mother, that is quite disturbing. The Times of Israel reported that following the shooting “hundreds of extremist settlers descended on the Palestinian town in the northern West Bank, the site of the terror attack, and set fire to homes, storefronts and cars.” The AP reported that: “In one video, a crowd of settlers stood in prayer as they stared at a building in flames.” As one reads the portion in the Megillah, it seems that such actions by Jewish settlers might be tolerated by the decree of King Achashveyrosh.  The Times of Israel adds in its reporting that: “Far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich, one of the most senior members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, said Wednesday that Israel should “wipe out” the Palestinian town of Huwara in the West Bank.”

My friends, colleagues and I disagree. Lawlessness and taking actions into one’s own hand, despite the words of the Megillah, have no place in a democratic society. Some of my colleagues have called the actions of the extremist Jewish settlers nothing less than a pogrom.  The words of Smotrich are no less tragic, perhaps giving permission of inciting even more retaliation in future by the hands of extremists, and bringing condemnation by governments who, at this point are supportive of Israel.

The murder of Elan Ganeles of West Hartford, who was shot and killed by a suspected Palestinian gunman Monday while in Israel for a wedding, heightens our anguish. His murder does not give any credence to the extremist settlers misguided and criminal actions.

Needless to say, the NY Times reporting, with video and graphics of the Israeli military’s actions to arrest the Palestinian terrorists who were responsible for the murders, paints a sadder picture for the world to see.  And, as I read and watched the Israeli army advance and attack through the eyes of the NY Times reporting, it was painful to note how the reporter was not able to address the real issue: the continuing Palestinian terror and murder of Israelis. It failed to report how the Palestinians continue to refuse to sit down and forge a true peace with Israel.  It neglected to fully report as to how the soldiers who went in to arrest those responsible for the murder of Hillel and Yagel Yaniv were met by crowds of stone throwing Palestinians and protectors.

Yet, the question is “What is correct and what is responsible?” And there is no question in my mind that the words of the Megillah cannot be used, and should not be used, by civilians to avenge and take revenge. There are moments such as in the actual Purim story that such actions are appropriate, but the actions of the extremists in Hawara are counter to the Biblical story and counterproductive to lowering the heightened tension.

And then there is the political mess taking place in Israel proper. How do we in America react to the religious right’s move to rewrite and reorganize the role of the Supreme Court in Israel, stripping it of power, so as not to have the checks and balances within government that are crucial to the maintaining of a Jewish democracy. Has the story of the Megillah been turned “up- side down on its face” with the current heads of government acting more in the manner of King Achashveyrosh’s court, as recounted in the first chapters? Are they legislating precisely opposite to what the message is of not only Purim and the Megillah, but also of Torah?

I only hope and pray as Professor David Golinkin, President of The Schechter Institutes, wrote just yesterday: “All societies need checks and balances. If one authority or legal entity has all the power, even if they are democratically elected, it leads to what John Stuart Mill called “the tyranny of the majority.” I hope and pray that the coalition and opposition will sit down with each other, debate the issues with mutual respect and reach compromises under the auspices of President Herzog or on their own. As I have written elsewhere, the Jewish people and the State of Israel very much need unity without uniformity; disunity leads to tragedy, destruction and exile; while unity leads to redemption.” And that is also one of the most powerful and poignant messages found within the narrative of the Megillah.

Shabbat shalom and Simchat Purim.