Purim and the Current Iran War: The Megillah Is Unfolding Before Our Eyes

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Much has been written and discussed on the striking connection between Purim and current events. Persian exile then, modern-day Iran now. Haman’s downfall then, Khamenei’s end now. Fear of Haman’s plot then, anxiety in the war now. Ever since the establishment of Purim, Mordechai and Esther knew that we, their children in exile, would need the chizuk and joyous light of Purim to guide us through the tumultuous, turbulent events which were to come. Let us turn now to the Megillah and its messages to provide some perspective.

Rabbi Amram Landau, in his shiur on Purim, pointed out something quite frightening and relevant to our times. In the Megillah, King Achashverosh handed his signet ring over to Haman with the assurance that Haman could do as he pleased. Haman gleefully called for the annihilation of all the Jews and stamped the royal decree with the ring’s seal. Although the story ends with the Purim miracle we all celebrate today; the Jews were able to fight back and slaughter their enemies and the horrific Final Solution crafted by Haman never came to be, the decree stamped and sealed with the taba’at hamelech (the King’s ring), was never revoked. On some spiritual plane, the threat of Persia and the threat of Iran still remains since then, hanging over the Jewish people. Much of the recent suffering in Eretz Yisrael, and around the world, can be linked to Paras, or modern-day Iran.

The last few weeks, the news has been full of speculation: Will America strike Iran? Will Israel join? When will it be? And now: What is the extent of the damage? How long will this war last? The media focuses on the dramatic elements of the war as well as the politics surrounding it. The same could have happened at the time of the Megillah. News outlets in Persia could have written about Haman’s policies and whether Jews of the time should try to flee. They could have criticised Mordechai’s seemingly inflammatory actions and reported on the Jewish Queen Esther feasting with the virulently antisemitic politician Haman. But the palace intrigue, the politics and the newsworthy events of the time are not what interested Mordechai and Esther. The Ohr Gedalyahu¹ compares world history to a wheel inside a wheel. There is the external world of politics and news and there is the internal cause: the spiritual motor which drives whatever happens externally. Purim compels us to look at the internal layer. To look past coincidences and natural causes and see the hidden fingerprints of Hashem. To see all events as messages to the Jewish nation in the guise of chance and to respond to those messages not just externally, but internally.

Our greatest shield, our most powerful weapon and truly our most precious treasure is our children. The little boys and girls going to school, learning pesukim and songs; coloring, laughing and enjoying Yiddishkeit. They are our continuity and our comfort. They are our enemy’s deepest fear and threat. They are our reassurance and our promise. Their Torah is prophetic. We will never stop learning and teaching them Torah, and they in turn will never stop living and loving Torah. Despite all our enemies who rise against us, our children are our future.

Political smarts, diplomatic strategies and allied tactics are not what helped us then and are not what will help us now. Current events happen only for one reason, antisemitic rulers rise for only one reason, wars break out for only one reason: for a ruchni purpose in klal yisrael. Mordechai and Esther’s approach was fasting, teshuva and heartfelt prayer. They realized that if the wheels of history were turning in such a drastic and frightening way, the only response could be serious spiritual work on the part of every person in klal yisrael. We did not emerge from the Purim story safe because of political strategy, but because we threw ourselves and our fate onto Hashem and prayed and repented with the deepest of sincerity. In doing this, we became closer to Hashem than ever before, finding Him through the haze of galut, clearer than ever before. Accepting His Torah with more love than ever before. This must be our focus now too. Not to come to the negotiating table, not to brush up on our gun skills – but to turn inward and truly recommit to Hashem and rely on Him, as we did then.

There is a beautiful Midrash which I find so poignant at this time. After the letters detailing Haman’s evil plot were sent out, Mordechai did not go to the negotiating table nor did he pull out weapons. He went to the purest place of all, the little cheder boys. He asked three of them what Torah they had learnt that day. One responded “Have no fear of sudden dread or of the calamity of the wicked when it comes.” (Mishlei 3:25) The second schoolchild said “Take counsel and it shall be nullified, speak a word and it does not transpire for Hashem is with us.” (Yeshaya 8:10) The third boy quoted “Until old age I am… I shall endure and I shall save.” (Yeshaya 46:4) With these reassuring pesukim from the mouths of the holy children of klal yisrael, Mordechai felt certain that Hashem would save the Jewish people. He rejoiced and began laughing to himself, when Haman walked by. Incensed, Haman asked Mordechai what could bring him so much joy and Mordechai responded that the little children comforted him that Hashem will rescue the Jews from Haman’s evil plot. The enraged Haman retorted “I’ll show you, I’ll start my slaughter with these very children…”²

Mordechai, a tzaddik and talmid chacham in his own right, was reassured of Hashem’s salvation only because of these children. And Haman, wicked and genocidal, felt so threatened by them. Mordechai saw in the children’s words references to three different Amalekite wars. The first pasuk references “sudden dread” which symbolizes Amalek’s surprise attack on us in the desert after we left Mitzrayim. The second Amalekite attack was planned cunningly as they disguised themselves as Canaanites, hence the relevant pasuk about evil counsel being nullified. The third battle was the one Mordechai was waging right then. Haman’s wicked claim was that Hashem had ‘grown old’ and weary after Nevuchadnezzar destroyed the second Beit Hamikdash and exiled the Jews. Redemption seemed a distant, impossible hope. Yet even though so many years had passed, Hashem was whispering to Mordechai although I am “old”, I will save you. Hashem has conquered Amalek through every threat in the past and we can be certain He will continue to protect us in the present, and the future.