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 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 power-hungry 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 that he decided to execute Mordechai. Even worse, he finds out that Mordechai is Jewish, and the Vizier convinces King Ahasuerus to grant him permission to kill all the Jews in the empire (of 127 countries!).
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 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.
When he learned of Haman’s plot, Mordechai became mournful. He tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went out into the city crying and praying out loud. His wails warned 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 watch 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 undoubtedly 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, but despite her immunity, 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 on 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.
All of the above came after the horrible terrorist massacre of Israelis in October 2023.
The Shabbat before Purim is Shabbat Zakhor, the part of the Torah read in the Synagogue. Zakhor tells that as they were leaving Egypt, out of hatred, Amalek attacked the newly freed Jewish slaves. In the weekly reading of Zakhor, Jews are commanded to remember the evil that Amalek did to the Jews on the way out of Egypt and to obliterate the memory of Amalek from the face of the Earth.
Since that first attack, even through today, Amalek’s descendants have been the archetypal enemy of the Jews. Haman was a descendant of Amalek. Shabbat Zachior 2025 saw the mobs at Columbia University, an Ivy League school in New York City, continue their intimidation of Jewish students. In London, a man climbed Big Ben’s Elizabeth Tower and stood high on the tower by the giant clock for 16 hours, waving a Palestinian Flag.
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 any government aid to organizations that promote or allow Antisemitism, just like President Trump did with Columbia University 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.
Jeff Dunetz, Editor in chief of The Lid, is the Director of Special Projects and on the Herut NA (North America) board. Herut is an international movement for Zionist pride and education dedicated to the ideals of pre-World War II Zionist leader Ze’ev Jabotinsky. More about Herut can be found at www.HerutNA.org. He is running on the Herut North America Slate 23 in the World Zionist Congress (WZC) election.
