Our Strength

 

Here we are 2,500 years after the event in the Bible referred to as Purim. The word itself means “Lots” — not a plot of land, but the fate of our people.

The story, I am sure, is familiar to everyone. The drama unfolds in a land called Persia (now Iran) and includes treachery and deceit. The end game was to destroy the people of Israel who were dispersed throughout the known world after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD, some settling in Persia.

The intrigue includes a palace, a king, a woman, and her uncle. Esther becomes the heroine of the story as she endeavors to save her people knowing full well that the outcome was precarious.

Now, 2500 years later, we are witnessing a repeat of the same innuendos indicating that we present some sort of threat to others. The world recently commemorated the Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day, and I listened and watched as the ceremony depicted the atrocities that were perpetrated against our people almost a century ago.

I sat in amazement because this same world is now involved in repeating the defilement of the human spirit that occasioned this moment.

But then my spirits were lifted as I reread the story of a woman determined to relieve the pain, ascend the platform of decency, and fulfill her destiny as a true Woman of Valor. I was particularly gratified because during this month, we also celebrate the contributions of all women with a recognition called National Women's Day.

The Scriptures are filled with stories of women who affected the lives of our people. There were Sarah, Rachel, Leah, Moses’ mother (Yocheved), and Deborah.

These women projected strength of character and an understanding that their roles were not just rearing children but also ensuring that these children and all people understood the value and purpose of the connection to each other and to God.

And yet, even with the hope they represent, we need to remember that strength of purpose and resolute determination will not guarantee survival. We seem to be helpless drifters in a world of hate and indifference. Everywhere we journey, it seems that our paths are strewn with mistrust and anger. We wonder about tomorrow while we endure today. We need to remember that only through strength can we maintain the dignity we fought so hard over thousands of years.

Scripture reminds us, as it is written in Psalm 83, “O God, keep not your silence; hold not your peace and be not still, O God. For lo, your enemies are in an uproar; and they that hate you have lifted their heads. They hold crafty converse against your people and take counsel against your treasured ones. They have said ‘Come and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.’”

Yes, we live in dangerous times and there are times when we wonder why. When I read the exploits of women throughout the world who have mustered the courage and faced immeasurable difficulties as they turned to faith for endurance, I am uplifted.

As we celebrate the holiday of Purim and pay tribute to all Women of Valor, let us also remember the end of Psalm 83: “That they may know that it is You alone whose name is the Lord, the Most High over all the earth.”

And it took a woman to remind us of faith and resoluteness.

 

E Rabbi Irwin Wiener, d.d.