Purim is a holiday of hidden miracles. In the Purim story, one can observe the Almighty’s hand stealthily moving the pawns across the global chessboard, delivering salvation to the Jews.
Many street names across Israel serve as a testament to the Purim miracles and G-d’s active, albeit hidden, role in our lives. Take a stroll in Rishon Lezion, and the colorful Purim story will come alive. Some examples of these Purim-themed streets include “Shushan Habira,” the capital of the Persian empire where the story unfolded, the month of “Adar” in which the miracles took place, the heroes “Mordechai HaYehudi” and “Esther HaMalka,” and “Hapur,” the lots which the wicked Haman cast to determine which day to exterminate the Jews.
Today, we continue to experience miracles; let’s focus on two of them.
Despite the slaughter and unspeakably barbaric actions that Hamas terrorists perpetrated against our citizens on October 7 and the agonizing pain that countless people have endured, we have experienced a major miracle, which is arguably the key to Jewish continuity. Achdut, or unity, is an exceptional miracle, especially as we have been known as a stiff-necked, or stubborn, people.
Throughout the millennia, we have had difficulty remaining united. It is no coincidence that there are so many jokes of the “two Jews, three opinions” genre. And most recently, the terrible rift emanating from the judicial reform issue threatened the very fabric of our nation. The numerous demonstrations and threats did more than merely rattle the country; it emboldened our enemies. Our enemies understandably thought that this division in our country was real, and therefore they were unprepared for Israel’s surprising unity and unwavering national resolve. The positive side of being a stiff-necked nation came to the fore, revealing our united and unrelenting resolve to protect our families and homeland.
Another manifestation of this miracle has been the vast majority of our nation uniting in support of the abducted hostages, our soldiers, and the families forced to relocate during the war. The myriad Jews doing so much for Am Yisrael – such as going on missions, attending rallies, donating funds, advocating on social media, picking vegetables, returning to serve in the army, sending gear, making tzitzit, purchasing tefillin, and saying Tehillim – all serve as the glue that is bonding and unifying us in these challenging times.
Last week, I had the privilege to watch our national resolve and unity firsthand at the Israel housing fairs in Teaneck and the Five Towns. Outside, the commotion generated by hundreds of Pro-Palestine protesters, many of whom were chanting hate-filled slogans, and proud Pro-Israel counter-protestors, plus a gigantic police presence, all combined to create disturbing mental images. Inside the fairs, I heard things that I never thought I would hear in my lifetime. I met dozens of people comparing these days to Germany in 1933. I met children of survivors who see the writing on the wall, and I met the granddaughter of a survivor who recently passed away at the age of 97, and right before he took a turn for the worse pleaded with her to move to Israel.
This shocking experience helped me – and I’m sure many others – appreciate the remarkable miracle of the State of Israel.
In 1939, British Mandatory Palestine implemented the infamous White Paper to impede Jewish immigration, and most of the ships that attempted to smuggle Jews into the Holy Land to escape the Nazis were forced to return to Europe, where almost all of these people perished along with over six million of their brethren in the Holocaust.
Today, Israel’s borders are wide open to welcome Jews back to their homeland where our two temples proudly stood until almost 2,000 years ago, and where the third and eternal temple will be built. This safe haven for all Jews is truly a miracle. My great grandparents who fled Russia and its state-sponsored pogroms in the early 1880s could never have imagined in their wildest dreams that, less than a hundred years later, we would establish the State of Israel and build a flourishing country and thriving economy.
Thankfully, the biggest difference between 1933 and 2024 is the miraculous State of Israel, which welcomes home all Jews with open arms.
