Purim has important lessons of the longest hatred – and the longest love

When I read the Book of Esther – a fantastical tale of Jew-hatred, genocidal madness, despotic dynamism and the unabashed pursuit of power – I feel like I’m reading a text for today. A case of the more things change, the more they remain the same.

The Book of Esther is a story of contradictions, peppered with coincidences. At one moment the Jews are living in comfort and security in the multicultural environment of ancient Persia. The next instant they face a devastating decree of destruction.

A Jewish youth dances on a London bus during Purim in March 2020.Credit: Getty Images

Then, with giddy intensity, they move from terrifying fear to empowerment and security under a Jewish prime minister and powerful Jewish queen, Esther, married to the Persian king. This is the critical lesson of the festival of Purim, celebrated this Thursday night and Friday. It calls on us to recognise the agonising uncertainty of the human condition and the vulnerability of Jewish destiny.

In Haman, the Persian Jews meet an example of primeval, venomous evil, which first appeared in the person of his reputed ancestor, Amalek. Amalekites attacked the new nation of Israel, fresh out of Egypt, not out of fear but cynical impunity, according to the Torah.

Haman, like Amalek, cares little for human life, especially if it gets in the way of his desperate pursuit of power and narcissistic belief in his own superiority. This is another important Purim message highlighted by the major 20th century rabbi, Joseph B. Soloveitchik – while evil people are a threat to all human beings, they are all too often a particular threat to the Jews.

The Persian exile taught Jews that our mere presence can make many people feel uncomfortable. Haman puts it simply: “Yet all this honour and prestige is worthless as long as I see Mordechai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate” (Esther 5:13).

Subsequently, Haman hatches his genocidal plan to eradicate every Jew – a fine precursor to Hamas. But for all these dark messages, the story of Esther ends with an astonishing message of hope and empowerment, reminding us that, with skill and courage, you can defeat a diabolical enemy and a perverse ideology.

The words of Mordechai (who ultimately replaces Haman as prime minister) to Esther resonate in our times: “If you persist in keeping silent at a time like this, relief and deliverance will come from some other place … but …   who knows whether it was just for such a time as this that you attained the royal position” (Esther 4:14).

None of us chose to live in a post-October 7 era – but we can choose to act with clarity and moral courage to counter the disgraceful antisemitism and brutal ideologies of these times. Meanwhile, while recognising the clear and present existence of evil, we must also respond to the world’s longest hatred with possibly its longest love – for your neighbour, your God and even the stranger!

Rabbi Ralph Genende is senior consultant rabbi at Jewish Care.

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