Here in Jerusalem, the streets are filled with mostly children on their way to various Purim parties. While we have are our fair share of Spiderman, Batman, and Dora costumes, continuous favorites continue to be Queen Esther and Mordecai. Celebrating this holiday in Eretz Yisrael confirms that Hashem has preserved our people not just against Haman, but also against the whole list of tyrants who have tried to destroy the Jewish people. In these days we hear the strong voices from Iran declaring that Israel’s days are numbered and that it will be destroyed in a ball of fire. If it were not for the proof in ages past that Hashem is the one who protects our people, we may be overcome by fear. Thankfully we see that he raises men and women to places of power to protect our people. In this generation it is important that each of us act as Queen Esther and Mordecai with boldness and faith, not fearing political correctness, but standing up for the future of our people. As Jews everywhere spend time sharing food with their neighbors, may this be a time in which we increase our active awareness to the needs around us. It may be for such a time as this that Hashem has blessed you with your unique qualities to help make a difference, as part of the work of Tikkun Olam that our Mashiach Yeshua is bringing to restore and heal the world.
A number of months ago I was in Los Angeles over a weekend at the end of October. I knew in the back of my mind that Halloween is celebrated widely at the end of October, but had not thought about it as I made my way to the U.S. for MJTI meetings. I was in for a very real surprise to see all the jack-o’-lanterns on the lawns and ghosts and cobwebs. This really got crazy on the night itself when out of the woodwork came a multitude of adults dressed up as devils, ghosts, and Playboy bunnies. To say the least it was a bit of a culture shock for me, as the last time I experienced Halloween was as a kid some 25 years ago. As I watched these adults walking around in crazy costumes, I thought of the story of Purim and the festival that we celebrate here in Israel every year during the month of Adar.
Jews all around the world celebrate Purim, with costume parties for the children and the delivery of gift baskets to friends, but I think there is nothing like the richness of this experience here in Artzeinu. During the month of Adar, the last month of the sacrificial calendar, we are almost ready to clean our homes for Pesach and remember that festival of redemption, but before we can do that we have the opportunity to celebrate another great festival of redemption—the miraculous saving of the Jewish people from the descendant of the Agag king of the Amalakites, Haman. He came seemingly close to bringing about the extinction of the Jewish people, but Hashem intervened through the agency of Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, who were in just the right place at the right time.
Haim Ben-Haim
Haim Ben-Haim is Israel Operations Director at Messianic Jewish Theological Institute’s Jerusalem Campus.