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“…and these days of Purim should never cease from among the Jews, nor shall their remembrance perish from their descendants.” (Esther 9:28)
Interesting Facts Baruch HaShem, the celebration of Purim has been one of the rabbinical mitzvoth with Mazal. Year after year, both secular and observant Jews hear the reading of Megillat Esther as part of their Purim celebration. Almost 2,400 years before the tragic Holocaust led by Hitler y’s, there were countless hidden miracles that saved Am Yisrael from Haman’s Holocaust. The non-obligatory nature of the holiday has quietly made Purim the subconscious cornerstone of Judaism for many today. Despite a recent study by PEW Research Center stating that only 10% of American Jews observe the Biblical covenant of Shabbat, rarely does anyone ever reject the fun opportunity to celebrate Purim—a Rabbinical holiday nonetheless. The clear connection between these two Holocausts was prophetically made in our Oral Torah (i.e. Babylonian Talmud) nearly 2000 years before the evil Nazi Party took control. Needless to say, this is one of the many indisputable “proofs” of the Divine Hand behind our Oral Torah—as well as our Written Torah. As it is written in the Talmud:
“Germamya of Edom, who if they would but go forth, would destroy the entire world.” (Megillah 6B).
Quite literally, the Talmud is teaching us that in the future, this Germamya of Edom would be waiting for permission from Heaven to destroy the entire world, HaShem Yerachem. The Ya’avetz (Rabbi Yaakov Emden), who was the G’dol HaDor of Germany in the 1700’s, wrote that the Germamya of Edom mentioned in the Talmud is referring to modern Germany. In the same generation, the Vilna Gaon (Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman) independently arrived at the same conclusion, even though he lived in a different part of the world. Both of these writings were published 200 years before anyone had a reason to foresee Germany mutating into Amalek. We see that even if one disagrees with the notion that our Sages had Ruach HaKodesh with knowledge of future events, it’s indisputable that they had Divine Inspiration when teaching us about the possibilities. What About the Future? As much as we try to escape reality at times, the Rambam’s 13 Principals of Faith are a constant reminder of our daily responsibility in serving our Creator. Just like the principle of faith in the Coming of MaShiach represents our beliefs in the foreseeable future, the faith in HaShem’s system of Reward & Punishment represents our understanding of the various possibilities of how the future will come to be. To narrow down our imagination, our holy Sages also clarified our future here as well. As it is written in the Talmud:
“If they do not do TeShuva they will not be redeemed [Saved by MaShiach]. Therefore, HaKadosh Baruch Hu will appoint a king over them whose decrees will be as harsh as those of Haman, and the Jewish people will then do TeShuva.” (Sanhedrin 97B)
While the Talmud reminds us of the requirement for TeShuva before MaShiach, it also gives us a scary visual from history that we do not want to repeat. In so many words, it’s either TeShuva from Mussar lectures and videos, or TeShuva from HaShem sending another Haman, Hitler or _________. As uncomfortable as it may make some people, this too is a tool of HaShem Yitbarach. Sometimes the shepherd needs to hit the sheep in order to save them. As David HaMelech said:
"Your rod and Your staff, they will comfort me (Psalms 23:4).
How could this knowledge of the past, and apparently the future help us today? The wise among us will Choose Life and the Good by capitalizing on this Purim as a learning opportunity. Focus your learning on how the sages explain why HaShem sent Haman, and use that as a checklist for our own lives. For added chizuk, read Epoch of the Messiah by HaRav Elchonon Wasserman zt’l and see further validation of these prophecies in the time of the recent Holocaust. But just in case you don’t get a chance to do all of this learning before deciding whether or not to attend a Purim party, remember this: just because some hosts serve Kosher food, does not make their party Kosher. Just because the DJ is playing Jewish music, does not make it a Jewish event. The near Holocaust of Haman was only written in Heaven after the Jews failed by attending Achashverosh’s Kosher Style Mixed Dancing Party. HaShem says “You shall be holy because I am Holy…” If the Jew does not separate him/herself from the masses by Kedusha, the HaShem must send Amalek to do Havdalah (separation). Enjoy your Purim and use it as a time of Kedusha Enlightenment for your TeShuva journey. ________________ 1 See Deuteronomy 30:15 2 See Leviticus 19:2
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