SHABBAT READING
Purim: Mocking Persia’s Dat and Reaccepting the Torah: Rachel Friedman, The Torah.com, May 3, 2023 — The book of Esther centers on the action and intrigue at the royal court of King Ahasuerus in the Persian capital of Shushan (Susa), repeatedly calling attention to its silliness and eccentricities.[1] Nowhere does the Persian court appear more ridiculous than in its use of the דָּת (dat)—a Persian loanword denoting a decree, edict, or commission—to create rules and legalisms that center on frivolity, whim, and individual excess.[2] The opening feast follows the dat that there is no restriction on drinking:
THINKING OUT OF THE BOX
WATCH: Middle East Dialogues – A Conversation with Jared Kushner: Middle East Initiative, YouTube, Mar. 7, 2024 — On February 15th, Middle East Initiative Faculty Chair Professor Tarek Masoud and former senior advisor to President Trump Jared Kushner discussed American policy on Israel/Palestine, the ongoing events in Gaza, and more.
Why Purim Matters So Much This Year: Jeremy Rosen, Algemeiner, Mar. 15, 2024 — Purim matters so much this year. It tells a never-ending story. We were threatened with destruction. We responded by finding ways to combat the threat. We did not capitulate. We called out evil as it was.
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Mordecai’s Challenge: An Essay on War, Leadership, and Purim: Yoram Hazony, Commentary Magazine, March 2016
Not a Massacre: Rabbi Haim Jachter, Jewish Link, Mar. 7, 2024
The Enduring Power of Purim: Stuart Halpern, Tablet, Mar. 21, 2024
What Invoking Amalek Means Today: Philologos, Mosaic Magazine, Mar. 16, 2023
FOR FURTHER REFERENCE:
WATCH: The Maccabeats – Purim Song: YouTube, March 2011
PM’s Office Says It’s ‘Preposterous’ to Say His Invoking Amalek Was a Genocide Call: Jeremy Rosen, Times of Israel, Jan. 16, 2024 — The Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday hit out at South Africa’s allegation that comments by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referencing the Amalekites, the biblical enemy of the ancient Israelites, in relation to Hamas were incitement to genocide.
Purim and the Longest Hatred: The Rabbi Sacks Legacy, Feb. 22, 2002 — In a few days’ time we’ll be celebrating the Jewish festival of Purim. It’s a joyous day. We have a festive meal; we send presents to our friends; and gifts to the poor, so that no one should feel excluded.
‘Purimfest 1946!’: Jeff Jacoby, Arguable, Mar. 7, 2023 — On Oct. 16, 1946, the notorious Nazi propagandist Julius Streicher — one of Adolf Hitler’s most fanatical supporters and the publisher of the pornographically antisemitic newspaper Der Stürmer — was among the 10 German war criminals hanged following their convictions by the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg. Kingsbury Smith, the American journalist who covered the hangings for the International News Service, reported on Streicher’s last moments at the gallows: