יְּ הוּדִַל
יעַַמ גִּ
אָ רֶָה עַמֵֵּמ
חָהְמ
יְתָ הָה
שׂוֹןְו שָׂ
הֲדִַי תְִמ
ע ִָ ו
יְּ הוּדִַל
חָהְמ שְִׂו
םְמ ק וֹ
שֹׂןְו שָׂ
רֲא ֶ שׁ
הִמ שְׁ תֶּ
הַיְּהוּדִַפּחַד ־
ב ַ ר ־ ה ַ מּ ֶ ל ְô ֶ דּ
רְַו ֲע לֵיהֶ ם ׃
דָ תוְֹו
FEAR OF THE JEWS Rabbi Menachem Creditor
וּ מ ְ
ים אוֹרָ ה
ִ ד י ָ נ ה וּבְ כׇל ־ עִ י ר י ר
ים
ִשׂ י ץ ים ִכּי ־ נָפַל
ִויקָ ר ׃ וּבְ כׇל ־ מְ ִדינָה
ְויוֹם טוֹב ים
ִבּים
The Jews enjoyed light and gladness , happiness and honor . And in every province and in every city , when the king ’ s command and decree arrived , there was gladness and joy among the Jews , a feast and a holiday . And many of the people of the land became Jews , for the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them . 18
Oh , how these verses swim in my mind these difficult days . The question , born of this text and our time : did “ The Jews ,” do we , only experience happiness and honor when we inspire fear in others ? Must that be our lot , to either suffer in vulnerability or to thrive via dominance ?
First the text : In response to Haman ’ s scheduled statesanctioned national pogrom , 19 Esther demanded the political right for the Jewish community to respond with lethal force to those who would hurt them . The result was bloody , with more than 75,000 Persian subjects slaughtered as the Jews “ fought for their lives ” against “ their foes .” 20 This response-legislation gained royal approval through a combination of wile , personal courage , and subterfuge on the parts of Esther and Mordechai . Yes , the Jewish community fasted in solidarity with Esther , 21 but there is no reference to God ’ s intervention in this dire moment of history . The fast did not save them . She did .
18
Esther 8:16-17
19
Esther 3:12
20
Esther 9:16
21
Esther 4:16
29