Purim Then, Purim Now

 Nadene Goldfoot                                      

We have the holiday of Purim commemorating the rescue of Persian (Iranian) Jewry through the mediation of Queen Esther from the threat of annihilation engineered HAMAN.  Haman was the Chief minister of Ahasuerus, king of Persia (Est.3-9).  His resentment of the independent attitude of Mordecai (uncle of Esther) led him to detest all Jews and he planned their annihilation.  His scheme having been frustrated by Esther, Haman and his sons were hanged.  In memory of their deliverance, the Jews observe the festival of Purim.  Haman is called the "agagite" which was interpreted by the rabbis to indicate his descent from Agag, King of Amalek.  Haman has become synonymous with an enemy of the Jews.  Hitler was so much like Haman.  He even had the same goal.  Today we were facing another Persian king who wanted all Jews (Israel) killed. 

This was a huge empire, and held many Jews.  All were to be killed. Under King Xerxes I (reigned 486–465 BC), the Achaemenid Persian Empire was at its peak, forming the largest empire in the world up to that point. It spanned approximately 5.5 million square kilometers (about 2.1 million square miles) and covered parts of three continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe.  This would have been complete extermination !  

  According to the Book of Esther found in the Bible, the extermination was fixed by lot for the month of Adar 13, but the Jews escaped, successfully resisting their persecutions on that date and in the city of Shushan, also on the next day. Purim is observed on Adar 14, and the following day is observed as Purim in cities which have been walled since the time of Joshua (e.g.Jerusalem). 

Queen Esther, wife of King Ahasueros, (Megillata Esther). is the main character in this piece of history.   The date of its composition is generally placed in the Persian Period before 330 BCE.  In 2nd Temple times, the Scroll of Esther was already included in the canon.  Its reading on Purim was made obligatory, and a special talmudic tractate was written on the relevant regulations.  

Here we have a woman of power she didn't know she had who saved her people.  This event happened about 1,300 years ago or in about 350 BCE.  

                                The king greeting Esther

King Ahasuerus (Hebrew: Aḥašwēroš) in the Bible is identified as the Persian King Xerxes I (Greek: Xérxēs). Reigning from approximately 486–465 BC, he is best known historically for his failed invasion of Greece and for his role as the husband of Esther in the Book of Esther.

The Hebrew timeline never follows the historical, but here is off over 100 years.  

Between 350 and 330 BCE, the Achaemenid Persian Empire experienced extreme instability, internal power struggles, and its ultimate downfall to Alexander the Great. Following the assassination of Artaxerxes III in 338 BCE, a rapid succession of weak rulers and court intrigues culminated in the defeat of Darius III and the burning of Persepolis by Alexander in 330 BCE.                        

Ali Hosseini Khamenei was an Iranian politician and Shia cleric who served as the second supreme leader of Iran from 1989 until his 

assassination during the 2026 Iran war.  Iran has been held by a persecuting government for 47 past years,  causing threats against Israel of anhilation  by nuclear weaponry they had like an atomic bomb.  

Mossad watched their development of such and the USA bombed sites last year but may not have hit the right place. Besides that, many many young people were demonstrating in the streets for Khamenei to step down.  They wanted a new government.  They were bringing on a

 Revolution.   Thus was this window of opportunity;  a time with Trump and Khamenei and the people.  The government has been negligent.  There is no water, no food, no jobs, nothing for these people.  All the money has gone into arming the hateful groups in the Middle East.  .

Resource:

Resource: 

Book of Esther, Bible