Purim revisited

To say that we live in historic times is an understatement in the extreme, but to proclaim that history repeats itself is the operative, overall headline for this week’s events.

- By STEWART WEISS

The combined US-Israeli strike on Iran has brought the Purim story vividly to life in a manner unparalleled in 2,200 years.

Jews of faith have always believed that the books of the Bible are not static, stale, long-ago documents, but rather “Torat Chaim”- living, lasting, breathing works of cosmic importance, written by people of flesh and blood yet animated by Divine inspiration.

That reality is being broadcast for all to see in the juncture of the megillah and the monumental events in Persia-cum-Iran. The specter of despotic madmen seeking our destruction is, sadly, nothing new for us.

Yet, along with the rise of Haman and his planned genocide of Persian Jewry, Purim presents another, more atypical scenario: the success of an unlikely man-woman (husband-wife?) duo in undoing the diabolical plot and rescuing the innocent while punishing the criminals.

Haman’s desire to completely eradicate the Jews of Persia - man, woman, and child - mimics the actions of Iran and its proxies, specifically Hamas, which graphically demonstrated its genocidal nature on October 7, when it indiscriminately sought to murder every Jewish inhabitant along the Gaza border.