Mark Twain, the Megilla and Netanyahu.

Guest post by Amichai Tzuriel.

Looking back, who doesn't await Purim once a year? the megilla has a divine majesty of its own. The cadence and cantillation bring to life Persian royalty 2500 years ago midst an Aggagite plot. Almighty’s jigsaw puzzle- seemingly random events of 12 years coalesced together to expedite a master plan. The message; Hashem alone decides the fate of men and nations even as we speak.

Benjamin Netanyahu decided to be 'Makdim Lyom Haknisah'- literally, as he preceded 14 adar by addressing a joint session of congress, about the threat of a nuclear Iran. With irrefutable evidence, he showed how this country is building a military component of a nuclear nature. History is repeating itself he said, drawing a parallel to the ancient Porass of a Purim.

He put it this way; back then queen Esther revealed Haman’s plot and our people were saved. She gave permission for the Jews to defend themselves. 

We always used to be passive- but that is no more. For the first time in a hundred generations we can defend ourselves, he said.

 Arguably, his speech brimmed with noble 'Hishtadlus'- humanism for his own people. 

But, if you chide Iran about hiding its intention to build a bomb, you ought to be consistent yourself. 
The prime minister could have seized the moment to introduce his spellbound audience to the divine turnabout of Purim. Instead he chose to skip over the key verse of the megilla that is the life substance of our people for the last 2500 hundred years. "Vzumu olai V’al Tochlu Val Tishtu Shloasha Yomim – ask of our people to fast on my behalf 3 consecutive days Esther implored Mordechai so that the creator would spare us and revoke the decree on high.

Insofar as the nes purim is concerned, Netanyahu has a policy of Ad'loyoda, or as they say in Chinese, ‘er macht zich nisht visindig.


His father majored in the history of the Jews during the middle ages but when it comes to the neshama of our people- emunah, Netanyahu’s take is Medieval.

The Shushan experience back then burnished in the Jewish  consciousness for all time that a higher source charts the course of world events.

If he wills it, a proactive am yisrael girding themselves with prayer and overwhelm even a Haman. But should the Boreh Olams decree otherwise  an elite Israeli commando unit can enter Lebanon from Israel on a clandestine mission as it did years ago with Lebanese villagers tipping off local militias to spring a trap and you can already figure out the rest it did not go well- RL’.
 The Prime minister quoted Robert Frost, but Mark Twain in his famous essay "Concerning the Jews" disagrees with Netanyahu's  assessment he says its got nothing to do with being passive or not;

 Properly the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of…  He has made a marvelous fight in the world, in all the ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him… The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone… The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting ..no weakening of his parts… All things are mortal but the Jew; What is the secret of his immortality?"

Mark Twain brings us all up to speed. deep down every Jew knows the inescapable truth there is no other way to explain the eternity of the Am Yisrael other than the Ratzon Habore Yisaleh-  essentially, that is the  message of Purim.  Netanyahu and this  legendary writer aren't on the same track - never the twain shall meet. None the less, Mark Twain discovered the inescapable truth If we incorporate this mindset into our daily living it will bring  the advent of moshiach ben Dovid ever closer Amen Ken yehi Ratzon.