This week, on Friday, Purim will be celebrated outside of Yerushalayim, and, because the Megillah cannot be read on Shabbat, the community of Yerushalayim will read the Megillah on Friday as well [and then spread the rest of the Purim festivities over Shabbat and Sunday].
It is worth noting that the claim that Haman used to convince Achashverosh of his ploy to exterminate the Jews was [Esther, 3’ 8’]:
“...Haman then said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people, scattered and dispersed among the other peoples in all the provinces of your realm, whose laws are different from those of any other people and who do not obey the king’s laws; and it is not in Your Majesty’s interest to tolerate them…”
This claim would echo the libel of Hitler [may his name be erased], who blamed the Jews for bringing to the world conscience and circumcision, thus differentiating the Jews from other cultures and religions. Additionally, Haman’s claim speaks to the greatness of the Jews when unified–for Haman’s opening is the highlighting of the fact that the Jews were scattered and dispersed. Even when, hundreds of years later, the Romans would seek to destroy the second temple, the destruction was only made possible by the disunity amongst the Jewish factions.
In our current flashpoint of History, we must not lose sight of this fact—-the anti-Israel, anti-Semitic, and anti-Jewish voices are growing louder, and the clamoring and support for a bloodthirsty terrorist organization—Hamas—is frightening. Perhaps the most critical lesson of Purim that our generation can take from the story of Esther is the need for Jewish Unity, above all else. Together, the Jews are indefatigable and undefeatable.
This can be seen as well by the giving of the Torah, where the the Verse states [Shemot 19’ 2’]:
“...Having journeyed from Rephidim, they entered the wilderness of Sinai and they encamped in the wilderness. Israel encamped there in front of the mountain…”
The verse labels the Jews camping by Har Sinai in the singular “Va’Yichan”, as opposed to the plural “Va’Yachanu” [used earlier in this very Possuk!]. Rashi explains, that the use of the singular verb is designed to allude to the fact that the greatest moment of Jewish history–the accepting of the Torah—was only made possible because the Jews were functioning as “one organism, with one heart”. Thus, the path towards the pinnacle of our greatest national endeavor was paved by total unity.
May we merit to remain united under the umbrella of our belief in Hashem, and may this propel the Jewish people towards salvation and success, speedily in our days.
Dedicated in memory of all those who have perished and sacrificed for Am Yisrael.
Have a Great Shabbas.