Perhaps the greatest lesson of Purim is that Reality may not be what you think it is.
The strangest of all Jewish holidays, said to be the only holiday that will be observed in the post- Messianic Age, Purim recalls a time when the ruler of Persia, Achashveros, permitted his viceroy, Haman, to annihilate the Jewish people. A modern analogy seems apt.
Today, the whole world is focused on Iran, part of what was the vast ancient Persian Empire, as it was 2,700 years ago, wondering how President Trump and PMN Netanyahu will wage the war. We try to calculate the cost, fearing that Israel will be Iran’s main target, and the possibility that attacking Iran may lead to a wider conflict with Iran’s allies, Russia and China, and its proxies, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houties in Yemen, Somalia, and other countries, such as Qatar, and Turkey. This could lead, therefore, to a global conflict
For Jews in Israel today, and other people around the world, the Iranian threat - if the modern rulers of Iran, their supporters and Islamic terrorists have their way - is critical. Armed with nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, assisted by European countries, Russia, Pakistan and even North Korea, there seemed little doubt that the Iranians and their proxies would try to accomplish what the Nazis and their collaborators tried to do in The Holocaust.
Amalek, the evil force that Haman represented then, and now, is recognizable in the Iranian regime controlled by Shiite clerics, and Muslim terrorists, such as ISIS, and Islamic Jihadists throughout the world. If there is a Queen Esther that could be Melania Trump, who could influence President Trump to win this war. Following the story of Purim, however, there could be a reversal, a divine intervention which would eliminate the current rulers of Iran and allow the emergence of a new world order. The future of our civilization is at stake. What is The Reality?
Although Iranian leaders agreed to negotiate with President Trump, they had no intention of relinquishing their military and political power. Their strategy was to drag out negotiations indefinitely while they remain in power.
Similarly, Hamas agreed to negotiate an end to the war in Gaza, but insists on retaining its political and military power and control. Moreover, according to the PA, there are about 17,000 PA security forces in the Gaza Strip. In addition, this includes 20,000 civil employees which are funded by the PA and provide services to Gazans. This explains why the IDF is unable to defeat Hamas as yet; the PA and Hamas are working together and will expand their power in all areas under their control. Defeating Hamas, therefore, requires defeating the PA which is supported by Israel and the international communit
This presents Israel with a significant dilemma, and it’s more complicated by President Trump’s “peace plan" for Gaza. Instead of eliminating Hamas, his plan ensures its survival. His plan offers no incentives to Islamists, such as Iran and Hamas, to change their goal of destroying Israel and establish a Caliphate, the Islamic plan of world-domination. Trump’s plan to rebuild and transform Gaza into a Paradise, therefore, will inevitably fail, and the great wealth that was squandered there - again - will become a mirage.
Victory in Iran will change the equation. It remains to see how that will work out
For those who believe in a Divine Presence, there is a reality beyond what we are able to perceive, one that is eternal and immutable, one that gives meaning to human existence. That is also a Reality. It all depends on our perception.
That, too, is the lesson of Purim.