Don’t be silent!

March 17, 2022

Today is the holiday of Purim which celebrates the events of the book of Esther.   This story is filled with truths and principles that are still relevant for our world today.  While our celebration is light-hearted, we must always remember the courage of a young woman named Hadassah and her cousin Mordecai.

HaSatan has always sought to destroy the Jewish people.  In this story he worked through a man name Haman.  Haman’s plan to annihilate and kill all the Jews, plunder their property, and rid the Persian kingdom of all Jews was a plan repeated throughout history.  It is a story that reminds us of the evils of anti-Semitism, an evil we must stand against even in  our day.

Hadassah stands out for her bravery as she made a choice to put her life on the line and to speak up and not be silent.  In our world today, it is so easy to pull back and to stay quiet because of the immediate negative reactions we receive when we speak the truth.  I pray that you and I will stand in our generation as Hadassah did in hers.  I pray that we will put our lives on the line for the sake of the kingdom of G-d and be a voice for good in our world today.  May we never allow intimidation to shut us up.  May we always walk in grace and dignity while speaking the truth of G-‘d’s word.  May the evils of society and its pressures to conform never extinguish the light of Adonai in you and me.

There is always a cost to pay to be the light that stands in the darkness, but that is a cost you and I need to make.  For Hadassah, the risk was worth it.   She knew she needed to speak up for her Jewish people. She didn’t know if she would live or die, but she trusted Adonai to be with her as she went into the king.  Through this young woman, Adonai stepped into the situation and turned the evil into good delivering the Jewish people from annihilation.  She was a history maker, an agent of change. 

There is a lot at stake in our world today. Society is trying to marginalize the people of G-d seeking to keep us quiet.  Evil pervades every sector pushing against the truth of G-d’s Word.  May we rise in the spirit of Hadassah refusing to be intimidated, willing to risk everything in order to see righteousness restored and the kingdom of G-d manifested in our world today.  The words of Mordecai ring true today and I speak them to you as I end this post, “who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this and for this very occasion?”  You are where you are for a purpose. Choose to be the person Adonai can use to change the situation.  Be the voice right where Adonai has placed you.

Don’t be silent.

Brachot,

Rabbi Carol