Published March 1, 2010 Associated Content
http://voices.yahoo.com/the-gulf-war-purim-story-orthodox-rabbis-5544673.html
The Gulf War, the Purim Story and an Orthodox Rabbi’s Perspective
By David Block
Many Orthodox Jews believe that God deserves credit for the 1991 and 2003 defeat of Saddam Hussein. As Rabbi Shaul Rosenblatt of Aish Ha Torah Yeshiva, in the Old City of Jerusalem said in an interview with this writer after the ’91 conflict, “American Tanks and patriot missiles did not win the war, but it was the hand of God.” Rosenblatt based this argument on the circumstances that generated the ’91 Gulf War and the circumstances that generated the Jewish Holiday, Purim. (In 2003, Purim began shortly before the U. S. attacked Iraq.) “If you look at the Saddam incident and the Purim story on a superficial level, you may think that it was luck that saved the Jews. But, if you look at these episodes on a deeper level, you would see that it was God,” said Rosenblatt.
The Purim Story
The Book of Esther explains Purim’s origins. Except for Song of Solomon, the book of Esther is the only other book in the Bible where God is not mentioned. Therefore, some religious Jews believe that God saved the Jews through natural circumstances. The theme of the Purim story is ‘no coincidences.’
Purim is celebrated in the early spring, on the 14th day of the Hebrew month, Adar. In walled cities such as Jerusalem, it is celebrated on the 15th of Adar. It is a joyous holiday because on that day in 474 B.C.E., (Before the Common Era,) the Jews living in the Persian empire, which ranged from India to Ethiopia, were saved from annihilation. This was during the reign of King Ahashuerus, who ruled Persia from 486-465. (Ahasuerus is the anglicized Hebrew name of the Persian name, Xerxes.)
Ahasuerus ousted Queen Vashti because of her insubordination. Rabbi Yehudah Prero wrote in his article, “Megillas Esther,” that Vashti was beheaded.
After Vashti’s demise, the king had a beauty contest to determine Persia’s new queen.
The king’s commissioners forced Hadassa, a beautiful Jewish woman to be a participant, even though she made it clear that she wanted no part of it. She changed her name to Esther, which means hidden. At the time, Mordecai, a member of the Jewish court, the Sanhedrin, took her for his daughter after her parents had died because they were relatives. She was his uncle’s daughter.
According to Rabbi Prero, Mordecai advised Esther to keep her Jewish identity a secret because the commissioners knew that Esther was taken against her will. He feared that if it was discovered that she was Jewish, the commissioners would spread the word that Jews did not want to marry the king, and that would have caused serious problems for her people. Esther won the contest and became the queen of Persia. Mordecai spent a lot of time at the palace gate in order to watch over Esther. After the contest, Ahasuerus appointed Haman as chancellor. Haman ordered everyone to bow down to him, but Mordecai refused. Enraged, Haman told Ahasuerus that he wanted to kill the Jews. The king had no objection. Haman drew lots to determine the day. The day that the Jews were to be annihilated was the 13th of Adar, the last month of the Jewish year. That day a public massacre of the Jews was scheduled. (Purim means lots in Hebrew.)
Mordecai reported the decree to Esther. Consequently, she fasted for three days and instructed Mordecai to have the Jews fast, too.
Even though God was not mentioned, Esther, Mordecai and the Jewish people fasted, repented and prayed to God for Him to save them. (On the day before Purim, Jews fast, and it is known as The Fast of Esther.)
After Esther and the Jews fasted, she held a banquet in honor of Haman and Ahasuerus. There, she revealed that she was a Jew, and pleaded with the King to save her people. The king was enraged that Haman would kill Esther. He was also livid when he saw that Haman had built gallows to hang Mordecai. The king liked Mordecai because Mordecai had recently saved his life. Two of the king’s guards, Bigthan and Teresh, plotted to kill Ahasuerus. Mordecai reported the conspirators to Esther, who then saw to it that the king’s life was saved. Bigthan and Tewhich were executed.
Ahasuerus ordered that Haman be hung on the gallows which he had built for Mordecai. Ahasuerus then passed a counter decree, stating that on the 13th of Adar, the non-Jews should help the Jews battle their enemies. When the fatal day came, the Jews’ enemies were killed and the following day, the 14th of Adar, the Jews celebrated.
Rosenblatt said that there were no open miracles: “Whoever thought that a Jewess would become queen of Persia? Whoever thought that Mordecai would save the king’s life and then have his life saved? Whoever thought that by Haman becoming Chancellor would be the best thing for the Jewish people because it enabled them to kill their enemies?”
The Gulf War
Not all the Orthodox rabbis share Rosenblatt’s belief that there were direct parallels between the Purim story and the ’91 Gulf war, nor do they all contend that Saddam Hussein was a modern day Haman. In a ’91 interview with Rabbi Samuel Kamenetsky of the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia, he said that Haman and Saddam Hussein had different motives.
“Haman was primarily concerned with killing the Jews, and Saddam Hussein was primarily concerned with controlling the land and the oil,” said Kamenetsky. However, it is easy for some people to find significant connections between the Purim story and the Gulf War. Rosenblatt said that there were no open miracles that saved Israel from Saddam Hussein in ’91:
“Whoever thought that the United States would take a bold stand against Saddam Hussein, one of Israel’s worst enemies? Whoever thought that Syria would join the Allies? Egypt needed America’s money, so Egypt joined the coalition. Whoever thought that Russia would stand by and let the Allies attack Iraq? Whoever thought that Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s wealthiest countries, would help finance the war? It was fortunate for Israel that most of the world was effected by Saddam Hussein’s actions, which caused many countries to bomb Iraq continuously. In some ways it was good that Saddam Hussein bombed Israel because it brought a lot of credibility and needed aid to Israel.” Rosenblatt said that the significance of the ’91 Gulf War ending on Purim was to show that even today, God controls the world. However, there are rabbis like Kamenetsky who do not make an issue over these similarities. In the Purim story and Gulf war, the Jews were attacked physically, yet they responded spiritually. “This is the appropriate way to respond to physical attacks,” said Rosenblatt. “The counter side to this is when a Jew is attacked spiritually, he is supposed to respond physically.” However, even Rosenblatt admits that Israel could have easily retaliated against Iraq. The day before the ’91 Gulf war began, many religious Jews declared a fast day. There were at least 100,000 people praying at the Wailing Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem.
In 2003, around Purim time, the United States once again attacked Saddam, who was still one of Israel’s worst adversaries.