Writing the Waves

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The Rabbis of the Talmud bequeath to us an odd injunction: “One should drink so much on Purim that one cannot distinguish between ‘Blessed be Mordechai’ and ‘Cursed be Haman.’” Now, there are some who take this instruction very much to heart, and for them I strongly recommend Uber to ensure that you — and others — remain safe in the wake of your inebriation.

For it would seem that it should take a whole heck of a lot of “sauce” to blur that distinction.

But then again, we Jews do have a penchant for self-critique. It does seem a bit odd that our most sacred texts canonize not only the greatest accomplishments of our ancestors, but also frame and advertise their foibles as well (think Abraham taking Isaac to Mt. Moriah, Moses losing his temper, Miriam and Aaron speaking gossip, and more!). And this runs all the way up until today. One of the great ironies of modern journalism — as well as social media screeds — is that there’s very little critique, fair or unfair, that can be lodged against Israeli politicians that Israelis themselves aren’t already engaged in, and frankly, masterful at.

I know. I am aware that the ruling power in Israel today — and for many years — hasn’t been led by people for whom many of us have the greatest respect. And sometimes the words of Israel’s Prime Minister and leading coalition members are downright despicable. I know, and I am aware, that their actions appear unjustified at best and criminal at worst. This is probably part of the reason why our Talmudic sages warned us with the words above. As the saying goes, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

And yet, as we fully enter into the month of Adar — the month of Purim — when we once again recount the story of a Persian king who allows, if not promotes, the wholesale destruction of the Jewish people, it is poetic where we find ourselves today. Because the efforts of the Iranian regime to destroy Israel and the Jewish people over the last 40+ years haven’t cared about the relative position on the political spectrum of whichever Israeli government has been in power. All they have cared about is pursuing a hegemonic effort to impose Islamic rule throughout the Middle East — and Israel’s existence is a thorn in its side of immense proportions.

Is this a matter of interpretation? Yes. Unfortunately, Israel has been on the bad end of that interpretation ever since the Mullahs arose in Iran.

So am I suggesting that we ignore the behavior of Israeli leaders? Absolutely not. But I do want to encourage us to try to avoid the distraction they provide from what is happening — and has been happening — pretty much since 1948, and perhaps most intensely since 1979.

I encourage you to check out this podcast episode from Ask Haviv Anything. Journalist and writer Haviv Rettig Gur is a profoundly important voice in understanding the real dynamics at play in the Middle East. While no fan of Prime Minister Netanyahu — and indeed a major critic of him and his administration — Gur regularly helps maintain focus on the primary sources of the challenges faced by Israel and the Jewish people. And unfortunately, those challenges are not solved by who happens to be in power in the Knesset.

Here is the link — check it out!