Na'afochu - A Purim 2024 Conversation

Welcome to The Kosher Teruah. I'm Simon Jacob, your host for this episode from Jerusalem. Before we get started, I ask that wherever you are, please take a moment and pray for the safety of our soldiers and the safe return of all of our hostages. Okay, so today is Taanit Esther, the fast of Queen Esther. And Purim is literally just around the corner. So I felt it important to at least spend a few minutes and talk a little bit about Purim and talk about this year in particular. Purim is supposed to be an incredibly joyous and festive holiday. Holiday. And this year, for many people, it's a little bit tough. As we face unprecedented antisemitism, or at least antisemitism that we haven't seen in modern history, I really wanted to spend some time and discuss Purim and what I thought, or what I think, we can do to make it special and why. And to kind of summarize what's been going on here and what's behind my feelings. So thank you. This isn't a typical podcast, but I thank you for listening in. If you're commuting in your car, please focus on the road and enjoy. If you're home, please choose a delicious kosher wine and sit back and listen in on this personal wine conversation just before our Purim holiday. This year, the Jewish holiday of Purim falls out differently than every other year. The day this episode is released will be Thursday, the 21st of March, the 11th of the Jewish month of Adar Bet. This being a leap year, we actually add an additional whole month to the Jewish calendar in the form of a second month of Adar, which we call Adar Bet. The first Adar this year, Adar Aleph, took place just before this month. So Thursday, March 21st, is the Fast of Esther. This is the time in the Purim story where Mordechai tells Queen Esther that she must do something about Haman's edict to destroy all the Jewish people, and that Hashem might well have put her into her current position as queen to do exactly that. He also informs her that she will not be spared from the possible evil outcome, and that if she does not save her people from such evil, a champion of Israel will emerge from elsewhere. She agrees to beseech the king, but asks that all of the Jewish people please fast for 3 days, asking Hashem to save them before she goes before the king. So again, this Thursday is the commemoration of the fast that Esther asked the Jewish people to undertake to help turn over Haman's evil decree. On Purim, there is a term, "Nafochu," which expresses the concept of what we observe when life is reversed or turned upside down. On Purim, the evil edict was turned upside down, with Haman the perpetrator actually dying on the tree he planned to hang Mordechai on. This fast typically falls the day before Purim, the celebration of the defeat of our enemy Haman and the saving of the lives of the Jewish people. But this year Purim falls on Saturday night, March 16th, and Sunday, March 17th, which would require the fast to fall on Shabbat, which can't happen. So the fast is moved back to Thursday this year, falling on March 21st, so as not to impact the Shabbat in any way, not on Friday or on Shabbat itself. Now added to that, within Jerusalem, the Purim holiday is celebrated a day later than the rest of the world. So this year, that is Sunday night, March 17th, and Monday, March 18th. So the holiday spreads over Thursday through Monday, or 5 days this year. So to recap, we have an upcoming holiday of Purim occurring during the 14th day of the second month of Adar and spanning 5 days from the start of the fast until the end of the celebrations. Purim is a time for Jewish celebration. We dress up in costumes, reading the Megillah scroll recounting the defeat of Haman. We have a special Purim feast and even a custom of consuming enough wine and alcohol so as not to be able to differentiate between the evil of Haman and the goodness of Mordechai. Which, by the way, many rabbis feel is fulfilled by simply consuming some good food, having a drink in celebration, and taking a nap. So this being a wine podcast, and my favorite drink for celebrating over the Purim festivities, is quite obviously wine. I was thinking of discussing with some of my wine friends around the world their picks for this year's go-to Purim bottle, or maybe even a conversation with some of the wine retailers in Israel, the UK, the US, and Canada to suggest special new bottles available for just this year's Purim, or even speaking to my good friend Jay Buchsbaum for his annual community message and tips on drinking safely during the holiday season. But there's just one thing. Purim is one of the happiest days in the Jewish calendar, second only to Simchat Torah, the festival which celebrates Hashem's giving us the Torah. Simchat Torah fell A few months ago, on October 7th, precisely 166 days ago. Just over 5.5 months, or an incredibly long 3,984 hours ago. And there lies my intensely conflicted feelings this Purim, and especially for this Purim podcast. Since the morning of October 7th, My Jewish world has been thrown into turmoil. I was personally called out of synagogue by the air raid sirens only to watch contrails of missiles being shot down over my head. That morning, over 1,400 Israelis were murdered in cold blood, and hundreds of Israelis were taken hostage, over 134 still being held in captivity today. Again, the Purim turn, nafochu, the concept of observing life reversed or turned upside down, also expresses how upside down the world seems to be when we see evil prevailing over good and when hatred is extolled over peace. After October 7th, I expected global government condemnation over the terrorist acts of Hamas, but instead I saw a global outcry against Israel. Nafohu. I expected the global centers of learning, our universities, to unite in support against terrorism, but instead heard a unified outcry against Israel. Nafohu. I expected public outrage against the rape of innocent women, but instead heard women's groups protesting in support of Hamas. Nafohu. I also expected public condemnation and an outcry for the brutal murders of babies and old people, but again, thousands protested across the world in almost every major city. In support of Hamas and against Israel, its victim. Nafohu. Israel disengaged from Gaza back in August 2005, unilaterally withdrawing in an effort to push for peace with the Palestinians. After October 7th's attack into Israel, when literally thousands of terrorists swarmed across the border attacking Israeli towns up to 40 kilometers inside the Israeli border. Israel within days pushed them back and reentered Gaza to recover its hostages and to remove any further threat from the Hamas terrorist infrastructure. As Israeli military pushed into Gaza, Hamas refused to return the hostages, refusing also to permit Red Cross representatives to visit and assess their physical condition. The world began to cry out for an Israeli ceasefire, all while terrorists within Gaza continued to fire missiles into Israeli cities. Nafohu, the UN refugee aid organization funded by billions of dollars from a cadre of global nations, was found hiding terrorist weapons in its Gaza hospitals, and uncovered documentation pointed to their employees' participation firsthand in the October 7th massacre and hostage-taking. Nafohu. So what do I do? What do we do? This ordeal has dragged on for over 5 months. People want to move on, especially around the holiday of Purim. People want to get back to normal. But no one wants to move on more than the parents of the hostages still being held. No one wants to move on more than the spouses of the soldiers still serving on the front lines. And most definitely, no one wants to move on more than all the displaced families from the northern and southern borders. Temporarily living out of suitcases in other families' homes, youth hostels, and hotels because their homes are daily being shelled from Gaza and Lebanon. As Jews, this Purim is not just for the religious among us. As we look down the barrel of antisemitism once again, none of us can shirk our collective responsibilities. Just as Mordechai told Esther, don't think that just because you're living isolated in a palace, you're safe. Your life and your children are all on the line now. It's not just about us living in Israel, it's about Jews living the world over. And you might just be in a situation you're in, put there by Hashem because of what you can influence today. —even if it is just a small piece of the overall outcome required. So why should all Jews and people who care focus on this Purim? Our morning prayers are said because Abraham, our forefather, prayed at that time to Hashem. He established a connection, a path of communication to Hashem during those morning hours. We pray in the afternoon because Yitzchak prayed to Hashem in the afternoon, establishing a second connection. And we pray in the evening and at night because Yaakov Avinu prayed at that time, establishing a third communication connection to our Divine King. What actual difference does it make that they prayed then? And why do we choose to mimic them? Because our forefathers opened a channel to Hashem, and it's much easier using the channel they already created than wiring our own new connection. During Purim, Esther and Mordechai opened a channel praying for the overturning of an evil decree set in motion by Haman. Nafohu. What better possible time could be more appropriate to reuse that pre-established channel to overturn this current evil decree set in motion by Hamas? We need to have faith in Hashem. And as Jews, we need to publicly, privately, or even just personally ask our King, Hashem, for his help on all our behalf. So what can you personally do this Purim? Please, when you hear the Megillah and you stomp and make noise at the sound of the name Haman, bang that table and crank that grogger for Hamas as well. Boom, boom. And maybe after the Megillah reading, the leaders should announce the name Hamas and have everyone bang away and get rid of the pent-up tension and anxiety that exists within us today. Please also, when you drink wine over Purim, drink it purposefully. Remember to make a bracha, and have in mind the safety of all those hostages and all our soldiers. Drink wine, you ask? After all I've expressed here, why would I, why would we still celebrate Purim with joy? Most of you don't know this, but the week after October 7th, I didn't release a Kosher Teruah podcast. I held back, thinking about how during such a terrible event, Could I publish a podcast discussing such a mundane topic as wine? So Thursday came and I didn't publish a podcast. Suddenly my email software started to chime. Where's the podcast? Where's the podcast? Listeners were asking. I told them about not feeling it appropriate to publish at this present time. Until I got a message from a listener on the battlefield in Gaza asking about the podcast. I basically said, "You know what's going on, right?" And he very forcefully said the following: "We haven't left our jobs, our families, to risk our lives so that the people at home could stop their normal lives and worry and cower." We are fighting so that the people in Israel can lead a normal life. So get on with it and publish that podcast. So while we all try to live our normal lives and we celebrate Purim with all the spirit and joy we can muster, please make sure to drink that wine purposefully. Remember to make a bracha, a blessing over it. And have in mind the safe return of all our hostages and the safety of all our soldiers. And that we beseech our King in Heaven to please again exhibit the turn nafohu and end this evil episode in our lives quickly and safely for all of our precious loved ones. May you all have a som kahl, an easy fast, A Shabbat Shalom u Mevorach, a blessed and peaceful Sabbath, and I extend to you all a happy and meaningful Purim blessing from Jerusalem. This is Simon Jacob again, your host of today's episode of the Kosher Teruah. I have a personal request. No matter where you are or where you live, please take a moment to pray for our soldiers' safety and the safe and rapid return of our hostages. I hope you found this episode of the Kosher Terroir informational. Thank you for allowing me to stray from my typical wine focus, especially at this important time of the year. I promise to jump back in next week. Please subscribe via your podcast provider to be informed of our new episodes as they are released. If you are new to The Kosher Terroir, please check out our many past episodes. Again, thank you for listening to The Kosher Terroir.