Scattered and Dispersed

 

In Haman's attempt to convince his all-powerful monarch, without whom he cannot proceed to execute his plans for the "Final Solution," the "enemy of the Jews" [Esther 3:10] argued:

"There is a certain nation scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples throughout all the provinces of your kingdom, and their laws differ from (those of) every people, and they do not keep the king's laws; it is (therefore) of no use for the king to let them be." [3:8]

            Amos Ḥacham [Esther, Da'at Mikra] comments that Haman's claim that despite their dispersion among the nations, the Jews remain a single nation; "is the claim of the enemies of the Jews throughout the generations."  

            However, there is a deep irony: if the Jews were indeed united as a single nation, despite their dispersion among the nations of the world, they would not be susceptible to their enemies' plots against them. One of the most consistent lessons relentlessly taught by Jewish history is that when the nation is (internally) disunited, we are subject to our enemies' schemes, while national unity protects us from such machinations.  

Shushan Purim and Eretz Yisrael

 

Purim is unique among the holidays and festivals which Jews celebrate in the fact that it alone is celebrated on two different days, depending upon geography. Most of the world celebrates Purim on the 14^th of Adar, while Jews in walled cities celebrate Shushan Purim on the 15^th of the month. It would seem that dividing the Purim celebration into two separate days hinders the unity of Israel. This is particularly surprising in light of the fact that Israel's unity lies at the center of the Purim story. Haman's decree of his "final solution" was based upon the disunity of nation which is scattered and disunited (Alshikh's understanding of the word "m'forad")…" [Esther 3:8] The turning point comes with Esther's request/instruction "Gather all the Jews …" [ibid, v.16] Thus, it is Israel's internal disunity which leads to its suffering and the nation's unity brings God's salvation.

The logical criterion for determining the obligation to celebrate Shushan Purim is a city which was enclosed by walls at the time of Mordechai and Esther, yet the Halacha chose the criterion of walled cities at the time of Joshua, a criterion which apparently has no logic to it. The Jerusalem Talmud [Megilla 1:1] explains that this Halachic determination expresses respect for the Holy Land. During the time of the events of Purim, the Land of Israel was desolate, without a single walled city. Thus, had the logical criterion been followed, it would embarrass the Land. Thus, the Halacha adopted the criterion of cities enclosed by walls from the time of Joshua.

We may suggest that accepting the criterion of a walled city from the times of Joshua not only expresses respect for the Land, but also implies the distinction between the Land of Israel and all other lands. Zohar [Parashat Emor 83b] elucidates the verse "Who is like your nation Israel, a single nation within the Land" [II Samuel 7:23] to mean that Israel can be considered a truly untied nation only within the Land. Perhaps the division of the Purim celebration into two separate days hints that Purim, which commemorates a miracle which took place outside the Land cannot achieve complete unification of the Nation of Israel, since that level requires Israel to be present within its Land.

Not Every Day is Purim?

 

Modern Hebrew has the phrase "Not every day is Purim," meaning that not every day does a miracle occur.

However, in a real sense, every day indeed is Purim. The Purim story, as presented in Megilat Esther, has no overt mention of God. The plot seems a series of random events which combine to bring about the salvation of Israel from Haman's proposed "Final Solution" of exterminating all the Jews within the 127 provinces of Ahasuerus' kingdom. However, the insightful reader understands that the Purim saga is the story of the Divine intervention which the Nation of Israel merited during the days of Mordechai and Esther. The Purim salvation is a miracle which God performed within nature. One who is perceptive understands that reality in general, all the more so Israel's existence, is a series of daily miracles performed by Divine Providence on behalf of God's chosen people. This is true even though it is done covertly. Thus, in fact, every day is Purim.

Indeed, every time we recite the Amida, we thank God for the daily miracles He performs for His nation. On a daily basis, God grants us miracles, miracles which He performs within the natural order.