What does Purim have to do specifically with family and community relationships? What was Mordechai’s greatest attribute?
Megillat Esther – the Scroll of Esther – tells the story behind the festive holiday of Purim, set in ancient Persia, when the entire Jewish people was miraculously saved from annihilation.
The end of the Megillah, read each year on Purim by Jews throughout the world, ends with praise for Mordechai, saying that he “was able to speak in peace with all his descendants.”
Does that not seem strange? Why is a national hero, whose courage and strategy prevented genocide, lauded for apparently enjoying a good relationship with his children and grandchildren?
Click below and hear the answer from Rabbi Ari Enkin, Rabbinic Director, United with Israel.
