The critical catalyst for the story of Purim is Mordekhai's refusal, as a member of Ahashverosh's court, to show obeisance to Haman. The text never explicates the rationale behind this decision, in spite of its centrality to the plot. We survey some common answers given and suggest possible challenges to each - and then propose a new answer which impacts on our reading of the entire story, up to and including the climactic war that takes place 11 months after Haman's decree is formulated.
Learning on the Marcos and Adina Katz YUTorah site is sponsored today by Gary Ambrose in honor of his wife Reva’s birthday and by Judy & Mark Frankel & family in memory of their dear son & brother משה יהודה ז"ל בן מאיר אליהו upon his fifth yahrzeit, and in memory of their dear father מרדכי בן הרב משה יהודה ע"ה
To contact us with any comments, suggestions or requests, please click here
YUTorah ® Online is made possible by the generosity of Marcos and Adina Katz and is coordinated by Yeshiva University's Center for the Jewish Future . It offers more than 240,000 shiurim via webcast in audio, video and text formats by our Roshei Yeshiva and other YU luminaries. The opinions and views expressed are solely those of the author or lecturer and should not be attributed to Yeshiva University.
0 comments Leave a Comment