From Haman to Iran — Nothing Has Changed in 2,600 Years

Exactly on the date of the 13th of Adar, the Israeli Prime Minister addressed representatives of the American nation to convince them of the severity of the Persian atomic threat. Exactly on the 13th of Adar, the climax of the Purim miracle occurred, when the people of Israel fought against the Persians who threatened "to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jews." The Prime Minister equates the Iranian threat to the Nazi Holocaust, but he is mistaken. It has not been 70 years since the Holocaust but 2,600 years since Haman. Even then, there were those who saw the existence of all Jews, wherever they may be, "young and old, infants and women," as the greatest threat to the enlightened world.

It turns out that the people of Israel have never been popular among the family of nations. Not in 2015, and not 1,500 years before the common era. The upcoming holiday, Passover, takes us back another thousand years. Even then, the people of Israel were different. Exceptional. Independent. They never allowed anyone to dictate their way of life and never feared confrontations.

A little unsettling to think about, but for 3,000 years, we have been the most threatened people in history. A sentence in the Passover Haggadah reminds us that "In every generation, they stand against us to annihilate us, and Hashem saves us from their hands." Yes, we were under the illusion that with the establishment of our own state, we would become accepted in society. We would be treated like France or Holland. We would be advanced, technological, academic, Western, modern, and accepted. We became everything—except accepted.

Today, 2,600 years ago, we experienced it firsthand. After Ahasuerus held a state banquet, the Jews suddenly felt "accepted" in the family. The king sent them an invitation of honor and even prepared kosher food for them. The Jews rejoiced, thinking emancipation had arrived. Finally, they received UN recognition. It was a short time before they realized that nothing had changed. "They don't pay taxes, they are parasites, they don't work, they disregard the laws and the state," whispered the senior minister, Haman, into the king's unclean ear. (And if anyone finds this statement familiar, it is their responsibility alone)

Then, the Jews understood one thing: no matter what the Jews would do, the nations would continue to think the same way. One cannot escape identity. It's not helpful, and it's not worth it. Since then, despite the real threats to the people of Israel, they have never tried to evade their identity. They understood their advantages and were proud of them. They didn't flinch in the face of the horrors of the Inquisition, nor in the face of the magic of emancipation.

This is why we afflict ourselves on the 13th of Adar. We remember that critical, singular war, which despite state legitimacy, the Jews were still at a numerical and military disadvantage. To win the war, they did one thing: they fasted, prayed, and gave charity. Even today, we adopt the same pattern of action. We think about the weak, helping a neighbor or a needy relative, through charity.

But we are also the proudest people in history. It is doubtful if any other people would have survived mentally for so long, but it seems that this people has a good reason to continue holding their head above water and adhering to their universal and historical path.