BS'D
December 26, 2023 | 14 Tevet 5784
After hearing of Haman's plot to destroy the Jewish people in the time of Purim, Mordechai beseeches Esther to intervene with Achashverosh and convince him to change his genocidal decree (Esther 4:13-14):
וַיֹּאמֶר מׇרְדֳּכַי לְהָשִׁיב אֶל אֶסְתֵּר אַל תְּדַמִּי בְנַפְשֵׁךְ לְהִמָּלֵט בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ מִכׇּל הַיְּהוּדִים. כִּי אִם הַחֲרֵשׁ תַּחֲרִישִׁי בָּעֵת הַזֹּאת רֶוַח וְהַצָּלָה יַעֲמוֹד לַיְּהוּדִים מִמָּקוֹם אַחֵר וְאַתְּ וּבֵית אָבִיךְ תֹּאבֵדוּ וּמִי יוֹדֵעַ אִם לְעֵת כָּזֹאת הִגַּעַתְּ לַמַּלְכוּת
(13) Mordechai said to reply to Esther, "Do not imagine to yourself that you shall escape in the king's house more than all the Judeans. (14) For, if you will indeed remain silent at this time, relief and salvation will arise for the Judeans from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Who knows if for a time such as this you attained royalty?"
A time of crisis, Mordechai reminds Esther, is not a time to be silent, to hide, to hope that we can avoid the collective fate of our people. Instead, it is a time to speak out, to leverage all of our power and influence wherever we may live and defend our people. In the context of ancient Persia, Esther was uniquely positioned to intervene with Achashverosh and change the course of his empire. In our day, under democratic governments, that power belongs with each and every citizen. Our representatives listen to their constituents, and with the right advocacy, we can ensure that they continue to stand strongly with Israel and the Jewish people.
Each of us can take action today to advocate for our community and our values. Individually, we can reach out to our local, state, and national representatives and let them know how important it is that they support the Jewish people, both in Israel and at home. As a community, we can join a powerful WhatsApp Group which highlights a single elected official to call each day, amplifying our own impact by coordinating with hundreds of others.
Today for Israel, we are calling our elected leaders.
Sincerely,
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