In this week's Haftorah, Shmuel HaNavi addresses the nation during a moment of reckoning. The people had asked for a king, and while their request was granted, it was not without consequence. To impress upon them the gravity of their demand, Shmuel calls out to Hashem—who responds with a sudden burst of thunder and rain during the wheat harvest, an unnatural and frightening display. The people are shaken and cry out in remorse.
It is in this moment of national vulnerability that Shmuel speaks words that have echoed for generations: כִּ֠י לֹֽא־יִטֹּ֤שׁ ה֙' אֶת־עַמּ֔וֹ בַּעֲב֖וּר שְׁמ֣וֹ הַגָּד֑וֹל כִּ֚י הוֹאִ֣יל ה' לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת אֶתְכֶ֛ם ל֖וֹ לְעָֽם׃, For Hashem will not forsake His people, for the sake of His great Name, for Hashem has been pleased to make you His people. (Shmuel I 12:22)
These words are not merely a soothing response to the people's panic—they are a foundational truth. Shmuel doesn't minimize their mistake, but he grounds their future not in perfection, but in promise. Hashem's bond with Am Yisrael is not transactional; it is covenantal. Not because we always act as we should, but because "He willed us to be His people." His Name is bound with ours. His commitment is unwavering, even when ours falters.
The Midrash in Esther Rabba deepens this idea. As Haman stood below, hurling accusations against the Jewish people, the Malach Michael rose above in defense. וְלַמֶּלֶךְ אֵין שֹׁוֶה לְהַנִּיחָם... אָמַר רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, אֵין בָּנֶיךָ מִתְקַטְרְגִין עַל עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, עֲרָיוֹת, אוֹ שְׁפִיכוּת דָּמִים—אֶלָּא עַל שֶׁהֵם מְשַׁמְרִין אֶת דָּתוֹתֶיךָ. Michael pleads:"Master of the World, Your children aren't being accused of idolatry, immorality, or murder—they are being accused for keeping Your laws." Hashem answers with fierce loyalty: חַיֶּיךָ, לָא שְׁבַקִּית וְלָא אֶשְׁבֹּק! "By your life, I have not forsaken them—and I will never forsake them!"
This is not just history—it is happening now. We are living these pesukim and this Midrash.
Today, as the Jewish people face modern-day Hamans—threats that are brazen, sophisticated, and global—we are witnessing a Divine refusal to forsake His people. Despite overwhelming pressure, impossible odds, and global accusation, the Jewish people endure. Not just survive—stand tall. Protected, resilient, and united in ways that defy logic.
The very accusations leveled against us—our faith, our values, our insistence on remaining who we are—are the very reasons Hashem defends us. The same thunder that once fell in a summer harvest still rumbles in history. And the same promise still holds: כִּי לֹא יִטֹּשׁ ה' אֶת עַמּוֹ, Hashem will not forsake His people.
May we take heart in that enduring bond. May we find strength in the knowledge that Hashem's commitment is not dependent on the moment, but on the covenant. And may we merit to see the Hamans of our day defeated—not by might alone, but by the unwavering will of the One who chose us to be His people.
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