Comments on The Muqata: What Changed?

Abbi: I agree! Joe - Abbi's thrown a serious chal...

2008-03-25T15:24:00.000+02:00

Abbi: I agree! Joe - Abbi's thrown a serious challenge in your direction.

Seriously, instead of projecting your own politics...

2008-03-25T14:55:00.000+02:00

Seriously, instead of projecting your own politics on the story, I think you'd be better off doing a bit of study of Jewish communities at that time to make a coherent comment on the story. At the very least, talk to someone who is studying or has studied this time period.

I have a vague memory of hearing somewhere that it...

2008-03-25T14:53:00.000+02:00

I have a vague memory of hearing somewhere that it was forbidden for the Jews in the kingdom to defend themselves. It was also forbidden for Ach. to reneg on his decree to kill the Jews, which is why put out the decree for the Jews to defend themselves, rather than just canceling the decree to attack them altogether.

Why is it so shocking to you that Jews weren't going to defend themselves? Do you ask the same questions of the European Jews when the Nazis came for them? The chances that the Jews had their own militias and even had the arms to defend themselves were slim to none. They were living in EXILE. They had some governing autonomy, but it's unlikely they had an extensively trained underground army waiting right there.

Joe/JameelI think that both views are the correct....

2008-03-25T00:51:00.000+02:00

Joe/Jameel

I think that both views are the correct. View one that the Jews needed some outside push or ligitimization to prod them into action. the answer as well that says the Goyim also saw that the winds have changed and thus may have changed their attitude as well. There is much to learn from this.

Why do we as Jews/Isareli's allow other to dictate to us have we no resolve? Can we not behave as we know we should and not as others expect us to.

Why are there so few Nachson ben Aminadav's and so many sheep?

As I hopped from meal to meal on Purim and Shushan...

2008-03-23T19:46:00.000+02:00

As I hopped from meal to meal on Purim and Shushan Purim (and Shabbat in between), I asked this question of nearly everyone.

The best alternative answer I got was as follows:

The letter changed not the Jew’s perception, but the perception of the goyim.

Once the citizens saw that the King had switched sides and wasn't giving carte blanche to massacre all the Jews anymore, the only people left that were planning to go through with Haman's plans were the hardcore enemies of the Jews, not the velt that goes along with whatever way the wind blows.

So with the official removal of support for the genocide, the universal plan to kill the Jews diminished from a definitive genocide, to a routable war.

And that's what made the difference.

Read Ruth Wisse's "Jews and Power" and her earlier...

2008-03-23T15:23:00.000+02:00

Read Ruth Wisse's "Jews and Power" and her earlier essay on the same topic in Azure.

Hmmmm....both of you have really interesting point...

2008-03-23T07:55:00.000+02:00

Hmmmm....both of you have really interesting points. I will be mulling over this all day.

All I can think about when I read the Megillah is that a young girl (maybe 13 or 14?) was stripped of her identity and sent off to what was a very dangerous place (them harems were hotbeds of intrigue) with instructions to seduce the king. And we praise Mordechai for this.

One of these days, I would love to write a novel about this.... The story through Esther's eyes.

Or perhaps, Achashverosh' letter gave the Jews "in...

2008-03-22T21:28:00.000+02:00

Or perhaps, Achashverosh' letter gave the Jews "international legitimacy" for their self-defense. They had always had enemies - "oyveihem" and "soneihem". But now, through negotiations with the king, they received permission to defeat their enemies without having the international power(s) intervene to help the other side. Beforehand, resorting to armed defense would have been truly suicidal. Now, as Mordechai was clear-headed enough to understand, the conditions were right for self-defence.

So you see, the megillah actually supports the peace camp.