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A Tale of Two Cities: Chanina bar Ada
Chazal's Preambles to Megillat Esther: Part 2
Rabbi Moshe Taragin | 17 minutesWhat’s wrong with enjoying Achashverosh’s feast? While the Jews of Persia spent 180 days partying, the Jews who had returned to the Land of Israel were fighting for their lives and were trying to build the Beit HaMikdash. The Persian Jews had distanced themselves from the destiny of the future of Am Yisrael, enjoying lavish feasts while ignoring Jewish history. The Persian Jews needed a jarring reminder of their collective identity and national destiny, and this came in the form of Haman’s edicts.
In the Market for Genocide - Dispatchers of Dread
Chazal's Preambles to Megillat Esther: Part 3
Rabbi Moshe Taragin | 17 minutesThis shiur examines the significance of dispatching letters - a newly implemented advancement for a vast empire - and the fear experienced by the Jews after hearing Haman's edict of destruction. The fear is immediate—and the dread gradually builds up, as the people have to wait months for the day of their impending doom. There is a sickening feeling as the advanced technology of the day is being used against them.
Purim's Significance a Few Years Later: The Return to Zion
Chazal's Preambles to Megillat Esther: Part 7
Rabbi Moshe Taragin | 17 minutesThis shiur explores linguistic and thematic parallels between Megillat Esther and the Book of Ezra. The two texts share similar events, motifs, and apparatus of recovery in situations of crisis - perhaps most significantly that of fasting. Ezra's confessional prayer seems to suggest that he derives inspiration and hope from God's Hand which, while hidden, is ever-present, as in the events of Megillat Esther.