Let My People Know

"The Jewish response to Haman's story does not call for vengeance"

 

The Jewish response to Haman's story does not call for vengeance.

It wants to assure that these events will never be forgotten. 

The past is to serve as a warning for the future, even at times when reality seems to have completely changed. 

And on Purim we do the same things we did during the time of Haman: 

We forge ties among Jews by giving to the poor and by sending gifts to our friends.  

Finally, there is our reaction to anti-Semitism itself: we laugh.

–Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz
 
From an essay, "Purim  A Memorial Day for Anti-Semitism" by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz