Rabbi Stiefel's Monthly Article

Current March 2025

Rabbi Sharon Stiefel

Perhaps it is for this very moment

            As we look ahead to this year’s celebration of Purim (evening March 13 – March 14), one line from Megillat Esther, the Scroll or Book of Esther, resonates with me. 

Haman has declared that he will kill all the Jews, without knowing that Queen Esther is Jewish. She has kept her Jewish identity secret. Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, wants Esther to plead with her husband, King Ahasuerus, to overturn Haman’s edict. Mordecai had instructed her to keep her Jewish identity hidden; now he is urging her to reveal it.

Esther is nervous. She has not been summoned to appear before the king. Any person who enters the king’s inner court without having been summoned, is condemned to death. Only if the king extends his golden scepter, will that person live. Esther risks death to go before the king.

            Mordecai counters Esther’s anxiety by arguing, “Who knows (Mi yode’a), if it wasn't for just such a time that you became queen?" 

            This is a turning point. Mordecai’s argument gives Esther the courage to set aside her fear and intervene on behalf of the Jews. Mordecai suggests that, perhaps everything up to now has been in preparation for this moment. He doesn’t know this for sure. Yet, he wants Esther to move forward as if she is sure of success. 

            How many times in our lives are we unsure of how to proceed? Granted, our decisions may not require us to approach a king unbidden. Yet often we underestimate the amount of agency we have. The Book of Esther’s message is that we need to recognize and leverage our power. Esther is both using and jeopardizing her power as queen to benefit others. 

            What would it mean for each of us to ask ourselves what we can do to effect change? This question cuts both ways. Maybe it won’t lead to what we seek. But maybe it will bring success. There is no certainty, (is there ever?) rather there is potential. Esther has her doubts. Mordecai gives her encouragement; the push to move forward.

In our time, we have recently seen a frightening series of government actions that appear to threaten our way of life. These actions have come so quickly and in such numbers that many of us were initially stunned and even silenced. But now a growing number of legislators, journalists and other national, state and local leaders are rising up and encouraging all of us to rise up and find ways to fight back.

            What can we do?

We can take action by contacting our legislators or even by volunteering for or contributing to campaigns of legislators who are committed to protecting us.

            We can take action by joining in demonstrations signaling mass dissatisfaction and anger over what has and is happening.

            We can take action by donating to trusted non-profit media that refuse to report misinformation and provide accurate news.

            We can take action by contributing to groups involved with reproductive justice, climate change, migrant rights and LGBTQ+ civil rights that are threatened with defunding or by volunteering to help them continue fulfilling their missions.    

We can take action by contributing to organizations that are taking legal action with the dozens, maybe hundreds, of lawsuits being filed. 

Recently, Senator Corey Booker said, “The power of the people is greater than the people in power. The most common way people surrender their power is not realizing they have it in the first place.” Mordechai couldn’t have phrased this more effectively.