Purim, Prayer and the Courage to Act |
In its recent letter, Agudath Israel of America calls upon Jews everywhere to respond to the current crisis by intensifying tefillah. “At this critical and historic hour,” the letter states, “our primary response must be spiritual.” While prayer is undeniably vital, the letter notably omits mention of the brave soldiers standing on the front lines, putting their lives at risk to defend our people. To frame the response as purely spiritual risks overlooking the very individuals whose courage and action embody the Purim model of faith in motion.
There is deep truth in the message about tefillah. The Ramban famously teaches that while our daily prayers are rabbinic in origin, there is a Torah obligation to cry out to God specifically in times of crisis. When we are endangered, when events feel beyond our control, the Torah commands us to turn to........