‘They tried to kill us, we won— let’s eat’ |
Mysh cartoon‘They tried to kill us, we won— let’s eat’. This is the way the legendary American comedian Alan King characterized Jewish holidays. Indeed, Purim, as recounted in the Book of Esther, celebrates deliverance from genocide. But how should one celebrate it when death and starvation continue in Gaza, and the holiday’s rhetoric—particularly the memory of the archetypal enemy Amalek—is being invoked by Israeli politicians responsible for the devastation?
Jewish tradition, as shaped by Rabbinic Judaism, abhors a literal reading of the Torah, even while considering it the holiest object in existence. This, in fact, is what distinguishes Jews from Karaites, who remain committed to literalism. One may offer various reasons for the rabbis’ insistence on interpreting biblical verses. They regard the text as timeless; to make it meaningful for future generations, it must be explained and decoded. This dynamic view of the eternal is reflected in the very term used for Jewish law—halakha—which derives from the root meaning “to move.” It may well be that the rabbis felt uneasy with literal readings and thus offered their own understandings of biblical verses. This approach rejects anachronism and fundamentalism, seeking instead to make the Torah a living source of inspiration.
Violence is not rare in biblical texts. The Pentateuch and several books of Prophets, such as Joshua and Judges, teem with violent imagery. From the genocidal command to wipe out the seven nations inhabiting the Promised Land to the obligation to blot out the memory of Amalek, numerous episodes appear to promote massacre. And even though the reality may have been less bloody, Biblical Israel was conquered under conditions that can hardly be described as peaceful.
Yet, far from glorifying war, Jewish tradition decisively deemphasizes military prowess as the principal reason for the victories mentioned in the Bible. After the Romans destroyed the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 1st century CE, Jewish life underwent a profound transformation. Viewed through the lens of Judaism, the destruction of Jerusalem defined the normative attitude toward force, resistance, and the Land of Israel for nearly two millennia.
Rather than promoting revenge, Jewish tradition encourages self-examination. After a calamity or misfortune, one is advised to examine and correct one’s own misdeeds (yfashpesh bemaasaw). This is supported by a biblical source read on the 9th of Av: “We will search and examine our ways and return to God.” This approach leads........