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From Rav Claudia's Shabbat Vayikra/Zachor/Purim Message...
"How do we approach Purim this year in the aftermath of October 7th? How can we celebrate, joyfully, in costumes and with levity as we usually do, when we are still mourning the terrible tragedy perpetrated by Hamas. When we have faced this most horrible attack on the people in Israel, when we see a rise of antisemitism also in our midst. How can we celebrate this Purim, with the blood still fresh, 134 Israeli hostages still in Gaza, most Gaza residents displaced from their homes, and the cycle of trauma-driven hate and violence spinning further out of control? How do we face evil? How do we respond? Perhaps, as Rabbis Amichai Lau-Lavie and Rachel Timoner suggest in their opinion piece in the Forward (which I strongly recommend), this holiday needs to be re-imagined for this year, and perhaps in years going forward. We have to examine it with moral clarity, and with the understanding that the story of the Megillah must be read more as a cautionary tale and not as a goal."
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