King Achashveirosh
Threw a party
With every type of wine
To celebrate the passing
Of the 70-year deadline;
The prophecy of salvation
Would never come to be,
The G-d of the Jews had forgotten them,
Left them adrift at sea.
Sacred vessels
From the Beis HaMikdash,
Prized among his plundered things,
Vestments of the K’hunah
Worn by the drunken king.
The first Persian king Koresh
Had the wisdom to discern,
Gave the exiled Jews
The right to return
To Israel, rebuild the Temple,
Answer G-d’s call to redemption;
But they shelved it,
Kept it in mind
As an eventual intention.
Fading into Persian culture
Caused the Jews of Shushan
To become prey
For the teeth
Of the wicked Haman.
The Jews are the most
Brazen of all the nations,
A quality needed
In many situations
To keep the Torah,
Steadfastly maintain our values;
Boldness is the course
We sometimes must choose.
King Shaul, of the tribe of Benjamin,
Was bashful and humble –
These traits, though usually noble,
Caused King Shaul to stumble;
His descendant, Esther,
Was at first, reticent and quiet,
But sprang forward like a leopard,
Heard the call and didn’t deny it.
Declared a fast on Pesach,
Bravely approached the crown,
Righted King Shaul’s error
When she took Amaleik down.
Sometimes HaKadosh Baruch Hu
Asks us to walk the line,
Face down our worst antagonist
Before we see a sign;
Sometimes G-d turns His face from us
When we turn away from Him,
But HaKadosh Baruch Hu
Always comes through
As when He saved us on Purim.
By Sharon Marcus
