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Pragmatic Purim | Rabbi Shmuel Goldin | February 24th 2026
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We uh all inside I think.
Okay, we're going to start.
Let me first open by uh thanking Iris
Rothman for dedicating this year in
memory of father Yeescal Pesak Benedak
who was Nifar 33 years ago on Purim.
Remember him at this time.
>> I'm not being clear now. Better
>> that's better. All right, I was co too
close. Okay, the we're about to
deal with one of my favorite topics and
that is the festival of Purim.
It's one of my favorites because
you you probably realize by now that I
like to take things that are familiar
and find the depth within them or the
messages within them. I believe that
most of us understand Porum only
superficially and that the very
important messages that emerge from the
festival are are generally lost.
Let's take a look at uh the opening
riddle. But before we do that, I also
want to say that the material we're
covering today optimally would be over
two sharim,
but I'm going to try to fit it into one.
So, let's see if we can do it.
All right. So I'm going to start with an
opening riddle as we did last week. The
riddle has to do not with this year
but with years when purim takes place on
a leap year. Now a leap year has two
months of adar. Right? So the question
is the rabbis ask which month of adar do
you use? Do you use the first month or
the second month? And two it's in the
gabbor two possible opinions only two
can be two opinions are forwarded
the first one is rebelzario
who says one does not pass over mitzvot
you're not allowed to
you're not allowed to pass
you're not allowed to pass over mitzvote
and therefore it should be celebrated in
the first month of ador
along comes
and he says no no
it has to be celebrated in the second
month of ador [snorts]
to maintain proximity with the festival
of pesak and you have to wonder hold on
a minute why
these two festivals are very very
different aren't they one of them is
biblical one of them is rabbitic one of
them celebrates uh Jewish history in
totality one of them celebrates a
particular particular event. Why is it
that we are [clears throat]
um
ignoring what is a usual a usual rule?
The usual rule is you don't pass over a
mitzvah. Why are we ignoring that? To
keep porium in proximity to pes. Think
about it. We'll have an answer hopefully
by the end of the sh.
Now what we need to do is we need to peg
purm I believe as a paradigm
not just as an event a holiday that
celebrates its own event but a but a
that serves as a paradigm for the future
and the way to understand that is first
you have to take a look at where porm
occurs on the historical timeline of the
Jewish people. I have a very brief
timeline for you. If you look at section
nine, you'll see that Porim emerges
at a particular moment.
And that particular moment is when the
exile of force becomes an exile of
choice.
when the Babylonian exile has ended in
terms of being forced to stay in Babylon
and the opportunity to return to Erit
Israel has begun and as we know very few
made use of that opportunity most of
them stayed in Babylon now that's a
pivotal point in history and we're going
to talk why later but I just want to
point out when I say that porum is a
paradigm turn to page two
and you'll see that we have understood
Purum as a paradigm across the ages.
Every time a different community through
history suffered a very serious threat
and was miraculously redeemed or saved,
they had a day to celebrate it. And what
do they call it? Porm. So you have and
this is just a partial list. You have
the porm of anona of the bandits of
burglar of Cairo etc etc and you have
families who had purim of rabbanz
purim of rabman heler very important
figures in Jewish history but they
celebrated an event and they therefore
called it purim. Soaporeim now is
beginning to emerge as I said not as its
own celebration but as a celebration
that that sets the stage for similar
celebrations throughout history.
Now what I believe happens is the
following
Baraku turns to B Israel. I mean, I
don't know what he's thinking, but I I'm
going to suggest it. At the moment, when
most of them decide to stay in Babylon
and he says to them, "That's the world
you're choosing.
I'm going to show you what it's really
like. I'm going to show you what you are
opting to choose instead of going back
to Erit Israel."
and he creates an event which has a
number of particular features
that are specific to his message. And
what are those features? Let's take a
look one bottom of page two.
a turbulent uncertain vulnerable
experience
is one of the phrases that people take
out of the migilla. It's a song to make
it into a song. What is vinu
it overturned he means the opposite in
an instant
is saying your fate will change totally.
You can be celebrating in Akash Rosh's
palace one day and the next day you'll
be threatened with extermination
and it'll and this and this isn't only
specific to this moment or to this place
is saying it's going to happen over and
over again. Now given where we are and
our time now the concept of that kind of
turbulence
is the way we live our lives. What what
what's changed over the past number of
months you years specifically and
completely what isn't changed what's
going back what's happening here are we
fighting are we not fighting
everything is turbulent and that's the
first feature that aeshbu wants us to
realize
when we choose gulos when we choose the
option of remaining in in gulos and what
we should know I by the
is that it's also not a paradigm and
this is why it's important for us not
only a paradigm for individual
communities of gulos but it's a paradigm
for Israel within the community of
nations meaning when we deal with that
element when we deal with the outside
world with the community quote community
of nations the turbulence will be will
be there too and vinu you can't rely
what's who's going to be the next
president what's going to happen how's
it going to
Don't know don't you can't predict the
future. Next,
the second thing that is specific to
this moment in history is that and we've
spoken about this a bit before.
This marks the end of the prophetic era
of the national period. Basically what
happens when we get to the time of purim
about the time of purim
stops talking he doesn't tell us he
doesn't there's no
and what has to happen we have to find
god within the context of what happens
that the rabbis ask a very interesting
question that's a famous question they
say
how can I find in the Torah
a hint for to the con to Esther. Now,
wait a minute. Again, I'm a pushup shot
man. The the Torah was given centuries
before Esther was born. H why how would
why they want why would they want to
find or why would they think they can
find in the Torah text a hint or an
illusion to Esther? It makes no sense.
So, no. What's their answer?
God says there will come a point where I
will hide my face.
Esther a see the similarity between the
words. Aier means to hide. All right?
And therefore we have an illusion to
Esther. Now what are the rabbis saying?
Not just a game of words. It's a
statement. This is the time when God's
hiding his face. This is the moment when
God is saying, "Okay, you're on your
own." Now, that phrase refers to a real
hester upon him, which I was a kind of
events that took place during World War
II where God completely hid his face
from us. But nonetheless, he's hidden
now, too. Not in that to that extent,
but nonetheless. All right. One
considered, they weren't considered. No,
they're not Nim. No. Well, they're not
considered Naveim. And if they would be
considered Naveim, which I don't think
they we don't know why they have any
NVIR, right? In fact, let's remember
that in the migill
there is no mention of God.
Baraku does not appear once in the mill.
And that's part of this. That's because
Baraku is challenging Esther and Mori
and those who live at that time to find
him within the context of the events
that unfold which becomes our
responsibility throughout the years. So
there's no NVO at this point. Nava has
stopped.
The next thing I actually wrote about in
in the most recent Torah tidbits, but um
in case you didn't read it,
there is a statement that's made in the
Talmud that makes that's very very that
creates a lot of problems and that is
a person should become so intoxicated
that he can no longer discern the
difference between Mori. Blessed be
Mordei and cursed behav.
Wow. All right. So what does that mean?
And what before we even get let's talk
about the practicality. There are
numerous sources that indicate that that
does not to be taken literally to the
full extent. The Ram who is Moshe is the
Ashkanazic commentary on the Sh
commentary the Ashkanazic text of the
Shokan. In other words, he has notes in
the
he says one way of doing this is to
drink a little more than than usual and
fall asleep. And when you're asleep, you
won't know the difference between uh
Morai and Hmon. Certainly
uh certainly and I've would say this
over and over again the kind of excesses
that we see taking place for the
fulfillment of this particular statement
are
antithetical antithetical to what a what
aes wants. No question in my mind. I
mean we we usually go on pour him to my
sister in Harno
kids all over the young people drunk all
over throwing up in the street. This is
not what aesu wants from us. So so we
take this we not totally literally but
the real question is why does that
statement exist at all?
In other words,
why do the rabbis think that I should
get to a point where I can no longer
discern good from evil?
So the answer, I think, is they want us
to realize the nature of the world in
which we live.
It is a world of lies.
It's a world where the distinction
between good and evil
has disappeared.
Right. Uh terrorists become freedom
fighters, we become colonists. Uh just
go on and on and on. So
>> that's the way
>> what
>> there probably a zillion ways to do it.
But this way
>> well like I said, we don't I the Rama
would say yes, just drink a little more
and go to sleep. In other words, don't
become drunk. That's that's his and that
that I believe that's the way I handle
it. And and certainly in other words
what they're saying is you should get to
a point on Purim
where you feel the nature of the world
in which you live. And what's the nature
of the world in which you live? This is
the philosophical idea. What's the
nature of the world in which you live?
It's a world where the distinction
between good and evil
doesn't exist. And and you've got to
know it. You've got to see it. I saw
something very interesting. I heard I
forget who it was who was talking. He
said, "We have to stop
stop trying to make them like us."
Right? We have to stop because they're
not going to like us no matter what we
do. We just got to stop. We've got to do
what we need to do and we got to do it
with pride and those that will respect
us will respect us. But we've got to
stop thinking that, oh, if I do this act
of to the world, they're going to say,
oh, look at the great Jews. It's not
going to happen. Yes,
>> I would think that we should know the
difference between good and evil that
I'm born because we went to the banquet
of
etc, etc. that instead of not
understanding the world we live in we as
Jews
>> okay that's what we should do all okay
so I'll take the I'll repeat the
question the question is is this really
what we should do on purum and this
similar to your question is this really
what we should do on purim we should
purm specifically we should know the
difference so my answer to you is no
that's what we should do year round
every day every day we should know the
difference and we should be able to say
when somebody is saying a lie, you're
saying a lie. But we need to understand
that those lies exist. We need to
understand one day feel what it is like
to be in that world because that's the
world you're in. So that's a suggestion.
In other words, yes, we need to know
difference between good and evil, but
that's something that we should do every
day of our lives. Porm is unique. It's a
good question though. Yeah.
>> And you also say possibly the sun is now
that maybe it means connected to napu
that you should get drink a little so
that you finally understand a little
that the world could turn around in a
second.
>> All right. So what you're saying it
could become cursed and something else
could become.
>> Okay. No question about it. You're
saying this ties into theu idea which is
you live in a world that's turbulent
that's changes and that can be part of
this.
Okay, I'll take one more question and
then we got to move.
>> I learned that in the time that did the
that was when and got mixed up the same
thing with Ham.
>> That's very interesting. Very nice. Very
nice. All right. She for those in the
listening audience uh she said she's
suggesting that um tovara became confus
well there's a whole s way to understand
that I think but tovara dates back to
theas tovara and to kavo stepping over
the boundary and that's similar to this
>> yeah very good okay all right um finally
two more two more features.
A fragmented nation.
We should listen to our enemies
because they often tell us things that
we should realize. What does what does
Hmon say to Akash when he comes to him?
They are they're spread out. They're all
over the place. What does that mean?
they're not united. It means that you
they're vulnerable because they're not
together. And as a proof that this is
part of the message of Porim, Porm,
aside from Yomtoolio,
which is another issue in terms of its
inception is different strokes for
different folks, right? You celebrate it
one way in, you celebrate another way
outside. It's the only festival that and
the and the town the Mishna says that
there are even more possibilities
dependent on coming into the town for
the for this to to receive um supplies
etc etc. They could move it up to the
13th to the 14th different. This is the
only one. Right? So it's the it's
showing us how fragmented we've become.
>> What
>> we want to be he says. Very good. Saysar
correct. Correct. But that maybe he
maybe it's a Freudian slip. I don't
know. All right. Let's go to the to D.
Oh, that's D. Let's go to E. And this
one is is very very interesting. It's uh
the gamarra
doesn't has a conversation that almost
I'm going to be a little irreverent.
Seems like purm Torah. Why? What is
Let's go. What's the rule? [snorts]
The rule is that
cities that are walled or werewalled
celebrate Shushanpur. cities that were
unwalled celebrated.
Why is that? Why?
Because we want to remember Shushan
particularly because it was walled. And
since it was walled, a walled city like
Shushan should celebrate like Shushan.
Fine.
>> What?
>> The wall with
>> what?
>> That's how the wall was. The wall
>> the wall
>> was on the
>> Yeah, there was right in the
>> That's correct. All right. So that's
right. And in in the McGill, it talks
about those who are spread out outside
walls celebrate one way or those who now
issue.
>> Why is that an issue? We'll get to it.
Stay with me. So the Gomorrah asks a
question. The Gomorrah says, "At what
point in history does a city have to be
walled to be considered a walled city on
Porin?" So what would you suggest just
off the top of your head?
>> The time of what?
>> Time of poreim would make sense, right?
The time of porima would make sense.
Shushan, that's along come the rabbis
and say no and and that is one and that
is one opinion cited in the Gomorrah.
But the rabbis rule differently to the
other opinion. What's that? The city has
to be walled from the time of Yahushua.
But then the Gabar asks a question.
Shushan was not walled at the time of
Yahushua's conquest
and the Gomorrah answers Shushan's an
exception.
So think and that's why I say poor
because of the nays happening there. Now
as I said it it almost you're creating a
rule
in which the basis of the rule is the
exception to the rule. Right?
doesn't but what's the message
you should mark your time by Israel
you should even when you're in Golos
your eyes should be to Jerusaleim and if
we're going to decide when a should be
celebrated it'll be based on Israel and
when you conquered it not on Shushan and
so the very very powerful lesson that
emerges in that statement. Okay, now
we're going to go. Yeah, I'm sorry.
>> Yes, weed.
>> In time of Yeshua, we were united. Good
point. All right. Which is the
antithesis, right? So, maybe that's
another reason. All right. Very good.
>> Shushan.
>> Shushan. Where is Shushan? In Iran, I
think. [laughter]
>> Or Iraq. One or the other.
>> Iraq. Iraq.
>> Iran. All right. In fact, I think in
Iran there's there's a
the Kev that they say is a Kev of Mori,
>> right? So it's all right. So history is
coming back full circle, right? Okay.
Now I we're this is the second part. So,
so what we're suggesting now is that
there are features to this festival that
are specifically rise out of its point
in history and serve as a paradigm,
right, for what's going to happen over
and over again. Let's let's take all
questions and comments at the end
because now I got to move. Now, [snorts]
I believe also Hmon and Morai and Esther
and were real people, real story. It
happened. But they are also paradigms.
They are those four characters
are paradigms of people that we will be
or meet across history.
>> What? Let's start. Let's start with
Hmon.
All right. So, what did the rabbis say?
The me the migillas says homagogi
aogi.
All right. The agite. Now who is a go?
>> What? He was the last king of of Ammo
who was spared by Sha and then and Shal
remmonstrates him and he eventually
kills Zagog. But apparently at some
point there Aog had was able to
reproduce and Hmon is a descendant of
Aog. Now what is what is Hmon? What what
would you say? What how would you
describe Amoleik?
>> Incarnation of
>> what? Sorry.
>> Incarnation of evil. But even more than
that, hatred with no basis. Right? In
other words, right? Let's take a look.
And that's what look at what happens in
the migillo.
Morai is not bowing down.
A normal villain would say what? Hang
Mori.
How do you make the leap from Mori not
bowing down to kill them all? That's a
moch. That's a moch. A mole is
senseless, baseless hatred across time
that threatens the Jewish people. And
over and over again and that there's a
whole discussion about Amorite. Do we we
can't recall
speaks about the fact that if you look
at the sources, you cannot recognize an
Amalachite today biologically.
You can only recognize them
philosophically. In other words, there's
Amolech the physical and Amolech the the
psychological or philosophical.
And that's what's happened here. Now,
Morai, what's Morai the paradigm of?
>> He's a paradigm of the Jewish hero. He's
a Jewish hero, right? In other words, he
he says,
>> "That's right.
>> Can't b out." Now, let me ask you a
question.
What's the halo? If I live in a a a
country and there's a king,
do I bow down to the king or I don't bow
down to the king?
>> You do. You respect the government.
>> So what is Morai doing here? He is
going against what is normative it would
seem because the king is assigning this
guy to be his viceroy. So you should bow
down to him. And he's not only
>> the king.
>> No, he's not the king, but he's a he's
the appointed man of the king, the
government. If he wants you to bow down,
you bow down to him. So what's going on
here? So the answer is the Jewish hero
has to recognize the red lines
over which you can't cross.
And that's what's happening with Morai.
Mor is saying at whatever cost you don't
bow down to the likes of
and that's what's happening here and
that's why I say that he's the Jewish
hero because he's the paradigm of of
what what will be yes
>> doesn't change if it's a if it's a
situation of danger
>> yeah does at that point but at that
right changes when it's a time of
oppression but at the time when Morai
refuses to bow down. It's not an
oppressive moment and nothing's happened
that's oppressing the Jews and he and he
is putting in danger not only himself
but the entire Jewish world. So what's
going on here? So that is the fact you
can I some point I'm going to reach a
red line where even if it means my I'll
take comments at the end. All right.
Sorry. Um, even if even if it
I'll even if I lose my life, that's a
red line over which I can't cross. And
[clears throat] the people my nation has
to know that under any circumstances,
you don't bow down to the likes of Hmon.
All right. Now, finally, esther.
What is who is Esther the paradigm of?
Jewish heroine.
>> Jewish heroine. I think uh a little more
than that
sacrifice for her
>> the Jewish martyr.
She is the Jewish martyr. Let's
understand at the end of the Purim story
everybody is celebrating in Shushan,
right? Where's Esther?
>> She doesn't get she doesn't get out. And
that there's a point where where she
herself says,
"I'm I'm going to cross a line that I
won't be able to retract." When Morai
says to her, "You have to go to speak to
Akashro to save the Jews." And she says,
"No or whatever. I can't." And she says
finally agrees and she says
and the rabbis say you should have a
tear in your eye when you hear that.
What is avad? As I am lost to you Mori I
will be lost to to the world to the
Jewish world. And she becomes a Persian
queen. and and and we and we according
to some interpretations,
the king who allows us to return to
rebuild is really her son or her son is
somewhere in that line. But anyway, the
point being that that's that's the third
paradigm, the Jewish martyr. But now
we're going to get to my favorite Akash
Akash
is the rabbis have a debate.
The rabbis say one rabbi says in the
Gmorrah Akash was a tip was a fool the
way most of us understand him and the
other says no he was cunning as a fox.
We're going to take a look. I want to
show you the evil of Anakash veros.
Let's start.
Look at page uh part four on page five.
The the uh the messengers went out with
the with the news that you can at such
and such a date you can rise up and kill
the Jews, right?
Now, those words are very specific.
They're sitting down and having a party.
And what's happening outside,
not just the Jews are in turmoil,
meaning what? Everybody's in turmoil.
Why? Because think about it. Imagine
you're in a place where they say you can
kill the Jews on such and such a date a
couple of months from now. How do I deal
with my neighbor? Do I ask her for a cup
of sugar? She's going to kill me. What
what is the what is there? They are
everyone is upset. And what's the image
of Akash Ro? I'm partying in the I'm
partying in the palace. What happens
outside stays outside. Next. All right.
Vo Mori finds out about this vo.
He comes up into the gate of the king,
right? Because you can't go into the
gate. Bush sak.
What does that mean?
>> Keep it outside. You're in mourning.
Keep it outside. Your problem does not
come here. Keep going
by. All right. Peric. This the last
paragraph on page five. [snorts]
What does Esther first say to Morai when
Morai says you have to save the Jews?
She says,
she says,
"Anybody who appears before the king
that he didn't summon, what do you do?
It's he'll kill him unless you'll kill
that p the kill person will be killed
unless he extends his scepter." Wouldn't
it be nice to wake up in the morning and
say the only people I want to see today
are A, B, and C. If D shows up
off with their head, I I don't want to
see them. I I want to live in a world
where I am mandating who I see and under
what circumstance I see. So what's
emerging is a king who at all costs is
keeping things out. any any problem or
any sorrow is what outside the palace
and what's in the palace is this
fabricated environment
that I can control as king let's go on
take a look at the next page
next page okay the next one is is is
sort of a an aside but it is it is oh
basic ically it is perhaps another
indication
what happens when the king's asleep he
wakes up what what does he want to have
done read him bedtime stories come and
read come and read right king is so that
is an indication of something what I
believe it's an indication of is the
more you try to be like that where
you're trying to create your own
environment the more paranoid you become
and and then the more the more you've
got to work hard to make sure that
nothing happens.
Now take a look at the end and this to
me is the is the point in the migillo
where through a series of events the
real akash ro comes out what happens
there at the second party
and Esther says there is a person who
wants to destroy my people da da da
and he says me who's right who is this
person the a who Alo
lias.
Who is who is this man?
So what does Esther say? It's him. It's
Omar. What's the first thing the king
does?
>> He runs away.
He goes out of the room and he goes into
the garden. He gets Why? This is the
worst nightmare for him. This is this is
this is impossible. What? I've been
trying to keep all this outside and now
it's invading my palace.
He comes back in
and he sees Hmon
prostrating herself on the before Esther
and what and he turns to what does he
say to Hammon?
Are someone not only you're doing things
that she said but are you trying to
seduce my wife?
Now let's wait a minute.
Is there anyone who would suggest that
at that moment Hmon would really be
trying to seduce Esther?
Is there is is it possible that the king
really believes Hmon is trying to seduce
Esther? I don't think so. But what's he
doing? He is taking a global problem
and he's minimizing it to one person. As
long as I kill Hmon, you see that that
big problem is very hard to solve. I
can't. But I can deal with this, right?
And he re redefineses remakes the
problem. It's no longer Hmon's trying to
kill the Jews. It's hummons trying to
seduce my wife. I can handle that. I can
handle that. I can just get rid of her.
I'm sorry. Get rid of him. The miracle
is The miracle is that he doesn't get
rid of her. We'll get to that. So, what
happens?
She as soon as they hang Hmon,
Esther comes back.
And if you take a look at page number se
seven,
Esther spoke before the king. Joseph
Esther again before the king fell down
at his feet. Right?
Love
she cries and she begs.
She's she
what's happening here? What's happening
here is Akash Ro wants to stop the
issue. The issue is done. I killed Hmon.
The fact that Hmon is go made this
mandate and that I agreed to the mandate
to kill all the Jews.
That's not the issue.
And [snorts] Esther turns and she says,
"No,
I'm not going to leave you alone."
She begs and she pleads and it shows the
shows the depth of Akash's
philosophy that she has to plead this
way. Right? In other words, she should
typically be able to say, you know,
king, you didn't do what you're supposed
to. She's she has to beg
because Akash veros doesn't want to
[snorts] deal with it. So, Akash then so
then says what? Okay, I'll deal with it.
But there's a problem.
Any instruction that comes from the king
cannot be reversed.
Why? The king doesn't make mistakes,
right? King doesn't make mistakes.
So, what will I allow you to do?
I will allow you to fight back.
Now, wait a minute.
war.
>> Civil war on the streets of Shushon
throughout the empire. Civil war. And
what is Akashiro saying? As long as it's
there, as long as it's outside,
it's okay. It's okay. Kill yourselves.
You kill them. You kill them. Everything
will be fine. And and and that solves
the problem. So he is solving the
problem by mandating civil war in his
own country.
If that's not a a dimension of evil, I
don't know what is. What what is
emerging is the paradigm of a monarch
who, as I said, creates an insular
environment at the cost of keeping
everything out that that's that
threatens it and creates his own world.
and his own world can allow that to
happen. Can allow the his citizens to
kill each other as long as he isn't
touched. [snorts] And uh the um the
whole point of this is aasher ro I
believe if you ask me what aasher
is,
it's the world that did not help us
during
World War II. Okay.
>> It's the world that will allow
genocide to occur, real genocide in
Sudan
and and various other places in the
world and is doing nothing about it. But
when it comes to Israel, right? So this
is Hmon is the villain but Hmon could
not exist
unless he's in an Akash ro
and and therefore Akasho sets the sets
the stage and you have to realize that
you know everybody reads this but you
don't really think about it to realize
the depth of the evil of a king who
would say to his subjects go ahead and
kill each other. All right with me. Come
back. I'll I'm going to leave time
because I got time. Okay, let's go next.
This is this is a final frightening
reality. And again, this is something I
see in the middle. I'm not sure it's
right. But
what what happens when Mori comes to
Esther the first time?
What happens when Morai comes to Esther
the first time? She says, "I can't go."
Right?
>> [snorts]
>> How does Mori respond?
He responds,
"Don't think you're safe. Don't think
that the h people in Jews, someone in
like you in the house of the king will
be spared." And then he says
and perhaps this is the reason you
became queen.
But
I would that first argument don't think
you're safe.
I wouldn't think that Esther would think
she's in other words would Esther does
Morai really believe at this point that
Esther would ignore the danger to others
because she won't be safe. [snorts] Why
is he giving that argument as the first
argument? I think because and I may be
wrong. I think because he's afraid that
Esther's changed.
And that what happens what the McGill is
telling us is that if you live in the
world of Akash Ro, there are two two
possible problems or dangers.
One danger is you become a victim.
The other danger is you become a
perpetrator.
>> You become a perpetrator or you become
like them. You live it's like load and
sodom. You live in stone. You're going
to become a stomite. Whether you like it
or not, it's going to happen. And he's
afraid that that might have happened to
Esther. Turns out that it didn't. And it
turns out that she's retained her
identity. But the fact is that if he
even had an a inkling of a possibility
that she would have said, "Okay, I'm
safe. You guys worry about it yourself."
It's an indication that he thinks
perhaps
the time spent in the palace of Akash Ro
has changed by Esther. And that's a
possibility as well. And that's what I
call a frightening continuing reality.
Not only do we have to fight against a
world by fighting for justice against
injustice that we have to fight against
that world so that we don't become like
that world and that's very very
significant. Okay, I'm finished. I'll
take comments.