May 12, 2008 Chosen Words: A newsletter for personal and spiritual growth gleaned from classic biblical and other sources that will help you enhance your day to day life. Likely the most constructive three minutes you will spend today Mark Steyn: Israel's 'doom' could also be Europe's JWisdom: Holocaust in the Perspective of Faith by Rabbi Nosson Scherman: When Faith Meets Fate, Part One May 9, 2008 Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: Reverence, Yes; Worship, No Mona Charen: Did Israel Drive Out the Arabs 60 Years Ago? JWisdom: Ultimate opportunities by Rabbi Sroy Levitansky May 8, 2008 Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Israel at 3,500+ Jonathan Tobin: Still Fighting the Same War Steven Plaut: How ‘nakba’ proves the fiction of a Palestinian Nation JWisdom: Taking Israel for Granted? by Rabbi Mordechai Becher May 7, 2008 Rabbi Hillel Goldberg: Israel is irrelevant to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Dion Nissenbaum: Latest Olmert scandal could derail efforts to force Israel's compromises JWisdom: My Inner Ventriloquist by Sara Yoheved Rigler May 6, 2008 Caroline B. Glick: Anti-Zionism at 60 The Kosher Gourmet By Ethel G. Hofman: In honor of Israel's 60th anniversary, the former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with a smorgasbord featuring the taste and essence of the Jewish homeland JWisdom: Holocaust in the Perspective of Faith by Rabbi Nosson Scherman: Jewish Deer in Nazi Headlights May 5, 2008 The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Busy work Jonathan Mark: Remarkable half-century old Mike Wallace interview with Abba Eban puts current anti-Israel sentiment into perspective May 2, 2008 Rabbi Berel Wein: Rote religiosity Caroline B. Glick: Whitewashing Hamas JWisdom: Parent trap? May 1, 2008 David Zwiebel: Faith communities can learn from Orthodox Jews in stimulating private philanthropy for religious education George Friedman and Peter Zeihan of Stratfor: The Shift Toward an Israeli-Syrian Agreement JWisdom: It's time to wake up by Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis April 30, 2008 Jonathan Tobin: Pennsylvania's Democratic slugfest may leave some Jewish votes up for grabs The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: Fresh herbs, sauteed veal and tiny creamer potatoes makes a light spring dinner JWisdom: How to Build a Mentch by Rabbi Mordechai Becher April 29, 2008 Daniel Pipes: Barack Obama's Muslim Childhood Joel Brinkley: On human rights, the U.N. once again strikes out JWisdom: Holocaust in the Perspective of Faith by Rabbi Nosson Scherman: When The Truth is Unbelievable April 28, 2008 The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Q: I'm often stuck in the doctor's waiting room for hours! Doesn't he owe me something for my wasted time? Steven Emerson: New U.S. government policy advises agencies to avoid using some of the very same words that make up terror groups' names JWisdom: Why You & I Never Die: A Jewish View of Immortality, Part I by Rabbi David Aaron April 25, 2008 Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg: Schadenfreude isn't kosher for Passover --- or at any other time Rabbi Berel Wein: The secret of how the data bank of memory is transferred from one generation to the next JWisdom: Stepping Up to A Higher Spiritual Life by Rabbi Lawrence Kelemen, Part III April 24, 2008 Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: The successful failure Fred Burton and Scott Stewart of Stratfor: Placing the terrorist threat to the food supply in perspective JWisdom: Stepping Up to A Higher Spiritual Life by Rabbi Lawrence Kelemen, Part II April 23, 2008 Connie Ogle: An intricate game of a novel Jonathan Tobin: Making Sense of the 'J Street' Jive JWisdom: Stepping Up to A Higher Spiritual Life by Rabbi Lawrence Kelemen April 22, 2008 Jonathan Rosenblum: Why Israel's 'Leaven law' matters Caroline B. Glick: Obama the Savior April 18, 2008 Rabbi Harvey Belovski: Multimedia tool of antiquity Caroline B. Glick: Revealed Truths vs. revealed lies JWisdom: More than miracles by Rabbi Sroy Levitansky April 17, 2008 Rabbi Avi Shafran: Deconstructing Dayeinu Rabbi Elazar Meisels: Is innovation at the Seder a slap at tradition? JWisdom: Discovering Your Divine Mission, Part III by Rabbi David Aaron April 16, 2008 Jonathan Tobin: A Prayer for Sderot's Children Ethel G. Hofman: Sumptuous Seder JWisdom: The Divine is in the details by Rabbi Mordechai Becher April 15, 2008 Rabbi Dovid Zauderer: Let Charlton Heston Go! Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Jimma, tyranny's enabler JWisdom: Relationships: Beyond Mars & Venus, Part IV by Dr. Lisa Aiken April 14, 2008 The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: The Snitching Supervisor Jonathan Tobin: Forget the Fun and Games! JWisdom: Sincerity is Valued Most by Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D. April 11, 2008 Rabbi David Gutterman: A Mystery in the Middle East Caroline B. Glick: Why Ahmadinejad smiles JWisdom: Elevated illness by Rabbi Sroy Levitansky April 10, 2008 Stratfor Intelligence Briefing by George Friedman: A Mystery in the Middle East The Kosher Gourmet By Steve Petusevsky: The spring elegance of asparagus JWisdom: Holocaust in the Perspective of Faith by Rabbi Nosson Scherman: The Power of Rational Lies April 9, 2008 Michael Feldberg: An all but forgotten Colonial doctor who put his Jewish values before his life Jordan "Gorf" Gorfinkel's "Everything's Relative" gets philosophical JWisdom: Four Rabbis in Bnei Brak by Rabbi Mordechai Becher April 8, 2008 Caroline Glick: Covering for the enemy Elliot B. Gertel: 'House' goes Hasidic JWisdom: Relationships: Beyond Mars & Venus, Part III by Dr. Lisa Aiken April 7, 2008 The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Q: I have a translating business. Recently someone asked me to translate some financial documents that are clearly forged. Should I agree? Jonathan Rosenblum : Israel is unwittingly helping to fuel the international campaign of delegitimization against it JWisdom: Matzah and leaven as a life philosophy by Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D. April 4, 2008 Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: The Mystery of Suffering Caroline B. Glick: Fear of democracy JWisdom: Dirty Jews by Rabbi Sroy Levitansky April 3, 2008 Rabbi Y. Y. Rubinstein: Parents --- and the children who would be them The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Manweiler: Tempted by restaurant dressings? Don't be. Here are recipes that can be made at home, healthier! JWisdom: The importance of retaining a 'slave mentality' by Rabbi Mordechai Becher April 2, 2008 Mitch Albom: Child abuse, disguised as faith Jonathan Tobin: Unreasonable Accommodations JWisdom: Holocaust in the Perspective of Faith with Rabbi Nosson Scherman: Eliminating Jewish Influence over Germans March 22, 2007 J-Rhythms with Avraham Rosenblum: JWR's cutting-edge music program showcasing performers -- singers, song writers, musicians, and bands -- who learn and live the Torah lifestyle (OUR NEWEST IGODCAST !) Oct. 29, 2003 Mortimer B. Zuckerman: Graffiti On History's Walls (MUST-READ!)

Jewish World Review March 25, 2005 / 14 Adar II, 5765 Making fun of the scoffers By Jonathan Rosenblum http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Purim celebrates the triumph of the Jewish people over Haman. That triumph presages the destruction at the end of time of Amalek, from whom Haman descends. Amalek is the antithesis of the Jewish people, and that is why his end must be destruction: "Amalek is the first of the nations, and his end is destruction" (Numbers 24:20). Amalek was the first of the nation to engage the Jewish people in battle upon our exodus from Egypt, and G-d's full revelation in history is only complete with his destruction. Amalek personifies the quality of scoffing. He attributes importance to nothing. Life does not exist for him beyond the immediate moment. The Jewish people, by contrast, are defined by their relationship with a transcendental G-d, Who imbues every moment with meaning. Esau, Amalek's grandfather, sold his birthright for a pot of lentils because the divine service that went with the birthright meant nothing to him: "And he ate and drank and got up and went and despised the birthright" (Genesis 25:34). The series of short, active verbs, in rapid fire succession capture Esav — all action and no reflection. He was little more than an animal fulfilling his instincts. At the culmination of his wrestling match with the guardian angel of Esau, Jacob asks the angel his name, and the angel replies, "Why do you ask me my name?" The angel of Esau was not following the time-honored Jewish custom of answering a question with a question, but rather saying, "I have no name, no essence. I represent a world where all values are transitory and provisional." A child asks her mother, what she should want to be when she grows up, and the mother responds, "Good-looking, popular, rich, and powerful." But when the child probes further, the mother can do no better than to cut her off curtly, "Because everyone wants those things." The mother's inability to point to any standard other than popular opinion mimics the inability of the angel of Esau to define his essence. Until Amalek attacked Israel, all the nations trembled before Israel, for they had heard of the miracles G-d did on their behalf. But once Amalek attacked, the awe of Israel and their G-d was diminished. Though Amalek was routed, others came in his place, reasoning that it was only a matter of adopting better tactics. Thus our Sages compare Amalek to one who jumps into a boiling bath: Even though he is scalded, he cools off the bath for all who come after him. Amalek cut off the sign of the covenant between G-d and Abraham from the Jews he killed and cast it towards Heaven, as if to deny the existence of a transcendant G-d by mocking His covenant. Amalek's descendant Haman was a scoffer in the same mold. According to the Midrash, when he first proposed to Achashverosh to destroy the entire Jewish people, the latter warned him that it was dangerous to start up with the Jewish people and their G-d. Witness the horrible end that came to Pharoah, Sancheriv, and Nebuchanezar. Haman mockingly replied, "Their G-d has grown old." ON PURIM WE PERMIT ourselves a degree of levity unequaled during the rest of the year. Yet even our drunkenness has (or at least should have) nothing to do with the light-headedness of the normal drunk. "Wine enters and secrets go out," say our Sages. Both the Hebrew for wine (yai'in) and secret (sod) have the numerical value of seventy, equal to the seventy faces of the Torah. Externally, the laughter of the day appears to be the same as that of the scoffer. But it is, in truth, the opposite. Our scoffing is directed at the scoffers, at all those who view life as merely marking time and stimulating the nerve endings at Esau/Amalek/Haman. The scoffer trivializes life and denies it meaning. By turning our laughter on the scoffers, we thereby affirm the importance of life. The scoffer can never redeem himself because he is immune to reproof. Effective reproof depends on an appeal to some ultimate values. But that is precisely what the scoffer denies. Thus Amalek has no possibility of salvation at the end of days. Destruction is his fate, just as it was Haman's. At that final Revelation of the meaning of all human history, when all the Amaleks and Hamans are destroyed forever, then we will finally give vent to the laughter foreshadowed in our laughter on Purim. Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes uplifting articles. Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here. JWR contributor Jonathan Rosenblum is Israeli director of Am Echad. To comment, please click here. © 2005, Jonathan Rosenblum