Page 10 - Issue 21

with no direct divine presence, and that this is the world
in which we conduct our lives. This is why the heroes of
the Book are so close to us. Mordechai the Jew is more
similar to us than to Abraham, Moses, David or Samuel.
Of all the heroes of the Bible, he is the only one who does
not justify his actions with the winning argument “G-d told
me to.”

Our identification with the heroes of the Book does not
necessarily mean we like them or agree with their
actions. It is hard to like Mordechai, and in many parts of
the Book it is hard to warm up to Esther either. We get
angry with them, are disturbed by their behavior, doubt
their motives, argue with them; however, we are able to
do this precisely because they are so much like us. Our
attitude towards Abraham, for example, is totally
different. When we respond with shock to the story of the
Sacrifice of Isaac, we say: Despite hearing the command
of G-d, Abraham should have refused! You may, perhaps,
turn G-d down, but you cannot remove him from the
Sacrifice of Isaac story without emptying it of its meaning.
Anger over the divine command still accepts it as such.
Therefore, Abraham’s test is substantially different from
anything we will experience in our lives. Unlike Abraham,
Mordechai resembles us. Both he and ourselves have to
get along in the world, without direct commands from the
Almighty. Like us, the heroes of the Book have to solve
their problems, choose their path, distinguish good from
evil, and more – all by themselves. We may disagree with
their decisions, just as we do not always like our own; but
this is precisely what demonstrates the fact that we and
the heroes of the Book are playing on the same field.

Existentialism in Shushan