(יב) וַיַּגִּ֣ידוּ לְמָרְדֳּכָ֔י אֵ֖ת דִּבְרֵ֥י אֶסְתֵּֽר׃ (פ) (יג) וַיֹּ֥אמֶר מָרְדֳּכַ֖י לְהָשִׁ֣יב אֶל־אֶסְתֵּ֑ר אַל־תְּדַמִּ֣י בְנַפְשֵׁ֔ךְ לְהִמָּלֵ֥ט בֵּית־הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ מִכָּל־הַיְּהוּדִֽים׃ (יד) כִּ֣י אִם־הַחֲרֵ֣שׁ תַּחֲרִישִׁי֮ בָּעֵ֣ת הַזֹּאת֒ רֶ֣וַח וְהַצָּלָ֞ה יַעֲמ֤וֹד לַיְּהוּדִים֙ מִמָּק֣וֹם אַחֵ֔ר וְאַ֥תְּ וּבֵית־אָבִ֖יךְ תֹּאבֵ֑דוּ וּמִ֣י יוֹדֵ֔עַ אִם־לְעֵ֣ת כָּזֹ֔את הִגַּ֖עַתְּ לַמַּלְכֽוּת׃ (טו)
(12) When Mordecai was told what Esther had said, (13) Mordecai had this message delivered to Esther:
“Do not imagine that you, of all the Judeans, will escape with your life by being in the king’s palace. (14) On the contrary, if you keep silent in this crisis, relief and deliverance will come to the Judeans from another quarter, while you and your father’s house will perish.
And who knows, perhaps you have attained to royal position for just such a crisis.”
Some questions for Havruta:
- What do you think of Mordecai's argument/s? How many are there? What is it/are they, in your own words?
- Do you think he is convincing?
- What might YOU have said if you were in his position?
- Can you think of a current situation for which these words might be particularly relevant? Perhaps reflect both on your own life as well as on current events generally and try to find some parallels.
- Who might Esther represent?
- What is "The Palace?"
- Who is Mordecai?
- The King?
- Haman?
- The Jews?
Pick one of the following quotes; Share how it speaks to you and try to relate it to something personal. Then copy and paste it into our Padlet wall accompanied by a picture and a brief not about why it caught your eye:
“We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.” — Elie Wiesel
“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” — Alice Walker
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” — Dr Martin Luther King Jr
The power of one man or woman doing the right thing for the right reason, and at the right time is the greatest influence in our society. --- Jack Kemp
We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced. --- Malala Yousafezi
