The Dawn: Political Teachings of the Book of Esther

Important lessons for our time This riveting and informative work is highly relevant for our time, now that the shadows are lengthening and the dragon of Antisemitism is resurgent. It deals with faith and politics, and with religion in an era when there are no prophets, when miracles have ceased and the survival of the Jewish people depends on the belief and courage of the individual. In this way it opens up the political dynamics of the scriptural narrative into teachings that are of cardinal importance for our day. The Book of Esther presents to the reader a choice between two antithetical conditions: the one a nightmare of impotence and destruction, the other a political choice to act in defense of the Hebrew nation and how it may be done in practice. The narrative of Esther deals with historical, religious, psychological and theological matters and provides answers to relevant questions. In this regard, please also consult Jews and Power by Ruth R Wisse. Hazony claims that contrary to popular opinion, the plot does not unfold according to "luck" or "coincidence", but succeeds by virtue of Mordechai and Esther's understanding of the principles of politics, their courage and their faith in a seemingly godless world. The author does a splendid job of explaining these teachings which demand our attention more than ever today. He does this without once referring to the hidden codes or acrostics in the book, about which he cannot be ignorant. Each chapter is introduced by a chapter from the Book of Esther which is then discussed in fascinating and illuminating detail as regards the characters, their motivations, the twists and turns of the plot, the options available and the choices that had to be made. The author draws on Talmudic commentary throughout for additional insights. There is not enough space in a short review to fully do justice to the myriad lessons and insights into politics and human nature contained in this wonderful book. Gems of wisdom and meaningful allusion are found on every page, but it is important to be aware of the everlasting hatred of Amalek and the way it manifests in every generation. Moreover, it hurts not only the Jews but brings unspeakable suffering to all people in all cultures where it is allowed to pursue its path of murder & destruction. It is therefore incumbent upon both Jew and Gentile to oppose it. The spirit of Amalek is that same spirit of totalitarianism that made the 20th century an era of so much death and suffering. See A Century of Horrors by Alain Besançon. One of the significant lessons of Esther is that God's apparent absence does not need to induce despair and defeat. Mordechai and Esther prove that even in the bleak condition of dispersion, the most horrible of evils can be opposed and overcome as long as people themselves are willing to take the initiative. Mankind must be instrumental in bringing God's peace and justice into the world. Ether and Mordechai repeatedly chose to ri

According to Rava's dictum, the Jews accepted the Tora twice, once at Sinai, where they HAD to accept it, and again, in Persian diaspora, "in the days of Ahashverosh," where they CHOSE to accept it. Hazony examines Rava's dictum with respect to Esther as he breaks away from its traditional interpretation, where the enemy (Haman) fails in his conspiracy to destroy the Jews, and he himself and the rest of anti-Semites are destroyed because of a series of minor miracles. Instead, Hazony discovers a simple and effective theory to manage political processes and a pragmatic methodology to achieve power, which Esther and Mordechai applied systematically to beat despair, avoid defeat, and achieve their fantastic victory in spite of God's absence. Hazony shows how Mordechai and Esther saw God's justice and peace even though it was not handed to them; they built it, using three principles of action: (1) The principle of investment, or positioning, familiar to every chess player from Nimtzovich's "The Praxis of My System" and to every reader of Machiaveli's "The Prince"; (2) The principle of boldness, so colorfully argued by Machiavelli two thousand years later: "...fortune is a woman...; and it can be seen that she lets herself be overcome by the bold rather than by those who proceed coldly;" and (3) The principle of faith, which places Mordechai's political theory above Machiavelli's: "Do not think you will escape because you are not a Jew. Deliverance will come." If we do our part, God will do his. "In the great Hebrew tale of the formation of the world and its abandonment, as it seems, by its maker, Esther ranks barely as a postscript," writes Hazony. Then he shows, in this beautifully written and absorbing book, how Esther is the classic text of Jewish continuity and a pragmatic guide for modern politics. Yuval Lirov, Medical Billing Networks and Processes - Profitable and Compliant Revenue Cycle Management in the Internet Age

This book is must reading for anyone intereted in the political process as well anyone interested in the Bible. Author Yoram Hazony demonstrates not only excellent research skills and a good understanding of history but also a logical, clear-thinking mind combined with a healthy dose of common sense (which, as Voltaire once said, is not all that common). Having also read Mr. Hazony's other book, The Jewish State, I can only conclude the State of Israel is fortunate to have people with his degree of wisdom. In fact, I believe he would make an excellent prime minister.

After studying the Book of Esther in so many different educational settings, I had never learned so much about the story as I did from this book. I especially admire Hazony's logical analysis of the sequence of events through a careful study of the language and subtlety of the text. He brings the world and milieu of ancient Persia to life, while at the same time making the story as interesting as a modern tale of power, greed, and heroism. Aside from that, Hazony proves to be not only an excellent writer and scholar, but a truly wise thinker as well. The lessons he takes from the story are ones that I would hope inspire our leaders today.

In this beautifully organized book, the old story of Mordecai and Esther's successful plot to defend their people from destruction is given new perspective. Recognizing an intolerable evil in the new vizier, Haman, Mordecai takes decisive action when he calculates he has a good chance of succeeding. The book analyzes from the original text the political situation in ancient Persia and the predicament of the Jews. Explaining the motivations of the participants in this extraordinary twisting of fates, the author breathes new life in a story whose details many people take for granted. Realpolitik, idolatry and faith are interwoven themes in all history and play a major role in the Esther story. The lesson to be learned is that one must recognize evil and take a proactive, though thoughtfully planned, stance against it. The sense of empowerment one learns from this commentary makes this required reading for any student of history, especially those familiar with the Megillah. A pity this sense of empowerment was so lacking in the Holocaust period.