The Secrets of Chumash with Rabbi Shnayor Burton Shnayor Burton

Why the Egyptians deified animals; how one's understanding of the human being determines one's stance on animals; how man's recognition that he is but an animal differentiates him from animals; fear of God and the Paschal Lamb.

This lecture is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation.

Highlights:

1:30 Why is the story of the Megillah framed as a narrative of Ahasuerus' kingship?
6:45 The focus on the hapless Persian king is meant ironically and reminds us that we long for a Davidic king
9:00 The prophet Hagai predicted the overthrow of the Persian Empire and the reinstitution of a Davidic monarch
11:30 2 potential ways for the Jews to return to Zion: under the rule of a Davidic king, independently, or under the rule of a Persian king
15:00 Haman's decree against the Jews of Judea and Jerusalem according to the book of Ezra
18:40 Two different perspectives on Haman's decree: Was the problem only that he wouldn't allow the Jews to rebuild the Temple, or was the problem that he declared genocide on the Jewish people?
24:30 Ahasuerus' concern about losing political power if he would allow the Jews to rebuild the Temple
26:00 The fickle positions of power of Mordechai and Esther
29:00 Mordechai sought peace and good for the Jewish people, but all while under the dominion of a Persian king
32:00 Overturning the Persian throne and the reversal that brought the Jews to rule over their enemies
35:40 The powerful Jew in the court of the idolatrous king doesn't guarantee safety