As told in the Biblical Book of Esther, the lives of Jewish people in 127 provinces, from India to Ethiopia, were miraculously saved from the hands of Haman who vowed to exterminate the Jewish nation. Each year at this time, Jews around the world celebrate Purim to remember the miracle that allowed the Jews to defend themselves against their enemies.
The life-saving Purim miracle that the Jewish people experienced 2,400 years ago is echoed in today’s news. A review of recent news stories proves that God is still protecting and saving His people today.
Rescue of Jews from Yemen
Ongoing civil war in Muslim Yemen, one of the most violent countries in the Middle East, left the small Jewish community vulnerable. Through secret airlifts from Yemen to Israel, a few hundred members of the community have been rescued. This week, a group of nearly 20 Yemenite Jews, the last to be evacuated, landed in Israel, along with a Torah scroll that is believed to be at least 500 years old.
Collapse of Terror Tunnels in Gaza
Over the past several weeks, multiple tunnels built to attack and kill the Jews of Israel have collapsed under suspicious circumstances. Some say that a lone rabbi standing near the border between Gaza and Israel and praying for God’s help, is yielding substantial miracles.
One such tunnel collapsed in Khan Younis last week, injuring two and resulting in five missing Hamas terrorists. In a separate incident, a huge gas explosion in Gaza earlier this week led Egyptian officials to discover 50 other secret tunnels between Gaza and the Egyptian side of the Arab city of Rafiah.
Crises Averted and Terrorists Neutralized
Nearly every day, there are news reports of attempted stabbings and car rammings throughout Israel. Although, regrettably, there have been nearly three dozen fatalities and many more with serious injuries, there are also daily inspirational stories of escape. For instance, on March 11, an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by a masked terrorist exploded near the southern city of Otniel just as an Israeli woman drove by. The car was lightly damaged and the driver escaped without injury.
Even in cases where the terrorists injure or even murder Jews, the perpetrators rarely escape and are most often neutralized.
Jonathan Pollard Released at the Beginning of the Jubilee
After 30 years behind bars, Jonathan Pollard was finally released this past November, just as the Shmittah (Sabbatical) year ended. Pollard is a Jewish citizen of the United Stated who was convicted of spying for Israel. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. For decades, Jews and non-Jews alike all across the world prayed for his release. As his physical health deteriorated in prison, prayers for his release increased.
In these and similar stories, when we look at the news with Bible-based vision, we can see that, just as in the time of the Purim miracle, God is still involved in saving lives on a regular basis.
Arguably, the greatest modern Purim miracle of all is the simple fact that the Jewish people survive and Israel thrives, even in the midst of daily danger and threats to its existence.
Speaking to Breaking Israel News, popular author and lecturer Rabbi Shimon Apisdorf reminds emphasizes God’s hand in the everyday saying, “Iran wants to nuke us. Obama doesn’t mind assisting them. Europe wants to boycott us. There is a knife-car intifada raging in our streets, we are a fractured society, etc. etc etc. And yet, it turns out we are the 11th happiest country in the world, ahead of the US and every European country, ahead of China, India, Japan, and the entire Muslim world. Jewish-Israeli resilience is an absolute miracle!”
