Irena Sendler was just a social worker in Warsaw, Poland but when the Nazis confined nearly 400,000 Jews to the Warsaw Ghetto, she refused to stand by as innocent lives were condemned to suffering. Under the guise of her official duties, she employed ingenious methods to smuggle children out of the ghetto—using ambulances, concealed compartments and hiding places like toolboxes and secret panels. Once rescued, the children were placed with sympathetic Polish families, convents and orphanages. Irena meticulously recorded the children’s true names and personal details on coded lists, hiding these records in safe places, such as glass jars buried in the ground, so that, one day, their lost families might be reunited.
Despite the constant danger, Irena’s determination led to the rescue of approximately 2,500 Jewish children. In 1943, the Gestapo arrested Irena and subjected her to brutal torture to extract information about her network. Even while enduring severe injuries, she never betrayed the identities of the children or those who helped her. With the assistance of the Polish resistance, she managed a daring escape from prison on the day she was slated to be executed. Irena Sendler’s heroism serves as a testament to the power of taking decisive action in the face of unimaginable peril.
In the Purim story, after Haman’s edict to annihilate all the Jews ancient Persia is announced, Mordecai goes to Queen Esther for help. He shows Esther a copy of Haman’s decree and asks her to go before King Achashverosh to plead the case of her brethren. Esther tells Mordechai she cannot simply appear before the King unsummoned and that she has not been called to the King’s chambers for 30 days. When Mordechai hears Esther’s hesitancy, he famously responds: “If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another place…and who knows, perhaps you became royalty for this very moment” (Megillat Esther 4:13). Immediately upon hearing this, Esther springs into action. She tells Mordechai to gather the Jews of Shushan to fast on her behalf and executes a plan which ultimately turns the tables in favor of the Jews.
What is it about Mordechai’s statement that motivates Esther to act? By saying, “relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another place,” he seems to be letting Esther off the hook! If Mordechai’s goal was to inspire Esther to act, why would he tell her that if she failed to do her part, God would save the Jewish people anyway?
Mordechai was a man of faith. He believed God would never allow the Jewish people to be destroyed but by telling Esther: who knows, perhaps you became royalty for this very moment, he was teaching Esther that by embracing her situation she could fulfill the very purpose of her becoming Queen.
“…who knows, perhaps you became royalty for this very moment” is a phrase that should resonate with each of us. Even if we aren’t kings or queens, we are all placed in certain environments and situations, and we all have a specific purpose and mission in this world. That mission is different for each of us, and we are therefore placed in different circumstances to accomplish that purpose.
The Ramchal (Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato, 1707–1746, Padua, Italy) wrote that every person’s life predicament is their challenge. A poor person is tested to see if he can be satisfied with little, while a rich person is challenged to remain compassionate toward the less fortunate. Each of us enters the world with unique strengths and weaknesses, and the situations we face provide the opportunities needed to perfect our deficiencies and develop our potential.
But we must act. Simply being in a situation isn’t enough. To grow into the people we were meant to be, we must seize the moment and take action. Mordechai was telling Esther that while she had been elevated to the position of queen, the spiritual perfection available to her could only be realized if she boldly interceded on behalf of her people.
Irena Sendler was just a social worker in Warsaw, but she seized upon the opportunity her unique circumstances presented. In doing so, she not only saved countless Jewish lives, but she may also have fulfilled her own divine purpose.
We may, for example, find ourselves in a seemingly no-win situation at work, but perhaps we are meant to be there to be challenged or to meet someone who changes our lives. I have a classmate from law school who hated his first job—except for the opportunity it gave him to meet a new co-worker. My classmate, who was Sabbath observant, invited this co-worker to his home for a Shabbat meal. The co-worker, who had never experienced Shabbat, loved it and returned for more. Soon, they became friends and began studying Torah together. Within a year, my classmate left the firm, yet his co-worker eventually embraced Shabbat observance. That may not have been why my friend took the job, but perhaps it was exactly why he was meant to be there—even if only for that time.
The lesson of Purim is that there are no coincidences in life. The word “Purim” comes from pur, meaning lottery—referring to how Haman determined the day to annihilate the Jews by casting lots. Life may often feel random, yet the message of Purim is that everything happens for a reason. Our task is to recognize the opportunities for growth around us and, like Esther, seize those moments to actualize our unique potential.
Happy Purim!
Rabbi Mark Wildes, founder, Manhattan Jewish Experience (MJE), a highly successful Jewish outreach program which engages 20’s/30’s in Jewish life and which has facilitated 383 marriages.
