The notion that we are in control of pretty much anything is disproven over and over again. I imagine you are feeling very uncomfortable right now. That makes sense to me, because humans want to be in control. It helps us make sense of our purpose on this earth. That we have something to contribute.

But if you think about the results of your choices, follow any one of them to its results, it’ll be clear that so many things need to happen that are out of your control to ensure the result is what you intended.

Take something as simple as driving from point A to point B (carpool, grocery shopping, airport); you’d like to arrive at a certain time so you plan to leave at a certain time. How many things could go wrong or rather how many things need to go right for you to actually leave on time? How many things can happen along the way to prevent you getting there on time? Red lights, traffic, car accidents, spilling your coffee…

The truth is that the random is the most not random. In the random we can’t convince ourselves that we are in control. “That’s just not possible!” There is a recognition that there is something else at play.

Again the human mind wants to make sense of it, so we attribute it to chances of nature (science) or some superior brain (a genius figured that out).

When we start looking at our story as a Jewish People we can see this tension even more expressed.

Our history has shown efforts in every generation to try to control the situation. Sometimes even successfully. Jews in high places, government officials, advisors to leaders, and so on.

Our history has also shown that it doesn’t help. Simply put, we are here again “in every generation they rise up against us…”.

Haman drew a lottery (Pur = Lottery = Purim) to determine when to eliminate the Jews. He understood that the Jewish People are a supra rational people, so he attempted to be victorious in a most supra rational manner. Leave the day of destruction to “chance” not control.

He got pretty close.

The problem with this approach is that our supra rational nature also plugs us into the supra rational within G-d Himself. I.e. Just as G- d has dimensions that manifest in nature and dimensions that are transcendent, the Jewish People originate in the deepest dimensions of G-d. So, no one, no rational thinking even one the rationalizes the supra rational can succeed at affecting that.

Dear friends, we are in that place again. The attempt to disqualify and vilify the Jews is clearly being perpetrated in an attempt to throw us to the supra rational and bring our downfall that way.

“But Hashem saves us from their hands”. The Megillah tells us that these days are repeated in every generation. We prevailed and we shall prevail. It is our story. It is our legacy.

Don’t be despondent. Be strong. Be Proud! Like Mordechai and Esther and the Jews of Ancient Persia. We have Hashem on our side.

Let’s celebrate this. In full color! I hope to see you at one of our Purim celebrations. www.chabadintown.org/purim.

Am Yisrael Chai.

Good Shabbos!