DNA vs. DNA

Purim has come and gone, but the teachings of the nefarious Haman have not disappeared. His poisonous message of Jew-hatred lingers on, and in fact has recently grown louder, exemplified by the newest libels: that Jews caused the pandemic, that Israeli Arabs are being denied the vaccine, that Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian babies. (There are reports at this writing that Israel is sharing its vaccines with its enemies in the Palestine Authority and in Gaza, but facts do not matter.)

The subject of anti-Semitism in general is a never-ending fountain of fascination, the subject of learned conferences, thick books, and erudite academic studies. Such a waste! One simple line in the Purim story helps unravel the mystery.

Haman’s speech to King Achashveirosh in Esther 3:1 is the veritable constitution of the anti-Semite, containing all you ever wanted to know about it. He describes a people (he doesn’t deign to name them) that is found “throughout the kingdom” — i.e., they have infiltrated every element of society. Furthermore, daseihem shonos mikol am — “their laws and ways are different from any other nation,” and they should be eliminated.

Haman is no fool, but his argument makes no sense: Why should it disturb him that Jews have different laws? If a people decides to follow their own special practices, is that a cause for genocide? Every people has its own laws that differ from those of other nations.