Ancient history/modern times
The ancient kingdom of Persia looms large in Jewish scripture. The Bible tells us two important tales, First we read about the Babylonian exile, circa 586-538 BCE, when Nebuchadnezzar II destroyed Jerusalem and Solomon’s Temple, but then Cyrus the Great of Persia defeated Babylon and allowed the Jews to return to Israel and rebuild the Temple. Next we read the Book of Esther. Esther was the Jewish girl who married the king of Persia. Esther and her Uncle Mordechai defeated the wicked vizier Haman and saved the Jews of Persia from certain death. Tomorrow is the Fast of Esther, the precursor to Tuesday’s holiday, Purim. On Purim Jews celebrate Esther’s victory and Haman’s defeat. The ancient country of Persia is the modern nation of Iran. Yesterday the US and Israel bombed Iran. Virtually all of the leaders of the evil regime are dead. Our leaders claim we have freed the people of Iran. I don’t know if that is true … I hope they have ...