Israel’s Protection and Purim

IFCJ Canada  |  February 24, 2026

Shalom, my friends from here in Israel. Rosh Chodesh Adar commenced last week. That means it was the first day of the Hebrew month of Adar. And do you know what happened in the month of Adar? We celebrate the holiday of Purim. And the whole story of Purim is eerily similar to what we’re seeing happening exactly today. The story of Purim took place in Persia, which is modern day Iran. In the story of Purim, God was very hidden, and there was an evil, man named Haman who wanted to destroy the Jewish people. Haman got a decree from the king, that all the Jewish people would be killed on a certain day in Adar. God turned Haman’s plot around miraculously, working through people, working through Queen Esther, and working through her cousin Mordecai, in order to turn around the decree.

With all the conflict in the world, during this month of Adar when we are celebrating the holiday of Purim, we know God is in motion. There’s definitely a feeling in Israel of being scared regarding rumours of war. I just had a talk with my children –if the alarms go off, where we’re going to go to, where we’re going to be safe, everyone’s listening for the sirens. We don’t know what will happen, but we trust God is with us, especially now in this month of Adar. Hineh lo yanum ve’elo yishan shomer Yisrael; the guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.

And as the story of Purim tells us, God always protects his people. God always protects what’s right. God always protects his children. We know it in the scriptures, and so as we enter this month of Adar, where we are commanded to be happy, mitzvah g’dola lihiyot besimcha tamid. That’s the whole point of this month, this Hebrew month of Adar. It’s a mitzvah, a positive commandment from the Torah, to be happy even when things look bleak. Even when you’re getting ready to confront fear, even when you don’t know what the future holds, even when there are threats from wicked powers. Mitzvah g’dola lihiyot besimcha tamid is a positive commandment to be joyous, to be happy, and to know that God will watch over us.

So here in Israel, we have the opportunity, my friends, to be that Esther, to be that Mordecai, brought for such a time as this. And what is demanded of us right now? Just as Esther asked all the people to pray for her protection, that her words would come out right, and that God would save the nation— we should do the same. Esther asked the entire nation to fast for three days. And so right now, I encourage you in this month of Adar, I encourage you to pray. Pray that God’s glory, justice, and blessings will rain down. And as we say about Purim, shkel yithapech letuva, everything should turn around for the best.

We pray that everything will turn around, that God will come through, that there’ll be safety and goodness, and that peace will reign. I was just talking to my son about this, and he said, “Mommy, when is Mashiach coming? When’s Messiah coming? When’s there going to be peace? When’s the day where the lion dwells with the lamb? When’s the day when there won’t be war anymore  When’s the day that I don’t need to worry about sirens?” And I said, “It could come in a second, God could bring that in a second. We just have to pray for it.” And he said, “Maybe he’s giving us the opportunity just to do good, more good deeds, and to pray to Him more and to do more good things for one another. Maybe he’s giving us that opportunity.” And I agree completely.

So, I believe hineh lo yanum ve’elo yishan shomer Yisrael, the guardian of Israel, neither slumbers nor sleeps. And you, my friend, maybe you were brought for such a moment as this right now. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Pray for a hedge of protection and pray that God’s glory will be revealed.

Shalom