If one can't listen to the class, here is a brief summary, though it leaves out the proofs in Jewish tradition that Germany is Amalek (the nation who attacks the Jews after they cross the Red Sea.)
http://ohr.edu/3440
Little letters can convey a big message!
The request was to extend the edict enabling the Jews to defend themselves to a second day. Purim is celebrated as a two day feast. The two commentaries I checked state that the other part of the request was to hang the dead bodies of Haman’s sons. This was intended to intimidate remaining Jewish enemies.
The interpretation of this article seems strained.
In the Youtube favorites and history for later. Thank you.
If the Amalekites have modern descendants, they're the same people who are oppressing the Jews today in the Middle East.
Bump.
Thanks for posting this!
And I am Protestant, by the way.
Purim Insights - פורים
By Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)
Hints To Something Deeper
In the last sect we learned that according to our Sages, every time King Achashverosh is mentioned by name, in the book of Esther, it refers to Achashverosh. Every time the text merely says, the King, it refers to HaShem.
http://www.betemunah.org/purim.html
HaShem dictated that the Amalekites should all be destroyed. Including the ones on this thread.
I'd say the speaker commits a few "errors of enthusiasm": placing the Thirty Years War in the Middle Ages, implicating the Germans in the Hundred Years War, identifying Germany with the Hapsburgs and the "Holy Roman Empire" with Rome when the latter was actually Germany and the Hapsburgs were among its rulers, and the claim that no other country besides Germany has been divided. From our own lifetimes we are aware of Vietnam, Korea, China, and even Samoa, though these were all for different reasons. Also, while Nazi Germany broke numerous treaties before the war, it never broke with any of its satellite nations during the war (Italy being only the most important of these). Also the violated treaties were mostly "non-aggression pacts," not actual treaties of alliance like the Pact of Steel or the Axis Pact.
My own very amateurish attempt at understanding Rome and Germany in the Talmud is the Roman Empire and its successor powers uniting with Germany.
But enough of my irreverence. I have a question, Phinneous. Do the rabbis have any tradition of Communism being foretold by the Prophets or CHaZa"L similar to the traditions about Germany? Communism has also been a great plague to the world and is unfortunately not as discredited as Nazism. It's hard to believe there were no warnings about this as well. What complicates the issue here is the fact that the evil of `Amaleq and the evil of Communism claim to be the absolute antitheses of each other, with `Amaleq claiming that Communism is (chas vechalilah!) "Jewish" and the Communists claiming to be ultimately the only alternative to Nazism (G-d forbid!). What is even more fascinating is that while `Amaleq allegedly represents irrationality and spirituality, Communism (the alleged ultimate enemy of the enemies of the Jewish People) worships human reason and wishes to reduce all of reality to matter in motion. There simply must be references to Communism in the ancient Tradition but I've never heard them discussed. Do you know of any?