Today, the 13th of Adar, is Ta’anit Esther, the Fast of Esther, a commemoration of the day when Esther told Mordechai, “Go, gather all the Jews”. She asked them to fast before she risked her life approaching King Achashverosh uninvited to plea for her nation.
At the Western Wall, Esther’s powerful request is implemented daily when the Jewish nation gathers – in all its hues. A bar mitzvah boy who places a note between its stones stands alongside an elderly man who remembers when touching these sacred stones was impossible.
How relevant it is on this fast day for us to return to that unity and bless our nation’s ability to unify daily at the Western Wall as we united in times of hardships in Persia many years ago.
