Go Punch! - Chronicle Online/The WORD 02/26/2026

Weekly On-line Rabbi's D'var-Torah

February 19, 2026

9 Adar 5786

Shabbat Zachor

Parashat Tetzaveh

If you spend any time at all online, then you have probably met Punch the monkey. If you haven’t, let me introduce you.Punch was born in a zoo in Japan, and for whatever reason, his mother rejected him. As a result, he was excluded by the other macaques. He tried to form bonds with the zoo staff, but they understood what he really needed: other monkeys. In the meantime, they gave him a stuffed orangutan from IKEA, which he has been dragging around his enclosure ever since. Apparently, the toy has now sold out in IKEA stores across the globe. 

Needless to say, his story went straight to the hearts of millions. 

It took some time, but eventually a few of the other macaques began grooming him. One of the adult females was even seen giving him a hug. It seems that better days may be ahead for Punch. 

And that’s a message that resonates far beyond a zoo enclosure. 

Sometimes we are excluded or othered and we have no idea why. We just know what it feels like to be alone. For Jews, it’s a story as old as time. Even as many of us focus on rising antisemitism around the world, this coming week we will celebrate Purim—the festival that commemorates the Jewish people surviving antisemitism in the ancient Persian Empire. 

Just when the Jews of Shushan believed their end was near, Queen Esther flipped the script. With courage and clarity, she showed King Achashverosh that the Jews were not some dangerous “other,” but loyal subjects with a rightful place in the kingdom. It was, in its own way, just like that warm embrace for our little friend Punch. 

Today, it’s easy for Jews to feel discouraged. We find ourselves talking about which schools are welcoming to Jewish students—and which aren’t. Which cities or countries are safe for Jewish communities—and which aren’t. These are conversations that most of us never imagined having. Like Punch, we assumed we were simply part of the troop. 

But life doesn’t always play out as planned. 

The story of Punch and the story of Purim both remind us that rejection is not the end of the story. There can be a hug after the isolation. There can be belonging after exclusion. Better days can follow darker ones. 

And sometimes, until those better days arrive, a cute stuffed orangutan can help carry us through.

Shalom,

RAF.