The celebration of the Purim has a lot of contrasts, but that is because the Book of Esther is where history and prophecy meet, revealing the hidden hand of G-d moving in global affairs on behalf of all of His people. Esther is not just ancient history; it is not just a microcosm of Jewish history in the Diaspora. The Book of Esther is deeply prophetic, showing us the prototype of events of the “Last Days”. The lessons of Purim and the book of Esther is for us today, to gain a fresh perspective for our own times.
One of the first things scholars note about the book of Esther is how G-d’s name is never mentioned. There is no overt prophecy uttered and no miracles performed either, but the hidden hand of G-d is seen repeatedly. That includes the seemingly unrelated first chapter of the book of Ether when women’s rights butts’ heads with the husband-king “ruling over” and demanding submission of his wife-queen. According to G-d’s plan, Queen Vashti had to go in order for Esther to be positioned to intervene because she had earned the trust of the King. Esther embodied the balance of g-dliness between her wifely liberation and submission. It made her G-d’s chosen instrument to help overturn the genocidal slaughter of Jews.
