11 Mar PURIM: HOPE AMID DESPAIR

It is well-known that
Hashem is never
mentioned explicitly
in Megilat Ester. The
omission of His Name
is by design, as the story told in the
Megilah appears to unfold randomly,
with the events occurring coincidentally,
as though Hashem wasn’t there. In truth,
of course, Hashem was orchestrating all

the events, acting behind the scenes, so-
to-speak, to save the Jewish People. To

drive home this point, many Rabbis
noted, the Megillah makes a number of
subtle allusions to Hashem, showing that
He was present at every step along the
way, however inconspicuously.
One of the allusions to Hashem in the
Megilah is in Ester’s initial request that
Ahashverosh and Haman join her at a
feast: Yavo Hamelech V’Haman Hayom
El Hamishteh Asher Asiti Lo (5:4). The
first letters of the words Yavo Hamelech
V’Haman Hayom are yud, hey, vov, and
hey, which spell the Name of “Havayah,”
the Name of Hashem which expresses
His mercy and compassion.

Why would Hashem’s Name be
embedded specifically in this pasuk?
Why is this a fitting context in which for
Hashem to be alluded?
Rav Elimelech Biderman explains that
Hashem’s Name is hinted at in this pasuk
precisely because this marked the Jews’
lowest point in the whole story. After
hearing of Haman’s decree to annihilate
them, the Jews knew that their only hope
was Ester, one of their own, who was in
the palace. And now Ester was feasting at
a party with Ahashverosh and Haman,
the evil man who wanted their destruction.
Instead of asking Ahashverosh to save
the Jews, she decided to feast with him
and with Haman. The Jews’ last hope
seemed lost at that point.
And yet, precisely there we find Hashem’s
Name of mercy and compassion –
because it is precisely in the most difficult
of times when we draw hope and
encouragement from our faith in Hashem.
One of our nation’s greatest qualities is
maintaining hope and never falling into
despair, trusting in Hashem even when
we see no hope and no solution on the

horizon. Specifically at the darkest,
gloomiest moment of the Megilah, we
see Hashem – because it is during the
most difficult periods when we are able
to find hope in our emunah.
When Beneh Yisrael left Egypt, Moshe
took with him the remains of Yosef, to
bring them for burial in the Land of Israel
(Shemot 13:19). Yosef embodied the
quality of retaining hope in the darkest
times. Even when he was brought to
Egypt as a slave, and then thrown into jail
for a crime he did not commit, he never
lost hope. His emunah remained strong
and steadfast throughout all his ordeals.
Moshe Rabbenu took Yosef’s remains
with him out of Egypt into the wilderness
– because he knew that difficult
challenges lay ahead. He knew that he
and Beneh Yisrael would face some hard
times – and so he took the bones of Yosef,
symbolizing Yosef’s unbridled hope and
faith.
The story of Purim is less about Jewish
survival than it is about Jewish revival.
The Gemara teaches that after the Purim
miracle, the Jews reaffirmed their

acceptance of Torah. Haman’s decree
awakened them, and they strengthened
and revitalized their commitment to
Hashem and to Torah.
This has always been one of our nation’s
most important characteristics – not to
break and fall apart during hard times,
but to emerge from them stronger and
more committed to Hashem. Specifically
when things become difficult, that is
when we find Hashem, cling to Him, and
draw hope and encouragement from our
belief that He is governing the world and
controls everything that happens.