On Purim we celebrate Esther’s saving the Jewish people from genocide. The story of Purim is outlined in the Book of Esther which is a dramatic, fast-paced story of courage, timing, and the “hidden” hand of providence. Set in the Persian capital of Shushan, it’s unique because it never explicitly mentions God—yet the story is filled with “coincidences” that suggest a larger plan at work. An interesting feature of the book, story, politics, or theology is how once something is revealed about the Majestic will it cannot be repealed. The decree of the King is the law of the land and it cannot be repealed. Even when Haman’s plot to kill Esther and her people is revealed the King he cannot stop it. We see this all play out in three letters sent to the entire empire. At first Haman orders the genocide of all Jews, young and old, on the 13th of Adar (Esther 3:13). Once the plot is revealed and the King has Haman killed Mordecai sends out a letter authorizing the Jews to defend themselves, kill their attackers, and plunder their property(Esther 8:10). And then a third letter is sent out to everyone from Mordecai and Esther. This letter confirms the establishment of the Feast of Purim as an annual, binding celebration of the Jewish victory(Esther 9:20-30). Reading this in the Book of Esther seems to breaking the 4th wall of the book itself as the it seems that book might be that 3rd letter.

Thinking about how communication and information technology worked at the time of Esther reminded me of an amazing New Yorker Cartoon:

In the rest of the Bible God plays a large role, but is overtly absent in the The Book of Esther. There seems to be some intentional ambiguity between the King of Persian and God the King. This is played out many times in referring to The King without a name. We also see this in the immutability of the Majestic decree. This is particularly interesting on Purim is which exactly a month before Passover which is 40 days before Shavuot when we get the Torah. Purim without God sets off a chain reaction that is all about God’s revelation. In Esther, a book without God, we learn the deepest lessons of Revelation. Torah cannot be un-revealed and it was meant to be shared with everyone.