Next week, we welcome Purim, a holiday that can feel… contradictory. On the surface, it is joy. Costumes. Celebration. Noise. Laughter. But beneath it lies one of the most unsettling stories in the Torah — a story of concealment, uncertainty, danger, and a salvation that unfolds only at the very last moment. The Book of Esther is the only book in the Torah where the name of the Creator does not appear.
Not once.
And that is not accidental. Purim teaches us one of the most powerful spiritual truths we will ever need to remember: even when the Creator feels hidden, the Creator is present. Even when the process feels chaotic, it is guided. Even when the story looks like it is falling apart, it is actually coming together. Esther did not know she would become queen. Mordechai did not know his refusal to bow would ignite a national crisis.
The Israelites did not know that what looked like annihilation was actually the doorway to elevation. At every stage of the story, there was uncertainty and fear. So much waiting. Silence. And yet, every piece was precise. Every part of the process, as difficult as it was, was perfect.
This is the consciousness of Purim.
There are moments in our lives when we are inside a process that feels uncomfortable, confusing, even painful. We cannot see the outcome. We cannot understand why things are unfolding the way they are. We ask, “Why is this happening?” or “When will this change?” Purim reminds us that we are in the middle of the story but we can still find beauty in the unknown nature of this experience. We often judge the process from a single scene but no person alive is meant to understand the plot while it is still unfolding.
What looks like a setback may be positioning.
What feels like a delay may be preparation.
What appears to be a rejection or loss may be protection that you will be wildly grateful for one day.
The miracle of Purim is an ordinary one. The miracle was woven throughout a series of very natural, almost mundane events. A sleepless night. A missed moment. A shift in favor. These were totally ordinary details that, when viewed from the end of the story, reveal extraordinary design. And this is how the gifts of Purim are universal.
I have a friend who went through a horrible break up several years ago. Today, he’s met his soul mate and they are married and incredibly happy, but before meeting his soul mate he went through this really traumatic breakup. Have you ever heard of one of those breakups where the person breaks up with their boyfriend or girlfriend—and then they want to take it back? “Oops! I was wrong. I shouldn’t have broken up with you. You’re actually the one. You’re meant for me. I take it all back.” … Well, that was this person. He wanted to take it back. And the person he broke up with was just too heartbroken. Wasn’t having it. Wouldn’t even meet him to discuss the possibility of getting back together. And for a year, this person prayed. He prayed every day for a year just to be able to go back and hug this person.
A year goes by. Two years go by. And in that time, in that process, he learns a lot about where he went wrong. What he wishes he’d done better. He works on himself to become the kind of partner he wants to be, and lo and behold after two years, he meets someone new. And falls in love. This person is truly his soul mate! And everyone can see it. These two are truly meant to be together. They get married and he gets his happily ever after.
But the story still isn’t over…
Ten years go by. He’s now living in a completely different city on the other side of the country. And as the happily married couple they are now, they decide one night to go to a concert that’s in this really random small town about a half hour away from where they live. As they are leaving the concert venue, they’re trying to decide if they should turn right to go to their car and go home, or turn left and have a drink at a little cafe before heading out. They decide to go left and have the drink. They turn left, start walking, and who does he spot? In this random place, in this random town, at this random time?
The person who he broke up with all those years ago. And they’re with their husband! Both of them have now met their soul mates and are happily married. And they smile and introduce each other to their spouses. They hug each other and say goodbye, joyfully.
When we are in a frustrating or painful process, it’s likely we are reading our life mid-story trying to figure out the outcome. It’s impossible for us to know which sleepless night will change everything. We could have a conversation tomorrow that will totally turn the tide but we don’t know that today. We don’t know. But the Light does.
Kabbalah teaches that whatever the Light of the Creator does is for good. Not because it always feels good, but because it is always aligned with your soul’s correction and elevation. The concealment is part of the gift. If everything were revealed immediately, there would be no growth. No vessel. No expansion of certainty. The unseen good forces us to choose trust over fear. It asks us to build certainty not because we see proof but because we know the nature of the Light is only good.
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