Purim: Yad Hashem

When searching the Megillah to find Hashem, His concealed presence can be found in so many ways but not directly through His name, but through His divine intervention. The gematria of yad (hand) is 14; the day of Adar, when we celebrate Purim; and the Yad of Hashem.

The Megillah begins with the verse: “Vayehi bimei Achashverosh—It happened in the days of Ahasuerus, who ruled over 127 provinces from India to Nubia.” This number, 127, is no coincidence. It is the same number that appears in Sarah’s life and marks Esther’s ruling territory, signaling the intertwined nature of our past and present.

These numbers connect generations, linking the lives of women whose strength was veiled for years and nurtured in secret. Their stories remind us that what is hidden will always be revealed when the moment is right, under Hashem’s watchful eye.

Sarah’s life was marked by kidnapping, infertility, and heartache, while Esther endured the hardships of orphanhood, forced into marriage. Yet both women used their time wisely, grounded in faith, and ultimately fulfilled a divine plan. The challenges they faced were not in vain; they carried a purpose that transcended what could be seen.

Esther’s life shows us that even when concealed, emunah and greatness are nurtured. The rabbis tell us that when Esther was given seven maidservants, she named them—Rishon, Sheini, Shelishi, etc.—to mark the days of the week so she could honor Shabbat in secret, hidden from the palace eyes. In captivity, she preserved her essence, and it was in that stillness that her strength was cultivated, awaiting its moment to emerge. Similarly, we see the quiet resilience in our time, in women like Agam Berger, who, despite the captivity of Hamas, defied forces that sought to erase her Jewish identity. She fasted, kept kosher, and clung to her Jewish neshama in the face of evil that tried to silence her, just as Esther did.

This is the quiet force of the Jewish soul—a resistance to assimilation and forgetting. It is the strength to endure and flourish in the face of adversity, to preserve our identity even in the most challenging circumstances.

Tehillim 127 conveys that all human efforts are in vain without Hashem’s guidance: “Unless Hashem builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless Hashem watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.” Time spent with faith leads to lasting rewards—whether in building a family, guarding a city, or ruling an empire.

Six months into the war, when fatigue and pain had routinely set into daily life, a wise Jewish mother, Allana Ziona, recited Tehillim 127 one evening as we discussed life before and after October 7th. Reflecting on October 6th, when Am Israel was divided with infighting; the court reform debate, whichever “group” of Jew we considered the “other” and the tragic echoing of tehillem 127; watchtowers warnings went in vain, we must look to the lessons of Purim. We must heed Esther’s call to ‘gather all the Jews’ and keep strong in unity.

Just as the Jews of Persia responded to their physical battle with fasting, prayer, and unity, so too must we respond with spiritual resilience in a world that challenges Jewish life.

Our actions must be grounded in emunah, for without Hashem, our efforts are in vain.

The story of Purim is not confined to ancient history—it pulses with relevance today. It teaches us that just as Esther was chosen for her moment, so too are we chosen to face our challenges with faith and unity. We are called to seek Hashem in the hidden places of our lives and to never abandon the call of the soul of our Yiddishkeit. Our response must not only be physical but spiritual.

If in every painting, I know there is an artist,

If in every building, I know there is an architect,

When hearing the Megillah this year;

Know that Hashem’s plan will be revealed now, just as it was for the Jews of Shushan.

Let us use our time wisely, with purpose and faith in Hashem, so that our efforts are not in vain.