וּבִשְׁנֵים עָשָׂר חֹדֶשׁ הוּא־חֹדֶשׁ אֲדָר בִּשְׁלוֹשָׁה עָשָׂר יוֹם בּוֹ אֲשֶׁר הִגִּיעַ דְּבַר־הַמֶּלֶךְ וְדָתוֹ לְהֵעָשׂוֹת בַּיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר שִׂבְּרוּ אֹיְבֵי הַיְּהוּדִים לִשְׁלוֹט בָּהֶם וְנַהֲפוֹךְ הוּא אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁלְטוּ הַיְּהוּדִים הֵמָּה בְּשֹׂנְאֵיהֶם׃

And so, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month—that is, the month of Adar—when the king’s command and decree were to be executed, the very day on which the enemies of the Jews had expected to get them in their power, the opposite happened, and the Jews got their enemies in their power. Esthet 9:1

The end of Esther Rabbah has the following

רַבִּי חִיָּא רַבָּה וְרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן חֲלַפְתָּא הֲווֹן מְהַלְּכִין בַּהֲדָא בִּקְעָתָא דְּאַרְבֵּל, וַחֲזוֹן אֶת אַיֶּלֶת הַשַּׁחַר שֶׁבָּקְעָה אֶת הָאוֹרָה, אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי חִיָּא רַבָּה לְרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן חֲלַפְתָּא כָּךְ הוּא גְּדֻלָּתָן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּתְּחִלָּה קִימְעָא, כָּל מַה שֶּׁהוֹלֵךְ הוּא גָּדֵל וְרָבֶה וְהוֹלֵךְ, מַה טַּעַם (מיכה ז, ח): כִּי אֵשֵׁב בַּחשֶׁךְ ה’ אוֹר לִי. כָּךְ, בַּתְּחִלָּה וּמָרְדֳּכַי יוֹשֵׁב בְּשַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ, וְאַחַר כָּךְ, וַיָּשָׁב מָרְדֳּכַי אֶל שַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ וגו’, וְאַחַר כָּךְ, וּמָרְדֳּכַי יָצָא מִלִּפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ וגו’, וְאַחַר כָּךְ, לַיְהוּדִים הָיְתָה אוֹרָה וְשִׂמְחָה וְשָׂשׂוֹן וִיקָר.

Rabbi Ḥiya Raba and Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta were walking in the valley of Arbel and they saw the breaking of the dawn’s light. Rabbi Ḥiya Raba said to Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta: So is the greatness of Israel. First a little and then, as it proceeds, it continuously increases. What is the explanation? “Although I sit in darkness, the Lord is a light for me” (Micah 7:8). So initially “Mordekhai was sitting at the king’s gate…” (Esther 2:21) and afterwards, “And Mordekhai went forth from the presence of the king [in royal dress of blue and white wool, and with a great crown of gold]” (Esther 8:15), and afterwards, “For the Jews there was light and joy and jubilation and honor” (Esther 8:16).

The events of this past weekend, in which Israel successfully neutralized the immediate threat from Iran, resonate powerfully with the core themes of the Purim story. Both the text of the Megillah and the Midrash in Esther Rabbah describe a specific pattern of Jewish salvation: the sudden reversal of fortune (v’nahafoch hu) and the gradual, dawn-like emergence of victory (ayelet ha-shachar). This connection highlights that the survival of the Jewish people often follows a predictable spiritual trajectory where the very moment of greatest danger becomes the catalyst for the enemy’s downfall.

The first source from Esther 9:1 captures the essence of this miracle, noting that on the very day the enemies of the Jews expected to gain mastery over them, the opposite happened and the Jews gained mastery over their foes. This principle of v’nahafoch hu—the radical inversion of an aggressor’s plan—is the hallmark of Israel’s historical and modern survival. Just as Haman’s decree was ready for execution only to be overturned at the final moment, the modern threats aimed at Israel’s destruction were met this weekend with a decisive response that decimated the aggressor’s capabilities. The text emphasizes that the day “the king’s command and decree were to be executed” became the day of the enemy’s ruin, shifting the balance of power back into Jewish hands.

The second source, from the end of Esther Rabbah, provides a deeper look at the process of this victory through the metaphor of the “breaking of the dawn’s light.” Rabbi Ḥiya Raba and Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta observe that the greatness of Israel does not always arrive in one blinding flash, but rather starts “a little” and then “continuously increases.” This Midrash teaches that even in moments of deep darkness, the light of salvation is already breaking through in stages. This progression mirrors the recent conflict: what began in the “darkness” of looming threats transitioned into a display of royal strength and advanced sovereignty, ultimately culminating in a moment of “light and joy” as the immediate danger was removed.

Both sources remind us that Jewish history is not a series of accidents, but a recurring pattern of resilience where the “day of execution” for the enemy becomes their day of defeat. Whether in ancient Shushan or in the modern State of Israel, the mechanism of salvation remains the same: strategic movements in the dark lead to a total, radiant victory.

As we approach Purim, these texts highlight that the “light, joy, jubilation, and honor” mentioned in the Megillah are not just ancient memories, but active realities for a nation that continues to turn the darkness of its enemies into the dawn of its own safety.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)