Miracle that God isn't mentioned in Esther
Esther should be considered a "religious" book. Its main concern, the very reason for its existence, is to establish Purim as a holiday for all generations. Chapter 5 cannot be removed from the whole. But, there are a few interesting things to draw from.
And Esther said, "If it please the King, let the King and Haman come today to the feast that I have prepared for him" (5:4)
Why did Esther invite Haman?
Could she have learned: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him bread" (Proverbs 25:21)
Is it possible that she set a trap for him, as it is written (Psalms 69:23): "May their table be a trap for them."
We are going to witness the rise and fall of Haman, literally “pride before a fall.” Notice how the stage is set for the death of Haman with the gallows and how the very edict he ordered is to be overturned. Also, we see how Haman found his value in wealth and fame and that when that wasn’t enough, he tried to find it in crushing a people. Contrast that with Esther willing to risk her very life to plead on the behalf of people she may have never met.
Notice too, that through the entire story G d is not mentioned once. If this is a story about G d miraculously saving his people, why do we leave Him out of the story?
Compare the story of Purim with that of the other Biblical holidays. Ever notice how the plot features no open miracles? No seas split, no mass revelation, no dwelling in clouds for 40 years, and no overcoming an enemy 100 times our size using guerrilla warfare. What did happen? A lot of people were in the right place at the right time to provide just the political clout necessary when needed. What a coincidence.
Of course, the word coincidence is not part of the Jewish lexicon. All these events were deliberately orchestrated from Above--only that the conductor stood behind stage.
But it doesn't end here.
The teachings of Chassidut analyze both types of miracles--hidden and revealed--and reach an astonishing conclusion: A miracle masked behind natural events (e.g. Purim) is actually more profound than one that breaks natural law (e.g. splitting of seas). Why would this be? I've got a great analogy to explain:
Imagine being a whiz at video games. You would beat it by the end of the day. Eventually, however, you discovered there's another way to beat a game: Cheat Codes. Push a few buttons and before you know it, Super Mario can fly, runs through walls, and become invincible. But of course, play like that and it doesn't prove that you're a true master of the game.
What's this got to do with the Book of Esther?
G d created a system for this video game we're starring in that we call "the laws of nature." He did such a good job that people actually believe that this system runs itself. After all, the weather influences the crops, the stock market our finances, and our lifestyle the state of our health. Now, the laws of nature say that if you're surrounded by the world's largest army on one side and the Red Sea on the other, there's no hope.
We know better. We realize that G d, not the system, is in control. The question is how?
One way is by overriding the system. The laws of nature say that a sea must flow? No problem--today, that won't apply. The laws of nature say the sun has to set soon? No problem, we'll override that for a few hours. This is the classic miracle--the "physics breaker."
But then there's way #2: The system doesn't have to be changed. You can play by the rules and still find a way to win.
That's Esther. The aim was achieved without any natural laws being broken. Vashti was ousted. Esther was chosen. Mordechai overheard a plot. Achashverosh couldn't sleep. Esther found favor in the king's eyes. Charvona offered advice…
Miracle #1 shows G d is not limited by the laws of nature. But Miracle #2 shows that all these laws of apparent cause and effect are no more than another tool in the hands of G d. He can use them to get whatever He wants, and it will all still look perfectly natural. This is far more relevant to our lives today. And this is a far deeper expression of G dliness. Not only is He not limited by the rules He made, He's not limited even by their logic (which He made as well).
In fact, this type of miracle relates more to G d's essence than to any of His specific attributes. Which gives a deeper insight into why G d's name is not mentioned in the book of Esther: Each of His names represents another relationship to one of His attributes. But, we witnessed a miracle that transcended any such attribute. Just as G d's essence has no name.
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