Purim is therefore about deliverance. The Festival of Purim takes place on the 14th of the Jewish month of Adar around February or March. Purim is a microcosm of Jewish history. Here, like many other times in history, we find the Jews in exile and at the mercy of the whims of a local ruler. The handiwork of Heaven is constantly in view.
Circumstances draw together in unusual ways that add up to more than just coincidence.
The awe-inspiring gardens of Persia, carved in stark contrast to the surrounding desert landscape, were the backdrop for a drama rivaling the best screen scripts of modern times. Ahasuerus, King Xerxes' Hebrew name, calls for Vashti, his queen, to provide entertainment in the midst of a drunken banquet lasting 180 days. Refusing, she is dethroned and Esther, a young Jewish girl in exile from Jerusalem along with her people, is chosen to take her place. Esther's guardian, her cousin Mordecai, coaxes her as he stands on the sidelines in the drama. Day after day, Mordecai refuses to pay homage to Xerxes' vizier, Haman, an Amelekite descendant.