Unmasking the Purim story Purim celebrates a miraculous
salvation that took place over 2,000 years ago, in the Persian-
Median Empire. But its message is as relevant today as ever.
Purim literally means a lottery, a reference to the lot that the
wicked Haman drew. The name of the holiday implies fate and
chance – the roll of the dice, the luck of the draw. And at
first glance, the story of Purim appears to be a series of mere
coincidences. When reading the megilah, you get the feeling that
the narrative is written like a great piece of classical
literature: Heroes and villains, high drama and suspense, climax
and The fabric of the story is tightly woven. The plot thickens
with all of its twists and turns. But behind this “storybook
drama” lies something profound. According to Rabbi Joseph B.
Soloveitchik, one of the lessons of the Purim story is that man
is vulnerable. One minute everything is fine and then suddenly,
without warning, the Jewish People across the entire Persian
Empire are confronted with the t