Purim & The Shabbat Connection Welcome to our daily Bitachon series, and specifically to our special Erev Shabbat edition where we discuss the holiness of the day. As Purim approaches, it is the perfect time to explore the deep connection between Shabbat and the miracle of Purim. The Megillah tells us: "On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was good with wine..." (Esther 1:10). The Gemara is immediately bothered by this. This was the seventh day of the elite Shushan party, which followed 180 days of worldwide celebration. Why, only on day 187, was Achashverosh finally "content" with his wine? The King of the World The Gemara explains a fundamental rule of the Megillah: Whenever it says the word Hamelech (The King) without the name Achashverosh, it can be understood as a reference to God, the King of the World. We even see this in "Hamelech Megillot," where the top of every column begins with that word. Another famous example is "On that night, the sleep of the King was disturbed" (Esther 6:1). This doesn't just mean Achashverosh couldn't sleep; it means the King of the World "awoke," so to speak. Does God Sleep? The Midrash points out a contradiction in Tehillim. One verse says: "Behold, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps." Yet another verse cries out: "Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord?" The Gemara explains that this "sleep" depends on us. When we aren't keeping the mitzvot, God is kavyachol (as it were) asleep; He hides His face. This is why Haman said of the Jews, "Yeshno am echad" —there is a certain nation. The word Yeshno can be read as Yashen (sleeping). When we sleep spiritually, God remains in Hester (hiddenness)—the root of the name Esther . But when we awaken ourselves through Teshuvah , God "awakes" for us. Through the repentance of the Jewish people in Shushan, the King's "sleep" was disturbed, and the salvation began. The Contrast of the Seventh Day The Gemara in Masechet Megilla explains that "the seventh day" refers to Shabbat . On that day, the King of the World was "happy with wine." Which wine? The wine of the Jewish Kiddush . God looked at the contrast. The Midrash says that when the Persians celebrated, they spent their time in drunken, crude arguments about whose women were more beautiful. Achashverosh eventually said, "Bring Vashti to show everyone." The rest is history: she refused, she was executed, and the door opened for Esther. The salvation of Purim was birthed on Shabbat because God saw how we celebrate versus how the world celebrates. He saw us sanctifying the day with Kiddush while others were descending into debauchery. The "Et Ratzon" of Shabbat This isn't just a Purim story; it happens every week. The Tur explains that during Shabbat Mincha, we say: "As for me, may my prayer to You, Hashem, be at an auspicious time (Et Ratzon)..." Why is Mincha time on Shabbat so auspicious? The preceding verse in Tehillim mentions those who "sit and drink beer." King David is highlighting a contrast: What do other nations do on their day off? They are in the bars or rolling in the gutters. But what do the Jewish people do? Yes, we ate; yes, we drank; yes, we slept—but here we are, back in Shul for Mincha. When God sees us turn a "day off" into a "holy day," it creates a massive Et Ratzon in Heaven. That is the secret of Purim and the power of every Shabbat. By choosing to use our rest for praise and holiness, we arouse God's presence and bring about our own salvation.