"Only a very profound outlook, which on the one hand sees the Jewish future, and on the other, is based on a strong, unshakeable faith, could have caused the Scroll of Esther to be included among the canonized books of the Bible.
For this scroll is the essence of Jewish life in exile, and of the faith that behind all external causes, hides the 'guardian of Israel.'
The Scroll teaches us that the Jewish people must learn to live this sort of life, and that it must expect miracles of this kind:
Not miracles like the parting of the Red Sea, done 'by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm,' but rather hidden within the tortuous, winding ways of history.
And within all this, one must believe that 'relief and deliverance will arise to the Jews,' and that in moments of distress, assimilation and masks will be of no avail, even for those who sit in the king’s own palace.
And that despite everything, there is hope."
From an essay, "Megillat Esther - The Book of the Exile" by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz
