By Rabbi Yehuda Lorber

The story of Purim is filled with drama—royal intrigue, political maneuvering, and a last-minute salvation from disaster. But if you read the Megillah carefully, you’ll notice something unusual: G‑d’s name is never mentioned.

At first glance, this seems puzzling. Isn’t Purim about G‑d saving the Jewish people? If so, why does the Megillah leave Him out of the story?

When G‑d Hides in Plain Sight

Unlike other Jewish holidays, Purim doesn’t feature open miracles. There’s no splitting sea like in the Exodus, no fire descending from heaven like in the days of Elijah, and no supernatural victory against impossible odds like in the story of Chanukah. Instead, Purim unfolds through a series of natural events:

• Queen Vashti is deposed.
• Esther, a Jewish girl, is chosen as queen.
• Mordechai happens to overhear a plot against the king.
• The king has a sleepless night and is reminded of Mordechai’s loyalty.
• Esther finds the courage to speak up at the perfect moment and finds favor in the king’s eyes.
• Charvonah offered advice.

Individually, each of these moments seems like mere coincidence. But when you step back and look at the full picture, it’s clear that every piece of the puzzle was orchestrated with precision.

This is the essence of Purim: G‑d’s presence is hidden, but His hand guides every detail.

The Greater Miracle

We often think of miracles as supernatural events—G‑d suspending the laws of nature to reveal His power. But there’s another kind of miracle, one that’s even deeper: when G‑d doesn’t need to break the rules at all.

Imagine playing a video game. A beginner might need to use cheat codes to win, but a true master can beat the game by working entirely within its system. The same applies to G‑d’s interaction with the world. He could override nature—parting seas, stopping the sun—but His ultimate mastery is seen when He accomplishes His will within the natural order.

That’s what makes Purim unique. The story didn’t require splitting oceans or plagues from heaven. Instead, it showed that G‑d controls everything—even the details that seem random, even the decisions of kings and ministers, even the sleepless nights of a ruler.

Why Purim Is a Holiday of Masks

Now you understand why Purim is a holiday of masks. The costumes conceal one’s real identity, just like the dough of the hamantasch hides over the fruit filling, just like natural events hid over Divine intervention. And the Megillah conceals G‑d’s name.

This theme of hiddenness is central to the Purim story. Just as we dress in costumes to disguise who we are, G‑d concealed Himself within the events of the Megillah. But the more we look beneath the surface, the more we recognize His guiding hand.

A Modern-Day Miracle

This idea of miracles is not just an ancient concept—it continues in our times.

Omer Shem Tov, who was kidnapped on Simchat Torah to Gaza and recently released as part of the hostage deal, shared his emotional story of survival. He spoke about his unwavering commitment to keeping Shabbat while in Hamas captivity and revealed an incredible miracle that occurred every Friday night when he sought to make Kiddush.

“I had half a bottle of grape juice that I used for Kiddush that lasted for five months. The bottle never ran out, and the juice never spoiled. A small story that showed me how good G‑d is and how much He was with me.”

His mother, Sheli, added: “I say—I didn’t just keep Shabbat, Shabbat kept me.”

Even in darkness, miracles unfold.

The Megillah: A Story We Are Still Living

On Purim, it’s a mitzvah to hear the story of Esther read from the Megillah scroll. The Talmud tells us: “If you read the story backwards, you haven’t read the story.”

On the surface, this means that we must read the story in order. But the Baal Shem Tov explained a deeper meaning according to Chassidus:

If we read the Megillah as a mere historical account—something that happened long ago, then we haven’t truly read the story.

Because for the Jewish people, Purim has never been just about the past.

Haman persists. He reappears in every generation—sometimes as a dictator, sometimes as a terrorist, sometimes as an ideology, and sometimes, most dangerously, as the cold apathy that numbs our own hearts.

And just like in the time of Mordechai and Esther, we continue to see hidden miracles that sustain us—miracles like Omer Shem Tov’s grape juice, or the inexplicable survival of the Jewish people against all odds.

A Jew looks around and discovers: We are standing in the middle of the Purim story right now.

Why G‑d’s Name Is Absent

Every name of G‑d represents a different aspect of His interaction with the world—justice, kindness, mercy. But Purim was a miracle that transcended any single attribute. It was G‑d’s essence at work, beyond names, beyond definitions.

By leaving His name out of the Megillah, the story teaches us something profound: G‑d is not only present in the miraculous, but He is also present in the ordinary. He is not only the G‑d of supernatural wonders, but also the G‑d of everyday life, orchestrating events from behind the curtain.

The Ultimate Revelation: The Coming of Moshiach

The hidden miracles of Purim give us a glimpse into the ultimate miracle—the coming of Moshiach. The prophets tell us that when Moshiach comes, G‑d’s presence will no longer be concealed. The same way the Megillah seemed like a series of natural events until we connected the dots, one day we will look back at all of history and realize that G‑d was guiding every moment toward redemption.

This is represented by the very name “Megillat Esther”. “Megillah” comes from the word “giluy,” meaning revelation, while “Esther” is from the root “hester,” meaning hiddenness. This teaches us that the purpose of the Megillah is to reveal what is hidden—to pull back the mask of nature and see G‑d’s guiding hand.

And just as the Jews of Shushan were saved in the end, we too will witness the day when G‑d’s hidden hand will be fully revealed, and darkness will turn to everlasting light.

May we soon celebrate the final redemption, when the story of Purim will no longer be a glimpse of hidden miracles, but the full revelation of G‑d’s presence for all to see.

Lechayim and Chag Purim Sameach!

Rabbi Yehuda Lorber is the director of Chabad Niagara Falls USA, and a teacher at Ohr Temimim school in Buffalo.