In short
Queen Esther is the heroine of Megillat Esther, the biblical book read on Purim. Taken into the Persian king's palace, she hides her Jewish identity until Mordechai tells her that her position may exist precisely for this moment. She fasts three days, approaches the king uninvited, reveals who she is, and saves the Jewish people. She is the only woman in Tanach who establishes a Jewish festival.
A Deeper Look at Queen Esther
The Megillah is actually really deep.
There are so many details, layers, and spiritual teachings — but most of us don’t catch them.
We go to the Megillah reading, we listen, maybe we follow along…
but unless you’ve sat down with a translation and commentary, you miss a lot of what’s actually going on.
And the truth is — this isn’t just a story.
It’s a guide.
I want to explore Queen Esther’s character and what we can learn from her.
1. You Are Here for a Reason
When Mordechai found out about the decree to kill all the Jews — which you could liken to Hitler saying “okay, we’re going to kill all the Jews,” like the beginning of the Holocaust — he went to Esther and said: listen, you need to go speak to the king.
But Esther wanted to wait.
She was like, no — the decree isn’t for another year. I haven’t been called to the king in 30 days. Whoever goes to the king uninvited might be killed. So I’m not just going to go right now.
This is exactly what she tells Mordechai:
“All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes to the king in the inner court without being called has but one law: to be put to death.”
— Esther 4:11
And Mordechai responds with one of the most powerful lines in the entire Megillah:
“Who knows if it is for this very moment that you became queen.”
— Esther 4:14
When we read the Megillah it sounds obvious that Queen Esther was there to save the Jewish people.
But at the time, it wasn’t so clear to her.
And when she realized that her position wasn’t random, she stepped up.
She goes to the king.
And she saves the Jewish people.
A lot of us have callings or paths that we go down, but we don’t realize that we have those unique attributes because we are here for a reason.
Your soul is here for this particular moment.
The question is:
How are you going to step up?
2. Preparation Creates Miracles
Before Esther was going to approach the king uninvited, Esther fasted for three days along with her maidservants. She also told Mordechai to gather all the Jews in the Persian Empire to fast with her.
She didn’t just rely on action.
It wasn’t just about going to speak to the king.
She prepared — both individually and collectively — spiritually.
This is what she says:
“Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidservants will fast as well.”
— Esther 4:16
Only after that preparation does she act:
“After that I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.”
From this we learn that in order to accomplish things we need faith and inner alignment.
Inner work and preperation creates outer breakthroughs.
3. Your Identity Is Your Superpower
Esther hid her Jewish identity at first.
In fact the Megillah explicitly says that Mordechai told her to hide it:
“Esther did not reveal her people or her birthplace, for Mordechai had commanded her not to reveal it.”
— Esther 2:10
But the turning point came when she revealed who she truly was.
When she finally stands before the king, she says:
“If I have found favor in your eyes, O king… let my life be given to me for my request, and my people for my petition.”
— Esther 7:3
In that moment she reveals her identity and exposes Haman’s plan.
Our power begins when we stop hiding.
We cannot hide our identity out of fear.
There might be prices we need to pay.
But we cannot be scared.
We need to realize that our identity is actually our power.
4. Feminine Leadership
Esther didn’t just go to the king immediately and demand something.
She moved slowly.
Strategically.
First she invited him to a banquet:
“If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.”
— Esther 5:4
Then when he asked her what she wanted, she delayed again:
“Let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I will prepare for them tomorrow.”
— Esther 5:8
Everything she did was patient, strategic, and full of feminine wisdom.
She didn’t rush.
She didn’t force.
She didn’t panic.
She created the moment.
And only then did she reveal the truth:
“For we have been sold — I and my people — to be destroyed, killed, and annihilated.”
— Esther 7:4
She moved gently and intelligently.
And I think that this kind of feminine leadership — softer, more intuitive, more strategic — is something we really need to learn from.
Esther and the Creation of Purim
One of the most remarkable things about Esther is that she is the only woman in Tanach who institutes a Jewish holiday.
“Esther said to the sages: ‘Write me for generations.’”
— Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 7a
After the salvation of the Jewish people, Esther doesn’t just allow the story to pass into memory — she formalizes it.
The Megillah says:
“Esther confirmed these matters of Purim.”
— Esther 9:32
Together with Mordechai, she establishes that these days will be remembered and celebrated every year.
In other words, Esther doesn’t only save the Jewish people in that moment — she shapes how the Jewish people will remember that moment forever.
She becomes, in a sense, a legislator of Jewish memory — someone who ensures that an event becomes embedded into the rhythm of Jewish time.
That is extraordinary.
Because Esther’s leadership didn’t end with the miracle itself.
She ensured that the story, the lesson, and the spiritual energy of Purim would be carried by every generation that came after her.
Purim will always remain
Chazal reveal something striking in Midrash Mishlei:
“
All the festivals will one day be nullified—but Purim will never be nullified.”
This does not mean the holidays will disappear, but that their necessity will fade. Like a candle in daylight, their light will no longer be essential once the world is filled with clear awareness of G-d.
Most chagim are rooted in open revelation—splitting seas, visible miracles—moments that interrupt reality to show us what lies beyond it.
But Purim is different. It is a story where nothing breaks nature, where G-d’s name is not even written, where everything unfolds through concealment, timing, and human choice. And that is precisely why it remains. Because even in a future of complete clarity, the deepest spiritual work will still be to recognize the Divine not above the world, but within it. Purim is not just a remembrance of redemption—it is a training in perception, a way of seeing that transforms the ordinary into revelation.
Written by Yarin Weltsman (Queen Yarin)
About Yarin →Questions people ask
Who was Queen Esther?+
A Jewish woman who became queen of Persia and revealed her identity to save the Jewish people from Haman's decree. Her story is told in the Book of Esther and read on Purim.
Why is God's name absent from the Book of Esther?+
The Megillah tells a story with no open miracles. The absence is the point: it trains the reader to recognise the hidden order beneath ordinary events.
What did Esther do before approaching the king?+
She asked all the Jews of Shushan to fast with her for three days and fasted with her maidservants, then went to the king, though it was against the law.
