This one's a keeper.
The Purim story is chock full of drama. From Haman's wicked decree to annihilate every Jew, to Mordechai's defiant refusal to bow to Haman. King Acahashverosh's sleepless night revealing the forgotten episode when Mordechai save the king's life. Esther becoming the queen and risking her life to save the day.
Yet, there's another brave Hero in the Purim story. And perhaps this is the reason why Purim is celebrated with such joy year after year.
Unlike the Holocaust, when the Nazis did not discriminate and ruthlessly targeted anyone who was born to Jewish parents or grandparents, Purim was different.
The decree was limited to the Yehudim; those who identified as Jewish. Anyone could have renounced their faith at any time during the year (yes, nearly a full year!) before the deadline (no pun intended), and their life would have been spared.
The Midrash tells us, that not only did no one take advantage of this escape route, no one even considered it. These brave heroes stood up for their beliefs in the face of adversity, when things looked bleak with no sign of change. Perhaps this very courage was the catalyst behind the miracle, the cause for the reversal of the tide (don't eat Tide pods).
This is actually a moment of greater magnitude than Mount Sinai! At Sinai, the Jews had no idea what being Jewish was all about, they didn't know what surprises the Torah held. It was very much a blind date. If at any point we felt overwhelmed, we could have said this is not what we signed up for. We could have returned the product with free return shipping: Item not as expected.
The Purim story is when we effectively swore our pledge of allegiance. It's when we resolved not just to keep the product, but to risk our very lives to protect and preserve our relationship.
ב"ה