By Rabbi Lana Zilberman Soloway

A long, long time ago, in the city of Shushan, there was a woman named Esther who married a king named Achashverosh without telling him she was Jewish. Esther hid her Jewish identity from the king and the entire kingdom. 

This changed when Esther found out that the king’s most senior official, Haman, had asked the king to exterminate the entire Jewish community of the city and had received the king’s permission. 

Esther had a choice to make: she could either reveal her identity in an attempt to save her people, or she could continue hiding her identity and save herself. She summoned the courage, telling the king she was Jewish and to ask him to spare her people. 

King Achashverosh put a stop to Haman’s plan, allowing the Jewish people both to live and to defend themselves against future threats.

Esther’s decision to be open about her identity was not an easy choice to make; it was certainly not risk-free. But her decision saved countless lives and enabled future generations of Jewish people to exist freely.

Can we relate to this story today? Are we able to be inspired by Queen Esther? 

When Esther was most unsure of herself, feeling powerless to correct a disaster unfolding before her eyes, her uncle Mordecai helped her to see her situation in a new light. He told her: Perhaps this is the moment for which you have been created

(Esther 4:14).  

Have you ever felt that this is the moment for which you were created? 

Or, that you are the right person for this exact time and place?

This time of year, at the beginning of the Hebrew month of Adar, just a few weeks before we celebrate the festival of Purim, invites us to reflect on these questions.To explore whether we are on the path of becoming the person we are meant to be, our highest selves. 

This period invites each one of us to look at ourselves, and strive to emulate queen Esther.

The highest version of you knows exactly which challenges you need to face in order to see your wisdom, courage, and essence revealed… in order to respond to whatever challenges you are currently facing.