8. The Chasam Sofer zt'l writes in the name of the Shev Yaakov that whoever studies Torah on Purim night (between the two megillah readings) is guaranteed to be a ben Olam HaBa.
It is also a good time for tefillah. Today, in many batei midrashim, there are minyanim either on Purim night or early Purim morning to recite Tehillim.
One Purim, Rebbe Naftali of Ropshitz zt’l was speaking with Rebbe Shalom of Belz zt’l. A simple farmer came by and said to Rebbe Naftali of Ropshitz, “Rebbe, please bless me with a הדיוט ברכת, a blessing of a simple person.” The chassidim laughed (because Rebbe Naftali’s brachos were a צדיק ברכת, and not a הדיוט ברכת). Rebbe Naftali Ropshitzer told them, “Why do you laugh? You didn’t understand what he said. He was asking for the brachos that a הדיוט, a simple person, would ask for. Ovdei Hashem ask for success in learning, to daven with kavanah, and the like. But simple people ask for parnassah. He wants a הדיוט ברכת, a brachah for the matters that a simple person requests.”
The Satmar Rebbe zt'l repeated this story at his Purim seudah, adding a lesson that a person should ask for what he truly desires. He shouldn’t be untruthful with himself. If he wants a הדיוט ברכת, that is what he should daven for.
The Sfas Emes writes that Purim is a time for mahapeichos, revolutions (הוא ונהפך). This is what happened to Haman. He started at a very low level, rose to the highest level, fell again, and was hanged. It is a time when things can turn around.
Once, in Europe, in the time of the Baal Shem Tov zy'a, there was a drought, and everyone davened for rain, but the heavens remained sealed. The Baal Shem Tov's students asked their great rebbe to daven for rain. The Baal Shem Tov zt'l replied, "I can't annul this decree, but I know someone who can. He's an alcoholic. If you catch him at a sober moment, and he davens for rain, it will rain."
The Baal Shem Tov's students traveled to the city where this alcoholic lived and waited for an opportunity to ask him to daven for them. This wasn't as easy as it sounds because this man would drink early in the morning, and there was no one to talk to after that. Finally, one day, they caught him the moment he awoke, and as he reached for his bottle, they stopped him and asked him to daven for rain.
The man replied, "Don't you see that I'm a shicker? Why are you asking me to daven for rain? You are great scholars. You should daven."
The students replied, "No, we need you to daven for rain. The Baal Shem Tov said you have this ability."
The man raised his hands and davened, and it began to rain immediately.
When the students returned to the Baal Shem Tov, the Baal Shem Tov told them, “As you saw, this man isn't the greatest tzaddik. I will tell you how he received the power of tefillah."
The Baal Shem Tov told the following story:
One day, this man was on his way to commit a severe aveirah when he encountered a poor family thrown into a deep pit. The children were crying, and the parents looked forlorn; the pitiful sight roused his mercy. He asked them what had happened to them.
"We couldn’t pay the rent, so our landlord threw us in here to die..." they cried.
The Pele Yoetz (Hornestieple) writes that on Purim, even the tefillah of someone davening b’yichudus (by himself) is beloved and accepted. This is hinted at in the pasuk (Esther 9:25), ובבואה אמר המלך לפני, which is written in the singular tense. It alludes to a person who is davening by himself. Hashem answers even his tefillos on Purim.
It is written in Segulas Yisrael, "I learned from a gadol z’l that on Purim it is mesugal to rise early in the morning and daven a lot, and specifically ask Hashem for ומזוני חיי בני, children, health, and parnassah, or any other matter. One should pray for himself and his relatives because Purim is a great eis ratzon for tefillah, all worlds are happy and want to give..." (This segulah is also taught by the Baal Shem Tov’s students.)