Miracles Today
The Baal Shem Tov zy’a explains the Gemara (Megillah 17), יצא לא למפרע המגילה את הקורא, if one reads the megillah and praises Hashem for the miracles that He performed for us in the past but lacks the knowledge that Hashem performs miracles in the present, לא יצא, he didn’t perform the mitzvah properly. Hashem does miracles for us right now, too.
The Chiddushei HaRim zt'l described a scene in Shushan. Somebody ran into the beis medresh and said, "Did you hear the latest? Vashti was killed because she refused to attend Achashveirosh's party!" The scholars in the beis medresh responded, "Tell us something from the Gemara or Mishnah. We have no interest in politics." Sometime later, someone else entered into the beis medresh and said, "Did you hear? Bigson and Seresh were hung!" The talmidei chachamim replied, "This doesn’t interest us. We are interested only in the Torah."
But these episodes weren’t mundane at all. Eventually, the story of Vashti's and Bigson and Seresh's deaths became part of the holy megillah. In retrospect, we recognize Hashem's hashgachah pratis and miracles.
The Chasam Sofer zt’l (Ki Sisa) writes, “Many things happen in the world, and we wonder why Hashem is doing this. But years later, we look back and understand that everything has a purpose. Even if it seemed initially unimportant and trivial, we later discover the good that came from it. This is what happened in the story of Purim: Vashti was killed, Esther was brought to the palace, and countless other details led up to the great miracle that saved klal Yisrael. As it states (Shemos 33:23), יראו לא ופני אחורי את וראית ‘You will see My back, but you won't see My face.’ We only understand Hashem’s ways when we look back. Then we see that everything was chesed. But while events are taking place, we don’t always understand the doings of Hashem.”
Reb Yechiel of Ostrovtza zy'a said that even goyim could recognize Hashem’s kindness when they look back. As the megillah (8:17) states, מתיהדים הארץ מעמי ורבים, "Many gentiles were converting..." This is because when they looked back at everything that happened to them and the Jewish nation, they saw Hashem’s miracles and converted to Yiddishkeit. But a Yid can identify Hashem’s hand even before the puzzle is complete. They understand that everything happens for a reason, for their benefit.
