Revealing a New Upper World:
The Kav Hayashar (Perek 99) writes about the reading of the Megillah: ‘You should know that there is a new world above that is extremely holy and awesome. This world is not revealed to the outside because of its great holiness except for once a year. It begins to be revealed when the Megillah is read. And from this world is the root of the soul of Mordechai Hatzadik. We need to arouse Divine mercy to have this world revealed to the outside so that it will provide light on the heads of the nation who gathers to heard the Megillah with pure hearts and devotion.’
Through Reading the Megillah, Sins are Forgiven:
The Sar Shalom of Belz zy’a notes that the word ‘Megillah’ has the same gematriah as the word ‘machol’. This indicates that our sins are forgiven through the reading of the Megillah. This is as stated in the Zohar Hakadosh that when Klal Yisroel says shira to Hashem, He forgives our sins, and the Megillah is as shira, which is akin to Hallel, as is stated in the Gemara (Megillah 14A). Therefore, reading it atones for our sins.
Mordechai Hatzadik Saves Those Who Read the Megillah:
Rav Moshe of Kobrin zy’a related that there was a city in the Sefardic lands that was ruled by a pasha who was a terrible rasha who claimed that he descended from Amalek. The pasha forbade the Jews from reading the Megillah and decreed that anyone caught doing so would be punished with death.
The Jews were very upset. When it came time to read the Megillah, all they could do was to cry out to Hashem. Suddenly, a very elderly, poor man entered the bais medrash with a sack slung over his shoulders. He asked, ‘It is time to read the Megillah. Why aren’t you reading it?’
They told him about the decree and he responded, ‘Read the Megillah and don’t be afraid. Not only that, also stamp as much as you can when Haman’s name is read. I will take responsibility!’
His words encouraged the people greatly. They trusted the old man and felt no fear of the pasha. They read the Megillah and stamped vigorously when Haman’s name was said.
When the recital of the Megillah was completed, everyone was very happy to have been able to fulfill the mitzvah. Everyone wanted to invite the poor man to his home for the seudah to break the fast, but no one could find him. They searched for him all over the city, but he had disappeared. They understood that something extraordinary had occurred. The Rov, who was a great man, made a ‘shailos chalom’ to ask for an explanation, and the elderly man appeared to him in a dream. He told him, ‘I am Mordechai Hatzadik. I saw how upset you all were about not being able to read the Megillah, so I came to encourage you to read it with no fear. Hashem will help you and no harm will come to you from the wicked pasha.’
Different Than All Nations:
The pasuk (Esther 3:8) states: ‘And their laws are different than every nation and the laws of the king they do not keep.’ Rav Osher of Ropshitz zy’a (Sefer Ohr Yesha) says that this is a hint that the main rule of being a Jew is to be different than all other nations. Even if we do not always obey ‘the laws of the King’, we still keep the main law of being different than every other nation. As long as we are discernably different than the non-Jews, we are still called Yidden.
A Holiday From Achashveirosh:
Rav Moshe of Sambor zy’a (quoted in B’Devash Hasadeh, Ois 85) explains the pasuk that says that our laws are different than other nations by saying that Haman told Achashveirosh that the Jews have holidays ‘from all other nations’, meaning that they celebrate defeating other nations, such as Pesach when they celebrate defeating the Egyptians and Chanukah when they celebrate defeating the Greeks. ‘But they do not do the laws of the king’ – meaning that they don’t yet have a holiday that relates to Achashveirosh. Therefore, he advised him to make a day of feasting and joy, and Hashem will turn the day of mourning into a holiday, as He always does. Thus, Haman orchestrated for us to have another yomtov.