The Timeline in Megillat Esther

Every story has a starting point; but the starting point is not always obvious. The Sages discuss the halakhic ramifications of this very question: "From where must one read the Megilla and fulfill their obligation?" The disagreement essentially expresses different opinions regarding the main starting point of the story, as illustrated in Megilla 19a: "Rabbi Meir says: The entire Megilla; Rabbi Yehuda says: From 'There was a Jewish Man'; Rabbi Yosei says: From 'After these events'."

The Megilla begins with the feast Ahasuerus hosts for his ministers, which does not appear to relate to the main plot. The main plot of the story takes place during the twelfth year of Ahasuerus's reign, while the Megilla begins in the third year.

Positioning the feast as a starting point for the Megilla introduces a solution before the main predicament has even occurred. Vashti's banishment in the third year sets the stage for the redemption of the Jews in the twelfth year. At the time, Vashti's banishment appeared to be no more than typical palace intrigue – certainly not an event of historical significance. But a broader perspective indicates that this event laid the foundation for saving the Jews from extermination! While divine providence in the Megilla is active, it is covert; therefore God's name is absent from the Megilla. This was perhaps the intention of the Sages when they said "Where is Esther alluded to in the Torah? - 'And I will hide Myself.'" (Hulin 139B).

The Megilla was written in a manner which creates a spiritual challenge for its readers, who are expected to find the divine providence that guides the events that transpire before our eyes, even when God's presence is not explicitly revealed.