The grand 180-day feast hosted by King Achashverosh came to an end on this day.
Achasverosh miscalculated the start date of Jeremiah's prophecy which promised the rebuilding of the Holy Temple after 70 years of Babylonian exile. When, according to his calculations, the seventy years had passed and the Jews were not redeemed, he orchestrated this grand party to celebrate the "demise" of the Chosen Nation. During the course of the party he brazenly displayed many of the vessels looted from the Holy Temple by the Babylonian armies.
Links:
Esther 1 (For a vivid description of the feast.)
The Royal Feast
The Jewish community of York, England, consisting of 150 souls, was massacred by a bloodthirsty mob. Among the martyrs was the Talmudic scholar R. Yom Tov of Joigny.
In today's "Nasi" reading (see "Nasi of the Day" in Nissan 1), we read of the gift bought by the nasi of the tribe of Menasseh, Gamliel ben Pedahtzur, for the inauguration of the Mishkan.
Take these words of Mine to your hearts and to your souls…teach them to your children so that this will be what they speak about, when you are sitting at home, walking on your way, lying down to rest, and arising from your sleep. (Deuteronomy 11:18-19)
The simple meaning of this instruction is as follows:
You must teach your children Torah.
Not as a burden, but as a love; so that they will cherish Torah wisdom, share it, and speak about it at every time of day, in every circumstance. Until it becomes the defining activity of their lives.
And to accomplish this, you too must be engaged, heart and soul, in your children's education the entire day.
Not only at home, when you are in your own space, but even when you're off at work or in other circumstances you do not control, this is what should preoccupy your mind.
So that when you lie down to rest after a long, hard day, the concern won't go away.
And when you awaken refreshed in the morning, your first thought will be, "What's happening with my children's education?"
This is why there are Jews today, how this miracle occurred: Because there were Jewish parents who focused their entire lives on the Torah education of their children.