When a person is looking to buy a car, do you know what happens? They start seeing cars everywhere. Suddenly, the kind of car they’re looking into buying pops up all over the place. It seems like cars are the hot topic of conversation, while a mere week before you hardly noticed what types were even on the road.

You know what I am talking about, no? This happens to me a lot. It could be something that you’re learning about and then it comes up, over and over, in many areas of your life.

Recently, I had four clients, all so different. They came from different places and different stages How many things have I tried to change?in their lives (even different countries), with different on-the-surface reasons for coming. They all had a common theme, which was, “I have a chronic condition. ... I’ve tried everything under the sun to heal this or to get rid of that. ... It takes away my happiness, the joy of who I am. ... Now what?”

Why am I bringing this up? Because the very same issues were going through my head.

How many things have I tried to change—a situation or a chronic condition—and nothing seemed to work? Currently, I am going through such a challenge and just gave the advice that I needed to hear myself, which was actually not to fight but to accept and go with it. There are things in this life that we have to live with or suffer from that simply do not have a solution.

It sounds a bit like giving up, but it’s not. It’s more about surrendering to a current reality beyond our control. Instead of fighting, it’s realizing that this has a purpose, even if we don’t understand what that purpose is. I am only one piece—a very important piece—of a gigantic jigsaw puzzle, and only when all the pieces are in place will I understand the whole big picture, and come to true healing.


We read in Megillat Esther how the Jewish people were in jeopardy, threatened with annihilation. Mordechai, the hero, and Esther, the heroine, were instrumental leaders in bringing about a national salvation. Mordechai and Esther were beautiful people who cared above all about the Jewish people, about Torah and doing the will of G‑d.

With their faith and in their merit, the Jewish people reached a high spiritual level. They inspired the nation to turn to G‑d in sincere repentance and prayer, and because of this, G‑d performed a miracle, saving the Jewish nation from destruction.

But as we read this story on Purim, every year, I ask myself, “And what about Esther?”

What about poor Esther? What about Mordechai? Where is the happy ending for them? The one that says that Esther did so much for her nation and risked her life, and therefore deserved to go back to the happy life that she had with Mordechai? Where is that ending? It’s not there!

What’s going on? What is the message?

It’s hidden. The final ending is hidden. Purim is about all those happy endings that are hidden from us right now.


In Hebrew, the name Esther comes from the root haster, “to be hidden.” Esther hid her identity from King Achashverosh until the time was right. In the entire story of Purim, G‑d’s name isn’t mentioned once. It’s like G‑d was “hiding” behind the scenes. So, too, the real ending, in Esther’s and Mordechai’s lives—and in our lives—is hidden and will remain so until the time of our final redemption.

There are people who become ill and don’t get better; they pass away, and the why is hidden.

There are people who remain single; and others who do everything to have a child and can’t, and the why is hidden.

There are people who attempt one thing after another and fail. Why? We don’t know; it’s hidden.

We are all pieces of a larger puzzle, and the finished presentation of this jigsaw is not yet complete; the big picture is not yet revealed.I believe that absolutely anything can happen

This doesn’t mean that I don’t believe in open miracles. I believe that absolutely anything can happen! Over and over again, I have seen dramatic changes in situations, literal miracles that happened in the blink of an eye.

We read how Haman wanted to wipe out the Jewish nation and how G‑d turned his plans upside-down, killing Haman and his sons instead. A commoner became a queen, and good triumphed over evil. Miracles, real miracles happen every day in our lives. People heal and get married. Babies are born, and money comes from apparently nowhere.

So, yes, I believe in miracles. But when I am running and running and seem to get nowhere, when there is a situation that I can’t change ... what, then, keeps me going? Acceptance. This doesn’t mean that a miracle can’t happen; G‑d can do and does do everything and anything. But we need to accept that there are many things where the why remains hidden and so does the real ending.

We need to work on believing with full faith that there will be a time (and very soon) when all that’s hidden and G‑d’s full glory will be completely revealed. Then we will see all those happy endings that we prayed and hoped for.

This is the message of Purim and the message I personally need to hear.