The wine flowed, the food was in abundance.

Wherever you turned - royal tapestries and the finest of cloths.

Couches of gold and silver, tables of marble.

The list of invitees - a veritable Who's Who of the kingdom.

Truly, a banquet as no other - and for 180 days, no less!

As they say in show business: it was really some gig. That old Persian king really knew how to party!

And yet, so what?

Of what contemporary interest is this long forgotten affair?

Why does the Megillah spare us no detail in relating it?

Consider this:

As a result of his cockiness during the banquet, Achashverosh is left without a queen. Lonely and miserable, he seeks out the most beautiful girl in the realm - as it turns out - a Jewish girl by the name of Esther.

Everything is quiet for a number of years. The Jews continue to thrive in the kingdom, both materially and politically. In fact, things have never looked so good.

Then, totally unexpectedly, the evil Haman conceives a genocidal plot to destroy all the Jews. The sense of despair is tangible. No escape seems possible.

Just as everything appears lost, Mordechai activates "Our Lady in Shushan" - and the rest is history.

The Megillah, the Baal Shem Tov tells us, is relevant to every one of us: Indeed it is the story of each of our lives.

Let me explain:

Maimonides tells us that the population of an entire city may exist for no other reason than to support one inspired individual's service of G-d. The farmer, the storekeeper, the street cleaner - or in the words of that age-old rhyme: the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker - are all there so that a certain Reb Yid should have the benefit of an environment supportive of his lofty pursuits. The farmer may not realize it. Neither the storekeeper, nor the street cleaner. Each may have motives of their own - "There are many thoughts in the heart of man" - but G-d's is the plan which really counts - He wants to create a conducive environment for that one truly saintly man.

So too, explains the Lubavitcher Rebbe, in the Megillah:

Although not apparent at the time, the real reason for the gold, silver, marble, fine cloths, wine and food - was to set the scene for a change at the top, the ramifications of which would not be apparent until many years later.

Whatever motives Acheshverosh may have had, he was no more than an actor in a divinely inspired play. The true reason for his party was so that nine years later Esther would be in a position to save the Jews.

Our rabbis have instructed us: Each individual must say, "Because of me the world was created".

Today we know that a storm in Australia may be the result of the interaction of planets at the other end of the Solar System many years previously. Should we ask, "What was the reason for this interaction between the planets nine years ago?" the true response is, "So that you and I, when we hear the thunder, will open our Artscroll Siddur to page 288 and say the blessing, 'Blessed are You 
G-d... whose strength and might fill the universe!'"

Because of me the world was created.

There is an abundance of gold in the world. Yet the Midrash tell us, "gold was created for no purpose other than the Sanctuary". The young girl adores her bracelet - the young man his earing! - but the true reason for the gold, is the Sanctuary. The real purpose of everything - is so that I can use it as an instrument in the service of G-d.

Because of me the world was created.

Today we are blessed with the Internet: one of the most powerful tools that has ever been invented. In a moment - information travels from one end of the world to the other! The banker and the stockbroker believe that the Internet is there to earn them money; the newsreader - to supply him with the latest scoop. But the real reason - so that the words of Torah can reach from one end of the world to the other.

Because of me the world was created.

Amongst our congregants is an individual who put this into practice. He was the senior mediator in a huge corporate merger. All the bigwigs were present. It was late Friday afternoon - people had flown in from everywhere to attend this important meeting. "Sorry gentlemen," Geoff says, "it's the eve of the Shabbat, and I now belong with my G-d and my family. We can continue next week, if you wish."

The Who's Who of business thought that they were there to cut a deal. But they were wrong. They were there to acknowledge that "On the seventh day He rested."

Each one of us is constantly presented with opportunities through which he or she can demonstrate:

Because of me the world was created!

Let us not miss them!

Rabbi Benzion Milecki OAM