King Achashveirosh agreed to Haman's plan to annihilate all the Jews.
When the Jewish People became aware of the severity of this royal decree, they did not send diplomatic missions to Achashverosh. They didn't try to undo the decree by natural means. The decree was a threat. Its purpose was to make them repent.
And so Mordechai's attempt to annul the decree focused first on the spiritual service necessary to evoke G-d's mercy. He called upon the Jewish people to turn to G-d. To repent. Only thereafter did he ask Queen Esther to approach the king.
Esther said "Gather all the Jews... and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, "I and my maidens will also fast." she promised.
At first glance, undertaking a fast would appear to endanger her life and the success of her mission. Esther had not been called to appear before the king for a month. By appearing without being summoned, she ran the risk of death. Since her only hope was that her beauty would arouse the king's favor, a three-day fast would surely lower the probability of success.
Esther realized, however, that the decree was a result of the Jewish people's evil deeds. Seeing the royal decree as only a physical manifestation of a G‑dly decree, and so Esther felt that before appealing to Achashverosh, it would be necessary to remove the reason for the decree through repentance . Once the repentance of the Jewish people had utterly nullified the spiritual reasons for the king's decree, then Esther felt confident in approaching the king and asking him to annul it on the physical level.
The Purim story reveals the Jewish people's fundamental commitment to Jewish identity and their deep awareness of G‑d as the Master of their fate.
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