“Esther turned noga into chashmal and invites us to follow her lead: When faced with a range of options (ie, noga), identify the paradoxical tugs, acknowledge the truths of each, alternate between them, pick up the pace, find the point of stillness (chashmal), pray for counsel, feel the gate of knowing open, receive the guidance (ruach hakodesh), act upon it, trust the process, then proceed on your way.

Each year when Purim comes around and Esther’s tale looms large, HaShem agrees (because of her) to join our feasts as well. And so that means that on that day our portals, too, are near. Seize the moment. Don malchut. Find your center and follow its thread to your own gate of higher knowing. Take some breaths and invite its shower of ruach hakodesh into your heart, bones, cells and spaces. This is Esther’s mishloach manot to us on Purim day.”