We are living through a year of war, fear, and uncertainty. Rockets, conflict, and displacement have brought anxiety into our daily lives. In such times, it is natural to look for guidance and reassurance from our tradition. As we approach Purim of תשפ"ו, there is a striking detail in Tanach that carries a message for this year in particular - not as a prediction, but as a reminder of where Jewish strength truly lies.
The year תשפ"ו appears only once in the entire Tanach, hinted through the opening letters of words in a single verse in Megillas Esther מגילת אסתר:
וְהַיּוֹם הַזֶּה תֹּאמַרְנָה שָׂרוֹת פָּרַס וּמָדַי
“And this day, the noblewomen of Persia and Media will say…"
(Esther 1:18)
This verse is spoken by Memuchan after Queen Vashti refuses to appear before King Achashverosh. He argues that her refusal will undermine authority throughout the empire of Persia and Media. The verse places unusual emphasis on the words “והיום הזה" - “and this day", even though they seem unnecessary. The verse could have simply said that the noblewomen would speak. Why stress the day?
Chazal explain why. The Gemara teaches:
בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי כְּטוֹב לֵב הַמֶּלֶךְ בַּיָּיִן… אָמַר רָבָא: יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי שַׁבָּת הָיָה
“On the seventh day, when the king’s heart was merry with wine… Rava said: the seventh day was Shabbat."
(Megillah 12b)
The feast, Vashti’s refusal, and Memuchan’s speech all took place on Shabbat.
Chazal further explain why this mattered. Vashti was not a righteous woman, nor was she observing Shabbat out of religious devotion. However, Shabbat was a well-known and publicly recognized Jewish holy day throughout the empire. Jews were visibly resting, gathering, and treating the day with dignity and restraint. Vashti understood that appearing publicly, in a degrading and immodest manner, specifically on Shabbat, would mark her as someone who publicly disgraced a Holy day associated with honor and restraint. That was a line she refused to cross.
Had it been a weekday, she may have come.
Because it was Shabbat, she refused.
Because she refused, she was removed.
Because she was removed, Esther later became queen.
And because Esther became queen, the decree against the Jewish people was ultimately overturned.
The salvation of Purim began quietly - not with a miracle, not with a battle, but with Shabbat.
This is why the hint to תשפ"ו appearing specifically in this verse matters. The only place where this year is hinted in Tanach is in the Purim story, at the precise moment when Shabbat set the salvation in motion, and in the context of a threat from Persia and Media.
There is a second verse that reinforces this idea, at the end of King David’s final words:
וּבָאֵשׁ שָׂרוֹף יִשָּׂרְפוּ בַּשָּׁבֶת
“They shall be utterly burned in fire, when He sits [in judgment]."
(II Samuel 23:7)
Rashi explains that the word “בשבת" here means “when G-d sits" on the throne of judgment. Later commentators note an additional layer of meaning: the same word can also be read as “on Shabbat", teaching that Shabbat is a time when destructive forces are weakened and divine judgment is asserted.
The idea that Shabbat is a force for redemption is reinforced by the Sages. The Midrash (Midrash Tanchuma, Pekudei 3) teaches:
“אִלּוּ מְשַׁמְּרִין יִשְׂרָאֵל שְׁתֵּי שַׁבָּתוֹת כְּהִלְכָּתָן - מִיָּד נִגְאָלִין"
“If Israel would properly observe two Shabbatot, they would be redeemed immediately."
Shabbat is not only a day of rest of Menucha; it is a channel for Geulah, for bringing salvation into the world.
This year is תשפ"ו - the year whose letters Tav-Shin-Pei-Vav appear in this very verse in Esther, the story of Purim. The fact that it is Purim now, the month of Adar, in a year of war, makes the message all the more urgent: just as salvation for Am Yisrael began with quiet faithfulness on Shabbat, so too today, our strength lies in maintaining Jewish identity and observance, especially the Kedusha, the sanctity, of Shabbat.
Taken together, these verses convey a single message. The Jewish people were saved from Persia through a chain of events that began on Shabbat, and the weakening of evil is also associated with Shabbat. The hint of תשפ"ו appearing only here reminds us that even amid war and danger, redemption begins with observance and restraint.
The message is not that war disappears, nor that effort and defense are unnecessary. It is that Jewish survival has never depended on strength alone. Again and again, history has turned on quiet acts of Emunah faithfulness, restraint, and identity.
In a year of war, Purim and Shabbat remind us that even when G-d is hidden, He is not absent - and that the quiet power of Shabbat remains one of the deepest sources of protection and resilience for the Jewish people.
Our strength is through our Jewish observance - and practically, particularly through keeping Shabbat. As we enter Adar, the month of joy, may we merit “when Adar enters, we increase in joy" (כְּשֶׁנִכְנַס אֲדָר, מַרְבִּין בְּשִׂמְחָה), bringing simcha, comfort, and blessing to ourselves, our families, and all of Israel.