act like a winner and you will be a winner

 t the end of the megillah Esther begs Achashveirosh to rescind the decree against Bnei Yisrael (8:5):

יִכָּתֵ֞ב לְהָשִׁ֣יב אֶת־הַסְּפָרִ֗ים מַחֲשֶׁ֜בֶת הָמָ֤ן בֶּֽן־הַמְּדָ֙תָא֙ הָאֲגָגִ֔י

Achashveirish responds that he cannot do that, as once promulgated, the law cannot be rescinded. But what he can do is send another letter allowing the J to fight back (8:8):

אַתֶּ֠ם כִּתְב֨וּ עַל־הַיְּהוּדִ֜ים כַּטּ֤וֹב בְּעֵֽינֵיכֶם֙ בְּשֵׁ֣ם הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ וְחִתְמ֖וּ בְּטַבַּ֣עַת הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ כִּֽי־כְתָ֞ב אֲשֶׁר־נִכְתָּ֣ב בְּשֵׁם־הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ וְנַחְתּ֛וֹם בְּטַבַּ֥עַת הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ אֵ֥ין לְהָשִֽׁיב׃

Everyone is thrilled! Time to celebrate!

לַיְּהוּדִ֕ים הָֽיְתָ֥ה אוֹרָ֖ה וְשִׂמְחָ֑ה וְשָׂשֹׂ֖ן וִיקָֽר׃

R' Chaim Kanievsky asks: why were people already jumping for joy? They weren't out of the woods yet! They would have to fight a war against the Aggagi - Amaleiki. According to some Rishonim the reason we have taanis Esther is because that was the day we gathered for battle. People's lives were still on the line.

R' Chaim answers (Taama d'Kra) that this was a deliberate ploy by Mordechai. If you act like a winner, people think you are a winner.  People treat you like a winner.  Mordechai said to act like the battle was won, like they held all the cards now. It may not have been true, but the point is that it gave the impression that it was true. רַבִּ֞ים מֵֽעַמֵּ֤י הָאָ֨רֶץ֙ מִֽתְיַֽהֲדִ֔ים כִּֽי־נָפַ֥ל פַּֽחַד־הַיְּהוּדִ֖ים עֲלֵיהֶֽם Psychologically, the tide had turned.  One that happens, the battle is in the bag.

A couple of years ago I quoted the SHL"h's interpretation of the midrash

תשורי מראש אמנה

עתידין ישראל לומר שירה לעתיד לבוא, שנאמר: (תהלים צח, א)שירו לה' שיר חדש כי נפלאות עשה.

What's the double language of עתידין ישראל לומר שירה לעתיד לבוא? If it is עתידין then it obviously is לעתיד לבוא? Says the SHL"H: when we reach the ultimate geulah, we won't wait for the miracles to all happen before we start praising Hashem. עתידין in the future we will sing shirah to Hashem לעתיד לבוא, on the miracles that we know and are confident are going to happen, even if they haven't occurred yet (there is a R' Chaim that is against this approach, but not everyone has to agree with R' Chaim.)

Maybe לַיְּהוּדִ֕ים הָֽיְתָ֥ה אוֹרָ֖ה וְשִׂמְחָ֑ה וְשָׂשֹׂ֖ן וִיקָֽר because at that moment we were on the level of celebrating in anticipation of the nes rather than as a reaction afterwards. Maybe it was that bitachon that the nes will happen, that we will be victorious, which itself is the driving force that brought victory to fruition.

the zechus Achashveirosh had that gave him a queen like Esther

The gemara (Meg 12b) explains why it was that Vashti was ordered to appear nude at the party of Achashveirosh . Chazal say that there was a midah k'neged midah at work here:

שבמדה שאדם מודד בה מודדין לו מלמד שהיתה ושתי הרשעה מביאה בנות ישראל ומפשיטן ערומות ועושה בהן מלאכה בשבת

The gemara then brings a source in the pesukim for this derash:

היינו דכתיב אחר הדברים האלה כשוך חמת המלך אחשורוש זכר את ושתי ואת אשר עשתה ואת אשר נגזר עליה כשם שעשתה כך נגזר עליה

There is an amazing Shem m'Shmuel which notes that when the pasuk tells זכר את ושתי ואת אשר עשתה ואת אשר נגזר עליה, we have to keep in mind the context. The megillah is not just relating to us, for our sake, the what and why of what happened. The megillah is telling us **Achashveirosh's understanding** of the what and the why. The pasuk is a window into the goings on in Achashveirosh's mind. He is the one thinking about Vashti. He is the one who was wondering why such a terrible thing should happen to his queen. And he is the one who understood that the answer is שבמדה שאדם מודד בה מודדין לו , that she was paid back exactly in kind for her crime. This was not some random event that occurred because the party got out of hand, but rather it was a precisely calibrated response to Vashti's actions.

Did you even wonder why such a simpleminded, wicked (perhaps) man like Achashveirosh was zocheh to be married to a great tzadekes like Esther haMalkah? OK, so Esther had to be in that position to effect a rescue of Klal Yisrael, but ha'yad Hashem tiktzar to put some other plan into effect?  Revach v'hatzalah yaa'mod la'Yehudim mi'makom acheir had Esther not been queen.  Says the Shem m'Shmuel: it was because of this recognition by Achashveirosh that שבמדה שאדם מודד בה מודדין לו. Esther is all about revealing the yad Hashem that is hidden in the events of history.   Megillah = giluy, to be megaleh and reveal that which is hester/ Esther. Achashveirosh on his own level had something of that midah in recognizing זכר את ושתי ואת אשר עשתה ואת אשר נגזר עליה, that שבמדה שאדם מודד בה מודדין לו.   If something happens, there is a reason behind it, there is yad Hashem that is behind it.

The holiday of Purim is about seeing the yad Hashem in the hester, in the day to day.  This year we are witness to nisim v'niflaos.  You have to be blind to not see it.  Some people are blind, and some people prefer to put on blinders.