When her secret was revealed, the whole of Persia, who had had no knowledge of the Jewish people or their plight, was amazed and moved by Esthers courage and selflessness. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. According to the Babylonian tradition, she saw menstrual blood (BT Megillah15a). 22:1: For the leader; onayelet ha-shahar[literally, the hind of the dawn], which the Rabbis apply to Esther. Jewish and Persian Esther understood that this action would require her to commit a grave transgression, and even lose all possibility of returning to her husband Mordecai. Esther was the best-looking woman, and Ahasuerus picked her to replace Vashti as Queen. She was alone, alone with her grief and trauma. She received her Ph.D. in religion from Princeton University. Instead, Haman was hanged, and the Jews were given permission to destroy their enemies. We just don't know. Modesty and Sexuality in Halakhic Literature, What Queen Esther can teach us about intermarriage. She overtook Queen Victoria as the longest reigning monarch in 2015 - Victoria had served for 63 years and lived to the age of 81. When Esther pointed and declared(Esth. Mordecai is mentioned inEsth. This understanding of the Book of Esther is linked to the perception of Esther as a prophet: she is included in the list of seven women prophets(BTMegillah14a; Seder Olam Rabbah21). Please support us. She had been suffering from a cold for the previous four months. The Book of Esther, which does Vashti (Hebrew: , romanized: Vat; Koin Greek: , romanized: Astn; Modern Persian: , romanized: Vti) was a queen of Persia and the first wife of Persian king Ahasuerus in the Book of Esther, a book included within the Tanakh and the Old Testament which is read on the Jewish holiday of Purim.She was either executed or banished for her . How Did Queen Esther Die? She was married to King Achashverosh, whom some identify as Artaxerxes (), 1 king of Persia. No, Esther and Mordecai were not married. Upon realizing this, Mordecai subdued the enemy and turned the wickedness of Haman back onto himself and his family. Esther is also compared to a wolf, to the moon (see below: Esther as the Deliverer of Israel) and to a stove on which everyone places his pots (Midrash Tehilim, onPs. During this historical period, the first group of Jews who had returned to Judah struggled to revive temple worship by Moses' Law. The Queen described in the Book of Nehemiah is Queen Esther. Nevertheless, this must not have an easy decision for her; just one generation before her, the wife of the Hasmonean King John Hyrcanus was starved to death by her son when she tried to remain queen. As Ahasuerus enjoyed only 14 more years on the throne, we conclude that Esther was but 28 years. Is the singer Avant and R Kelly brothers? Esther then initiated a covert plan to defeat Haman using her grace and beauty. Esther replaced Queen Vashti, who had been sentenced to death because she had refused to display her beauty to the King's feast attendants. She remained passive to the moody King and obedient to her authoritarian uncle, Mordecai. guessing that Nehemiah was probably not around when the events of Esther took her turn after 12 months of preparation, and she was chosen as queen: "She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. Taken to the palace of King Ahasuerus of Persia, she exposed the plot of the evil Haman, who had convinced the king to allow the annihilation of all the Jews in his extensive empire. Rabbah8:7; the passage is taken from Josippon). 5). They derive this from the various verses that reflect the thought of the characters, or that attest to actions of which a normal person could not be cognizant, such as Haman said to himself(Esth. In the Book of Esther, Mordecai plays a major role in the events leading up to the deliverance of the Jewish people from their enemies. 6:6), or the definite statement, that could be known only to God: but they did not lay hands on the spoil (9:10). Rabbah6:5; BTLit. These actions demonstrated the kings respect and admiration for Esther and earned her the loyalty of her people. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'coalitionbrewing_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_10',152,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-coalitionbrewing_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0');Her true identity was kept hidden from everyone, until she was forced to reveal it in order to save her people from the decree of death from Persias ruling king. Furthermore, the Jewish people had a special holiday to commemorate their deliverance and celebrate the bravery of Mordecai. After more than 70 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022. In Jacobs blessing to his sons, he blesses Benjamin(Gen. 49:27): Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he consumes the foe, and in the evening he divides the spoil, which the Rabbis applied to Mordecai and Esther. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The Book ofEsther (2:7)relates that Esther had two names: He was foster father to Hadassahthat is, Esther. The Rabbis take two interpretive directions as regards these names. Hatach and Esther. 5). Mordecai did not bow to Haman because he was a Jew and Haman was an Agagite, the enemies of Gods chosen people. Nonetheless, it is clear that Esthers mental state was severely compromised and debilitating. Rabbah6:5). She was placed with her adoptive family, the Kings, on the orders of Queen Esther of Persia, who held a grudge against all Jews. After she tested positive for . He became King of Persia in 485BC at the age of 33. 2:7states: Mordecai adopted her as his own daughter [literally: took herle-vat], which the midrash understands as: Mordecai took herle-bayit, that is, as a wife (BTMegillahloc. And You, O Lord, bring success to this, Your poor handmaiden. (Viewed on March 4, 2023)
. 22:16). Her loyalty to her people is admirable, as is . Haman, too, was troubled by the question of Esthers origins. The Book of Esther does not say how old Esther was when she was taken to Ahasueruss palace; different midrashic traditions address this question. All Her . Bruce Feiler says in Where God was Born that Queen Amestris was Xerxes' only known wife, and that she remained queen long after the third year of his reign, when Vashti was supposedly deposed by Xerxes.The story of Queen Esther is demonstrably non-historical, but she is portrayed as saving the Jews of the Persian Empire from destruction. What is the labour of cable stayed bridges? Hearing the horror of the planned genocide, the light went on: Esther connected with her inner self and understood why she had been made queen. The more prevalent Rabbinic opinion is that Hadassah was Esthers second name, with a plethora of interpretations built on the similarity of the myrtle (hadas) to Esther: Esther was so called because she was righteous, and the righteous are called myrtles; she was of average height, like a myrtle, which is neither short nor long; she had a greenish (sallow) complexion, like a myrtle (BTMegillahloc. The Rabbis accordingly relate her to the MatriarchRachel, the mother of the tribe of Benjamin. Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, has died at Balmoral aged 96, after reigning for 70 years. . At that banquet, she heightened the tension between the two by inviting both men to a second banquet. He suggested that she might be Jewish, which implied some sort of relationship between them, since he was from the offspring of Amalek, the grandson of Esau (Jacobs brother) (Esth. Esther may or may not have reflected the historical reality of the Persian period, but her story provided a model for a new reality in Shelamzions lifetime. The Book of Esther reports that when Esther learned that Mordecai was wearing sackcloth, the queen was greatly agitated (4:4). Even after she becomes queen because of the disobedience of Queen Vashti, Esther remains modest and down-to-earth. The Jewish festival of Purim celebrates this event. assumed in to the next King's harem (also possiblealthough a Esther was born about 492BC and was 14 when she became Queen. Queen Shelamzion Alexandra reigned as queen of Judea from 76 to 67 BCE. assassinated 20 years earlier (he was probably bout 20-25 years Commenting on Deuteronomy 11:13-14, which describes rain falling in its season as a reward for keeping the commandments, Sifre Deuteronomy writes (42): In other words, Rabbi Nathan observes that in the days of Queen Shelamzion, the people actually obeyed the commandmentsthey were all good for a change!and God rewarded the Israelites with plentiful rain from heaven. missed each other by at least 50 years. Esther before she died (I'm guessing she died in 464 BC) and maybe Her reign is famous as 'The Golden Age', for its . [1] In preparation for Purim and the reading of Megillat Esther, the story of this forgotten Jewish queen is worth recounting. The festival of Purim and the satirical setting of Megillat Esther may cause us to minimize the unusual story it preserves: the story of a young woman succeeding against all odds in foreign territory. Queen Sheba the famous rich queen , never did marry king Another tradition has her becoming pregnant by Ahasuerus, but miscarrying (Esth. What Did God Write on the Tablets of Stone? The Queen was the oldest monarch to have reigned in Britain before she passed away in September 2022, aged 96. Ahasuerus first tried to turn his face so that he would not look upon Esther, but the ministering angels forcibly turned his head, until he cried out. Codification of basic Jewish Oral Law; edited and arranged by R. Judah ha-Nasi c. 200 C.E. Lastly, Mordecai helped the Jews to establish their rights, which became to be known as the Purim festival. Esther was taken from her home and came to live in the palace along with many other girls of the harem. They married in 478 BC after the former queen, Vashti, was banished for being unable to fulfill her husband's demands. Another question that concerned the Rabbis was that of the children from the union of Esther and Ahasuerus. 4:11): Now I have not been summoned to visit the king for the last thirty days(Ex. Hearing the horror of the planned genocide, the light went on: Esther connected with her inner self and understood why she had been made queen. You, O Father of orphans, stand at the right hand of this orphan, who trusts in Your compassion. He was born in 518BC. old or so, Estheryuckthat's not what they showed in the What is the answer punchline algebra 15.1 why dose a chicken coop have only two doors? In response, Esther tells him that, like him, she is the offspring of royalty (Midrash Abba Gurion, para. Despite the close bond they had, they remained uncle and niece and were not married. even met her a few times when He was a young boy. She was expressing her inner strength and her ability to survive and even to thrive in difficult circumstances. Their legal marriage age suggests that they prefer young people below 18 (prime of the youth). 49). 16 September 2012. Fortunately, the king was able to get to the bottom of the plot and expose the would-be assassins before any harm came to Mordecai or the king. [6], Typical of his time period, Josephus was uncomfortable with the idea of a woman in charge of political affairs but admits that. We rely on the support of readers like you. Josephus final words about Shelamzion are that despite her deviation from proper feminine behavior, she had kept the nation at peace (Jewish Antiquities 13:432). Esther eventually won the heart of the king and his servants, and she was selected to become the new queen of Persia. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. When Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman at the gate, Haman was extremely offended and sought to have Mordecai killed. How Can a Torah Commentary Be Source-Critical and Jewish? Corrections? Bibles] who ruled Persia from 486 to 465 BC. point. Rabbah6:4). By merit of this, Mordecai(Esth. In various sources the Rabbis relate to the question of the Book of Esthers acceptance as Scripture and to the establishment of the holiday ofPurim. old, non-virgin wife. Despite her hiding her identity, Esther still maintained contact with Mordecai. According to other traditions, her bowels were loosened (BTMegillahloc. For the name of Esther, a number of etymologies are possible.1) Esther comes from the Persian "setareh," meaning "star".2) Esther comes from the Aramaic "istahar," meaning "moon." Esther illuminated Israel like the light of dawn, while this light itself was like darkness for the nations of the world (MidrashTehilim, onPs. She was able to use the jar to communicate her innermost thoughts and feelings to those around hershowcasing her strength, resilience and defiance in the face of her oppression. Rabbah6:11). 2). Haman (the bad guy) represented the Jews' first enemy Ernest Normand/Wikipedia Esther's story is full of symbolism, which really helped the case for being accepted into the Bible. Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. Along with Queen Shelamzion Alexandra, Queen Esther shows that skills at the negotiating table should be just as valued as skills in the field of war. Queen Esther and Bella Abzug: Costumes, Leadership, and Identity, The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, Copyright 19982023, Jewish Women's Archive. She understood why she had to suffer through her relationship with this irritable king. She married her cousin Alexander of Judaea (died 48 BC), who was the son of Aristobulus II. Esthers jar is a visual representation of her emotional turmoil and her suffering. Read a brief summary of this topic. Haman, having become incensed thatMordecai, aJew, held him indisdainand refused obeisance, convinced the king that the Jews living under Persian rule were rebellious and should be slaughtered. The regimen of rituals, songs and textual readings performed in a specific order on the first two nights (in Israel, on the first night) of Passover.SederOlam Rabbah29;Midrash Panim Aherim, version B, para. a. [7] Queen Esther risks her own life when she goes to the kings chambers uninvited: If I must die, so be it, she says (Esther 4:16). The Queen was the oldest monarch to have reigned in Britain before she passed away in September 2022, aged 96. May this man have mercy on me, for I fear him. This also leads to a different understanding of Mordecais involvement, as he walks about in the royal courtyard out of concern for his wife. The night of their union, Ahasuerus loved Esther "above all women" and made her the Persian Empire's Queen. 22:5). She oversaw a peaceful and prosperous period. In Esther Chapter 2, royal eunuchs advised Ahasuerus to look for a new queen. Yet another tradition maintains that she was eighty years of age(Gen. Rabbah39:13;MidrashAbba Gurion, para. Like many Jews today, she had two names, one Hebrew and one Greek. "order." One of these officials was the biblical Mordecai. Torah and history converge in a remarkable way in the life of Shelamzion. The Rabbis then mention an additional argument that is raised by the people, that the writing of the Book of Esther will arouse the enmity of the non-Jewish nations.
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