22:5). In Shelamzions period, there were no precedents for powerful queens in Judeanot unless one counts Jezebel, the most notorious queen in Israelite history, or her daughter Athaliah. The Rabbis devote extensive attention to Esthers observance of the laws of niddah. The midrash relates that Esther asked theTorahscholars to Write of me for all time. The Rabbis replied that it is forbidden to add to what is written in the Torah, and it is not possible to include another book in Scripture, or to establish a new holiday. It is also thought that Mordecai may have had additional children, as it is not explicitly mentioned that Esther is his only child. An additional stratagem employed by Esther against Haman was connected with his leading Mordecai on the horse. Rabbah5:3). Solomon. According to one tradition, she was forty years old, while another places her age at seventy-four, which is the numerical value of the name Hadassah (Esthers second name), or, according to another calculation of this numerical value, seventy-five (see above). The BT lists a number of possible reasons: (1) she wanted Haman to be near her (so that she could say what she wanted about him at the appropriate moment); (2) she wanted to set a trap for him; (3) she planned to act toward Haman in a way that would lead Ahasuerus to suspect that she had engaged in an improper relationship with the former and thus cause the king to kill them both. [2] See Ilan,Integrating women, 127, commenting onJewish War1.71 andJewishAntiquities13.302. Yes, Mordechai was indeed Esthers cousin. The King of Persia, Ahasuerus, had appointed Haman to be his prime minister and a decree was issued ordering the annihilation of all Jews. Meir, Tamar. According to the Bible, Mordechai was a Jew who lived in the Persian city of Susa, the modern-day city of Shush, Iran. She had two grown sons (Aristobulus and Hyrcanus II), but she decided not to step aside for them; perhaps she foresaw that the rivalry between the younger and older son would not end well. Instead, Haman was hanged, and the Jews were given permission to destroy their enemies. Mordecai was elevated to second-in-command in the kingdom. her death is not known. The hero of the Book of Esther is a Jewish woman who lived in Susa and became queen when she was chosen to be the wife of King . She received her Ph.D. in religion from Princeton University. Another question that concerned the Rabbis was that of the children from the union of Esther and Ahasuerus. She is mentioned several times throughout the Book of Esther. Esther was given seven maids to serve her in the harem; the Rabbis comment that she used them in order to count the seven days of the week [to know when the Sabbath fell, so that she could observe it even in the harem]. She greatly feared to appear before Ahasuerus. Esther was a young Jewish girl taken into the palace of the king of Persia, King Ahasuerus. This makes Esther 60 years younger than her cousin Mordecai. The courtiers hoped that she would be executed like Vashti and that they would be able to apportion her clothing and jewelry among themselves; those close to Ahasuerus encircled her and harassed her on her way to the king, while Hamans sons awaited her downfall. 31 December 1999. At that banquet, she heightened the tension between the two by inviting both men to a second banquet. The Queen died in the afternoon of September 8, 2022. Esther was a teenager in The plea was turned down by her. This exegesis casts the Biblical narrative in a different light. Their grandfather was Alexander Jannaeus, the second eldest son of John Hyrcanus. Rabbah8:3). 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. But to approach the king without being summoned was not only illegal, but it could very well result in death for impertinence. The Rabbis also offer various proofs that the Book of Esther was written with the spirit of divine inspiration. However, later scribes, as the manuscript evidence suggests, no longer understood it. The book of Nehemiah begins in 444 BC, so they probably Rabbah6:8), or to arrange for the kashrut of her food. She was the last of the house of Hanover and . Esther eventually won the heart of the king and his servants, and she was selected to become the new queen of Persia. When Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman at the gate, Haman was extremely offended and sought to have Mordecai killed. This also leads to a different understanding of Mordecais involvement, as he walks about in the royal courtyard out of concern for his wife. Esther was born about 492BC and was 14 when she became Queen. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. The spelling of her name is confirmed by its appearance in the Qumran material; see4QCalendrical Document C(Florentino Garcia Martinez and Elbert J. C. Tigchelaar, eds.,Dead Sea Scrolls Study Edition[Brill Academic Publishers, 2000], 694). Similarly, her son Benjamin knew about the sale of Joseph, but remained silent and did not tell his father. Designation of the five scrolls of the Bible (Ruth, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther). 2). But she does not reveal her Jewish heritage to the king and learns of a plan to kill all Jews by the kings advisor, Haman. "scroll." Designation of the five scrolls of the Bible (Ruth, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther). She was Jewish but never revealed her nationality or family background as Mordecai had. Esther was a Jewish young woman who was providentially selected to be the queen of Persia. She also exhibits symptoms of agoraphobia, suicidal ideation, and feelings of overwhelming guilt and worthlessness. When Esther was taken captive, her emotional world was completely destroyed. 22:16). May this man have mercy on me, for I fear him. I'm also If her queenship was unprecedented in the second temple period, it was not unprecedented in the Jewish imaginationQueen Esther had made it possible to imagine a Jewish queen positively. Updates? Perhaps there is room for a role model of the leader who advocates peace, piety, and diplomacy as well. What is the labour of cable stayed bridges? The Jews, said Haman, must be eliminated for the good of the kingdom. The monarch of Persia, King Ahasuerus, was wealthy and powerful. When Esther sought to deliver up Haman, she revealed her identity as a Jew in the act. Queen Esther is the reluctant heroine of the Purim story. This book therefore has the same sanctity as the other books of Scripture. One tradition asserts that Esther used a resorbent, that is, she employed a contraceptive device to prevent any pregnancy by Ahasuerus. Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. Other sources say that the the woman "Esther" in the bible, married. Whereas her husband had persecuted the Pharisees, in her reign as solitary queen, Shelamzion was particularly supportive of the Pharisees, promoting their vision of Judaism and perhaps ensuring their popularity for generations to come (Josephus, Jewish War 1:110). According to the second direction, Esther was her real name, and she is so named throughout the Book of Esther; accordingly, the name Hadassah needs further explanation. "the written Torah." was the wife of the Persian King Xerxes [aka "Ahasuerus" in many Those were the good old days, the rabbis say, the days of Queen Shelamzion. Esther invited Ahasuerus and Haman to a feast and the Rabbis ask: why did she invite Haman? 2:22): and Esther reported it to the king in Mordecais name, from which the Rabbis learned that whoever properly attributes a statement brings redemption to the world, since, by merit of this act, the king wished to give honor and advancement to Mordecai, which began Hamans downfall (Codification of basic Jewish Oral Law; edited and arranged by R. Judah ha-Nasi c. 200 C.E.Mishnah Avot6:6). Why did she stay with him, rather than restart her life? 2:7). 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. After she tested positive for . Rabbah6:4). Queen Esther and Mordecai were given Haman's estate. Just as the myrtle is sweet-smelling but has a bitter taste, so Esther was sweet to Ahasuerus, but bitter to Haman (Esth. Warrior-kings tend to figure largely as models of leadership in the Western imagination. By merit of this, Mordecai(Esth. 464 BC. Prof. Mika Ahuvia is Associate Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Washington and currently holds the Marsha and Jay Glazer Endowed Chair in Jewish Studies. She died peacefully on Thursday afternoon at her Scottish estate, where. extended into the reign of her stepson, Artaxerxes. In the Erez Israel tradition, she miscarried the fetus she bore in her womb (the offspring of Ahasuerus) (Esth. Ultimately, Mordecais wife remains an unknown figure in the story, but her role in supporting her husband and protecting the Jewish people demonstrates her dedication and strength. In conclusion, yes, Mordechai was indeed Esthers cousin. For an analysis of these sources and their reliability, see Tal Ilan,Integrating Women into Second Temple History(Tbingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1999), esp. After Esthers coronation, the king continues to gather virgins in his palace, which the Rabbis understand as an activity meant to reveal Esthers identity. Her jar represented her strength and her resilience and gives a powerful message of hope to all those facing oppression. She understood why she had to suffer through her relationship with this irritable king. Ahasuerus consulted with Mordecai how to discover Esthers secret, and Mordecai advised him to arouse Esthers jealousy by inviting other women to him, thus motivating her to disclose her secret (BT Megillah 13a). Additionally, Hamans royal throne and belongings were given to Mordecai, and he was honored by the people of the city. point). Please consider supporting TheTorah.com. One advantage to welcoming Shelamzion back into Jewish memory is making space for a role model of diplomacy and peace. missed each other by at least 50 years. My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me? Jesus or Esther? cit.). Esther took place or at the very least was too young to remember even met her a few times when He was a young boy. 10:3) was able to have interceded for the welfare of all his kindred (Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer, chap. What is the reflection of the story of princess urduja? Mordechai later adopted Esther as his daughter after her parents died. Furthermore, he commanded all the provinces of his realm to provide special favors and tax exemptions to Esther and her people, the Jews. King Xerxes ordered Queen Vashti to appear at a banquet, but she refused to do so which led to her banishment. Upset, the king stepped out into the palace gardens. Read a brief summary of this topic. According to one tradition, Esther was responsible for Mordecais being seated at the palace gate, since she told Ahasuerus that all the great kings seated a Jewish advisor at the gate (Midrash Abba Gurionloc. In addition, she serves as an example of how to effectively use your voice and influence to make a difference. Esther showed tremendous courage in standing up for what she believed was right, even when faced with seemingly insurmountable opposition. Is the singer Avant and R Kelly brothers? Something went wrong while submitting the form. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered flags at the Capitol to be flown at half-staff following the queen's death. Esthers first husband was Mordecai. ; Frymer-Kensky,In the Wake of the Goddesses, 137-38. 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. Queen Elizabeth, who reigned for 70 years as Britain's monarch, died Thursday at Balmoral, her estate in the Scottish Highlands. Esther found favor in the eyes of everyone who gazed upon her; every person thought that she was one of the women of his nation, whom he found comely. Mordecai would walk about in front of the harem in order to rule for Esther regarding menstrual spotting; another exegetical exposition has Esther showing the spotting from her menstruation to theTorah she-bi-khetav: Lit. Just as a wolf seizes its spoils, so did Esther seize the throne; similarly, Mordecai and Esther divided Hamans spoils among them (Gen. Rabbah[ed. That being said, The Rabbis accordingly relate her to the MatriarchRachel, the mother of the tribe of Benjamin. Abraham, "fell on his face and laughed" while Sarah, "laughed to herself" and even tried to deny it. How old was Esther when she became queen of Persia? Like the moon, that is born after thirty days, Esther, too, said(Esth. The Rabbis add that Esther found favor in the eyes of both heaven and humans (Esth. The Bible depicts Esther as an orphan who was raised in the house of her uncle Mordecai ( Esth. During the . The spirit of divine inspiration descended on Esther shortly before she went to Ahasuerus, thus leading to her inclusion in the list of the seven women prophets(BTMegillah14a; 15a). The beginning of the psalm: My God, my God, why have You abandoned me? is what Esther asks when she wants to know why the spirit of divine inspiration has left her: was this because she went to Ahasuerus of her own free will, or because she disparaged him, and called him a dog (following the text of the psalm)(BTMegillah15a)? Plath famously battled depression and other mental illnesses, and the same is true of Esthers condition in the novel. The Jews were well acquainted with the command of God, which stated that they must not bow down to false gods nor to those enemies of God who idolized them. These words persuaded Esther to approach the king and she requested a private dinner for him and Haman. During this historical period, the first group of Jews who had returned to Judah struggled to revive temple worship by Moses' Law. Other problems that also call into question the story's reliability include Mordecai being identified as sent into exile by Nebuchadnezzar - an event that must have place over a century before Xerxes assumed power. [7] See Elsie Sterns reading of Megillat Esther as a cautionary tale for Jews living in the Diaspora in her TABS essay, Megillat Esther: A Godless and Assimilated Diaspora.. 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." We see, however, that this was a stratagem on Mordecais part, so that Esther would not be frequently summoned to the king. Esther would then be aged18 when she wins the beauty contest, 22 when she becomes queen (Esther 2:16-17), and 27 when she helps to defeat Haman's genocide scheme. What Did God Write on the Tablets of Stone? She was 96 years old. Mordecai had discovered the evil plan of two palace administrators, Bigthan and Teresh, and he wanted to make sure the king was aware of the danger and could take proper precautions to protect himself. Even though she was the queen and the favorite of Xerxes, Esther was taking a great risk in deciding to go to him. When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. A seven-day festival to commemorate the Exodus from Egypt (eight days outside Israel) beginning on the 15. Esther was the best-looking woman, and Ahasuerus picked her to replace Vashti as Queen. Esther was taken from her home and came to live in the palace along with many other girls of the harem. Esthers secret was that she was a Jew, which she was able to hide from her adoptive family and community. Lit. 2). Esthers extreme courage and her willingness to risk her own life for the safety of her people serves as an inspiration to this day. When she came into the palace, was she left on her own, or was she given whatever she needed to please the king and to become the queen? Additionally, he decreed that anyone hostile to the Jews would be punished. As a result of his heroic actions, Mordecai was honored by King Ahasuerus for his bravery, and he was made Prime Minister with great authority. The Book of Esther tells of Esther marrying King Ahasuerus of Persia and therefore becoming his queen. Despite the close bond they had, they remained uncle and niece and were not married. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. Her bravery earns her a spot among the seven women prophets, and she is remembered as the one responsible for the deliverance of Israel. Do you, or does someone you know, demonstrate the same total commitment to a mission, even at the cost of sacrificing personal happiness? She became the new wife of the king when his . Buckingham Palace's website announces the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022. The jar symbolizes Esthers grief, fear, and pain, which stems from her captivity in King Xerxes harem. Rebekah had sent him there to be safe from his angry twin brother, Esau. Ahasueruss intimates attempted sorcery, so that her hands and feet would look like leather hides, but a miracle was performed for her and they began to shine like sapphires (Midrash Tehilim, onPs. The Rabbis compare Esther to the son of the uncle who redeems an ancestral landholding(Lev. No biblical law specifies that only men can reign, although hundreds of years after Shelamzions reign, the rabbis of would interpret Deuteronomy 17:14, which states You will set a king over you as a king, not a queen (Sifre Deuteronomy 157).[3]. Esther stood in the middle of the fourth department; the guards of the first department could no longer touch her, while those of the last department could not yet approach her. 7:5states: Thereupon King Ahasuerus demanded [va-yomerliterally, and he saidwritten twice in the verse] of Queen Esther, Who is he. The midrash is of the opinion that the verbva-yomeris repeated here because Ahasuerus initially spoke directly to Esther, but when he discovered that she was a Jew, he spoke to her through an interpreter. 5). Mordechai and Esthers relationship was an important part of the events of the Book of Esther. Since Nehemiah was a leading figure in Jerusalem by 432 BC, Esther Greenwood, the protagonist of Sylvia Plaths novel The Bell Jar, is believed to be a representation of the author herself. And lest you think I am making an argument about gendered skills (i.e., what women do vs. what men do), the following from the late biblical scholar Tikva Frymer-Kensky is noteworthy: With these two queens, the Torah and Jewish history model another way of being successful in the world, both for men and women. Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, has died at Balmoral aged 96, after reigning for 70 years. The Bible doesn't say how old Esther was when she married him, but if she was 17 this would make her born in 500BC. One day he overheard a conspiracy between two of the king's guards who wanted to assassinate Xerxes. [11] According to the colophon to Greek Esther, a delegation of Jews from Jerusalem went to Egypt with the translation of the story of Megillat Esther and asked the Jews of Alexandria to begin celebrating the festival of Purim. There was no King Ahasuerus of Persia, but many Bible commentaries observe that Ahasuerus is likely the Hebraicised version of King Xerxes, the Achaemenid leader who ruled from 486 to 465 BCE.Historians say that Queen Amestris was Xerxes' only known wife and was definitely still queen at the time the biblical account says that Xerxes married Esther, casting doubt on the biblical story. A new decree to save the Jews. This means she had been married to the king for approximately 40 years at the time of her death. Verily, I seek Your mercy from window to window in the house of Ahasuerus. According to the Babylonian tradition, she saw menstrual blood (BT Megillah15a). Until Esther was chosen, no woman could compare with Vashti in beauty. Features thousands of biographic and thematic essays on Jewish women around the world. A few of them, such as Nehemiah, Mordecai and Daniel, rose to positions of prominence under the Babylonian kings.The last of the Prophets of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) were still living.King Cyrus had recently made his famous proclamation (2 Chronicles 36:22-23) allowing the Jews to resettle Judea (Israel), and some had gone up with Zerubavel, but the enemies of the Jews had then slandered them (Ezra ch.4), causing the Babylonian king to put a stop to the rebuilding and resettlement of Judea. Shelamzion became sole heir to the Hasmonean kingdom when her husband, King Alexander Janneaus (King Yannai in rabbinic sources), who reigned from 10376 BCE, died. The Talmud sees Haman's decree as a punishment from Heaven to these Jews. The Babylonian tradition maintains that Esther was Mordecais wife. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Since the king had commanded Haman to have Mordecai dressed in the kings clothes, Esther ordered the bathing attendants not to work that day, so that Haman would be forced to serve Mordecai himself (Lev. She overtook Queen Victoria as the longest reigning monarch in 2015 - Victoria had served for 63 years and lived to the age of 81. Mordecai and Esther respond to this that the story in the Book of Esther was already recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Media and Persia(Esth. He was a Jew living in the Persian city of Susa, and he became a prime minister in the Persian court of King Ahasuerus. Though she may have been elderly at the time of her death, her legacy continues to live on. , Rabbi Nathan states, In its season from Shabbat night to Shabbat night, the way [rains] fell in the days of Queen Shelamzion., Megillat Esther: A Godless and Assimilated Diaspora.. Ecbatana, located in what is now western Iran. 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. TheA type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules).Midrash adds that Esthers father died during her mothers pregnancy, and the latter died during childbirth (Esth. 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. Esthers Origins and Her Adoption by Mordecai, Esther Delivers Up Haman and Reveals Her Identity. The verse (5:1) Esther put on royal apparel is interpreted as her assuming the spirit of prophecy (BTMegillahloc. In their commentary on the Book of Esther, the Rabbis expand upon and add details to the Biblical narrative, relating to her lineage and history and to her relations with the other characters: Ahasuerus, Mordecai, and Haman. The actual origins of the Purim festival, which was already long established by the 2nd centurybce, remain unknown. 9:23): The Jews accordingly assumed an obligation [ve-kibel] that which they had begun to practice.Ve-kibelis written in the singular, thus alluding to God(Ruth Rabbah4:1; BT Megillah 7a). The answer she gave was that anasmakhta(Scriptural support) for the writing of the Book of Esther is to be found in the verses mandating that the memory of Amalek be blotted out, with the explicit command(Ex. Mordecai was an important figure in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. The King also issued a proclamation throughout the land to honor Mordecai. 16 September 2012. The enraged King ordered Haman's hanging, elevated Mordecai to prime minister and gave Jews the right to defend themselves against any enemy. Because of Haman's law, she and all the Jews in the kingdom would be killed. The Book of Esther does not say how old Esther was when she was taken to Ahasueruss palace; different midrashic traditions address this question. He became King of Persia in 485BC at the age of 33. She appears to be a loyal wife to Mordecai, as she supports him throughout his efforts to save the Jewish people from Hamans plot. As a result of her mothers death, Mordecai had to care for Esthers nursing. Her story is one of faith, courage, and resilience, and her bravery serves as an inspiration to others to never give up fighting for what you believe in. What is the reflection of the story of princess urduja? Old Testament Stories: Queen Esther When she approached the king, he held out his scepter. Esther, the orphaned cousin and adopted daughter of Mordecai, won the kings devotion and was chosen to be the new queen; Mordecai had instructed her to not reveal that she was Jewish. Ilan relies upon Bickermans dating, as does Aaron KollersEsther in Ancient Jewish Thought(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014). 6:6), or the definite statement, that could be known only to God: but they did not lay hands on the spoil (9:10). And You, O Lord, bring success to this, Your poor handmaiden. Most of the Jews preferred the comfortable life of the Persian Empire to an arduous life rebuilding their devastated homeland. Mordecais refusal to bow to Haman displayed his firm faith and commitment to his people and to the God of Israel. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'coalitionbrewing_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_3',146,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-coalitionbrewing_com-medrectangle-3-0'); Queen Esther was a brave and courageous woman who risked her life many times to save the Jewish people. Seeing the Letter Tet in a Dream: 9th Anniversary, Study the Torah with Academic Scholarship, By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use, Jewish Queens: From the Story of Esther to the History of Shelamzion, https://thetorah.com/article/jewish-queens-from-the-story-of-esther-to-the-history-of-shelamzion. 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 . Once upon a time a Jewish queen ruled the land. Another angel pushed Haman onto Esthers couch (BTMegillahloc. Esther gained even greater favour with Ahasuerus after she helped thwart an assassination plot against him that Mordecai overheard at the palace gate.
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