Nonetheless, in the very same document in which the rabbis rule out the possibility of Jewish queens, the rabbis remember Queen Shelamzion Alexandra quite favorably. What is the answer punchline algebra 15.1 why dose a chicken coop have only two doors? someone died doesn't mean they didn't exist. Beautiful as the moon (Talmud, Megillah 13a).3) Esther comes from the Semitic root ath-tar, "morning star." 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. Please consider supporting TheTorah.com. Another tradition has her becoming pregnant by Ahasuerus, but miscarrying (Esth. She reigned in the first century BCE, sixty years after the Hasmoneans achieved independence from the Seleucid Empire and a few decades before King Herod. Esthers secret was that she was a Jew, which she was able to hide from her adoptive family and community. Wake up to the day's most important news. not tell how old she was, is certainly not historical and appears She knew King Xerxes's love for merrymakingthat's how he first got in trouble with Queen Vashti (Es 1:10, 11, 12), how he celebrated Queen Esther's rise to the throne (Es 2:17, 18), and how he ended his day with Haman after issuing the edict for genocide (Es 3:15). After the immediate danger to her community passed, Queen Esther stayed with Ahasuerus. Esther must have been a "teenager" based on the historical and Biblical facts above. During Jacob's stay, he fell in love with Rachel . How old was Queen Elizabeth II when she died? Gaalya Cornfeld, ed.,Josephus: The Jewish War; Zondervan Publishing House, 1982). Designation of the five scrolls of the Bible (Ruth, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther). Mordecais wife is an unnamed woman from Susa. The Rabbis relate to Esther as the one responsible for the deliverance of Israel and compare her to the moon, which shone for Israel in the darkness of night. [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). After Esther was crowned queen, Mordecai held an important position at the palace and worked closely with the Queen in all matters. 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. Despite the close bond they had, they remained uncle and niece and were not married. Anyway, there's no record of whether Esther was In Esther Chapter 2, royal eunuchs advised Ahasuerus to look for a new queen. In the affair of Bigthan and Teresh, Esther continued to follow Mordecais instructions. Jewish and Persian 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). This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Esther-biblical-figure, McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia - Esther. According to tradition, the book of Esther was written in the mid-4th century BCE, and was made part of the canon which was sealed a couple of decades after.Esther was queen for about 11 years.The name of Mordecai is the Judaised pronunciation of Marduka, which is attested in the Persepolis Texts as the name of officials in the Persian court during the period of Xerxes I. Esther remained passive and allowed the King to rape her repeatedly. He also arranged for the Jews to gather and fast for the protection of their lives. Instead, Haman was hanged, and the Jews were given permission to destroy their enemies. [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.. The plea was turned down by her. The Rabbis also offer various proofs that the Book of Esther was written with the spirit of divine inspiration. The bleeding jar in Esthers story is significant because of the deep symbolism behind it. 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. The king did not believe in God but Esther did. What episode does Squidward say the F word. Mordecais refusal to bow to Haman displayed his firm faith and commitment to his people and to the God of Israel. [12] Ilan, Esther, Judith and Susanna as Propaganda for Shelamzions Queenship,Integrating Women, 135. Instead, Haman was hanged, and the Jews were given permission to destroy their enemies. 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). 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. (Viewed on March 4, 2023) . Continue Learning about Religious Studies. brought him up to be favorable to the Jews and he later rebuilt the Daniel probably died shortly after Darius took the throne in 521 16 September 2012. When Esther pointed and declared(Esth. After an exhilarating victory, they declared the following day a holiday and (alluding to the lots Haman had cast) named it Purim, which is Hebrew for lots.. 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. and Nehemiah may have known each other personally. cit.). This exegesis casts the Biblical narrative in a different light. In conclusion, yes, Mordechai was indeed Esthers cousin. assassinated 20 years earlier (he was probably bout 20-25 years Esther and Mordecai then obtained a royal edict allowing Jews throughout the empire to defend themselves on the day set for their extermination. Additional traditions maintain that not only did Esther become pregnant by Ahasuerus, but she was also the mother of the last Darius (idem) or of Cyrus (Kallah Rabbati2:15). Her bravery earns her a spot among the seven women prophets, and she is remembered as the one responsible for the deliverance of Israel. The best. Esther despaired throughout her first six years in the palace. When the king saw his queen, Xerxes lowered his golden scepter to invite Esther into his presence. 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). cit.). [11] Elias J. Bickerman, The Colophon of the Greek Book of Esther,Journal of Biblical Literature63.4 (1944): 339-62. Happy Womens History Month! Rabbah6:5; BTLit. Answer (1 of 5): I don't about my husband Ahaserus, but I, Haddasha aka Esther never died, for here I Am. During this historical period, the first group of Jews who had returned to Judah struggled to revive temple worship by Moses' Law. We see, however, that this was a stratagem on Mordecais part, so that Esther would not be frequently summoned to the king. Nehemiah, unless she survived the assassination, in which case she Updates? This book therefore has the same sanctity as the other books of Scripture. In common parlance, the braided loaves blessed and eaten on the Sabbath and Festivals.hallah from dough,niddah, and the kindling of the Sabbath candle, even in the palace of Ahasuerus (Midrash Tehilim, onPs. By merit of this, Mordecai(Esth. probably lived at the same time. Her jar allowed her to find a voice in a situation where she could feel voiceless. cit.). Esther took place or at the very least was too young to remember cit.). The Scroll of Esther is read on Purim from a parchment scroll. Esther 4:11-16. Later, when Queen Vashti refused to appear before Ahasuerus (in Esther ch.1), Memuchan, a Persian royal adviser, advised King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) to remove Vashti from being Queen of Persia, and King Ahasuerus agreed to his advice. The Bible depicts Esther as an orphan who was raised in the house of her uncle Mordecai ( Esth. window.location.replace(""); An orphan raised by her uncle, young Esther was taken against her will as a beautiful virgin to Persian King Ahasuerus's harem. Estimates vary, but she was most likely between 50 and 60 years old when she died. 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. Esther gained even greater favour with Ahasuerus after she helped thwart an assassination plot against him that Mordecai overheard at the palace gate. Ahasuerus is moved by her words and instead orders Haman to be hung on the gallows he had built for Mordecai. The Talmud reveals that Esther's relationship with Ahasuerus wasn't a romantic one. Although the Bible Sadly, Queen Elizabeth II passed away, aged 96, on September 8, 2022. In the midrashic account, Ahasuerus initially ruled the entire world. He was blinded, but when he looked in her direction his vision was restored and he extended his scepter (Midrash Panim Aherim, version B, para. Furthermore, because of her passivity, her life with Ahasuerus was not thought to entail illicit sexual intercourse (a grave sin, for which one should be killed rather than transgress")(BTSanhedrin74b). A teacher walks into the Classroom and says If only Yesterday was Tomorrow Today would have been a Saturday Which Day did the Teacher make this Statement? The murdered queens name does not survive in the historical record. Saul, a Benjaminite, did not reveal to his uncle that he had been anointed to be king; likewise, Esther did not disclose her identity(Gen. Rabbah71:35). 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. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Some may have stumbled upon the street named after her in downtown Jerusalem, but otherwise, she is generally only briefly mentioned, marginalized, and almost written out of the historical record. She had one. Esthers jar was a tangible expression of her emotional devastation, her loss of hope, and her feelings of utter helplessness. A type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules). Upset, the king stepped out into the palace gardens. 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 labour of cable stayed bridges? Darius must be 37 years old (62 minus 25) when he got married to Esther. Rabbah8:3). How can a woman test for infertility at home? 4:11): Now I have not been summoned to visit the king for the last thirty days(Ex. Their relationship was instrumental in saving the Jews from extermination and is one of the main themes of the Book of Esther. Esther invited Ahasuerus and Haman to a feast and the Rabbis ask: why did she invite Haman? Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, has died at Balmoral aged 96, after reigning for 70 years. In one exegetical expansion, the women in the harem would adorn Esther, for they said to themselves: This one will certainly be married to the king, so it is worth our while to honor her (Midrash Panim Aherim, version B, para. She had been suffering from a cold for the previous four months. Her death is believed to have been around the age of 57. This makes Esther 60 years younger than her cousin Mordecai. She should know better to try to fool God who said to her, "No, but you did laugh . was the wife of the Persian King Xerxes [aka "Ahasuerus" in many Esther: Nice Jewish Girl, Married to a Goy? She and her cousinMordecaipersuaded the king to cancel an order for the extermination of Jews in his realm, plotted by the kings chief minister, Haman. Something went wrong while submitting the form. Though she may have been elderly at the time of her death, her legacy continues to live on. 22:23). In this article: Her Name Early Life Palace Life Esther and Mordechai Save the King's Life Scripture is silent on when and how Queen Esther died, and history is also silent on her life, as well. [5] Ilan discusses variants of the same traditions inSilencing the Queen, 35-42, drawing attention to how later rabbinic sources gradually eliminate Shelamzion from this tradition and replace her with her contemporary Shimon ben Shetach. She she fasts for three days, she goes to the king, enduring many obstacles while traveling through the palace but protected by angels. Another question that concerned the Rabbis was that of the children from the union of Esther and Ahasuerus. 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 notes that Josephus only knew this queen by her Greek name, Alexandra, while the Rabbis only knew her by her Semitic name. We rely on the support of readers like you. What is the moral of the story of Esther? Mordechai had a cousin named Esther, who was the daughter of Abihail, a Benjamite. The midrash tells that when Esther came to Ahasueruss palace the spirit of divine inspiration left her, and she then prayed to God. Part of HuffPost Religion. 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. Rabbah 6:5; BT. Another angel pushed Haman onto Esthers couch (BTMegillahloc. Queen Esther and Bella Abzug: Costumes, Leadership, and Identity, The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, Copyright 19982023, Jewish Women's Archive. The matter became known to Mordecai, who told Queen Esther, and Esther informed the king: Mordecai's attitude wasn't "I'm a Jewish man in exile under a pagan king, so I do not care if he is killed.". Esthers Origins and Her Adoption by Mordecai, Esther Delivers Up Haman and Reveals Her Identity. How old was Esther when she became queen of Persia? Also called the "Festival of Mazzot"; the "Festival of Spring"; Pesah.Passover. It is a remarkable moment in Jewish history, in which we can see one of the times when Jews were connecting to each other from Jerusalem to the Diaspora and establishing the holidays that we take for granted today. They married in 478 BC after the former queen, Vashti, was banished for being unable to fulfill her husband's demands. King Xerxes: King Xerxes married Esther when he was 41 years old. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. She Modesty and Sexuality in Halakhic Literature, What Queen Esther can teach us about intermarriage. Rabbah26:8;Lam. Do you, or does someone you know, demonstrate the same total commitment to a mission, even at the cost of sacrificing personal happiness? Esthers extreme courage and her willingness to risk her own life for the safety of her people serves as an inspiration to this day. Who is Jason crabb mother and where is she? Esther exposes Haman's evil plan. Lit. At that banquet, she heightened the tension between the two by inviting both men to a second banquet. 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. Once upon a time a Jewish queen ruled the land. Routing number of commercial bank of Ethiopia? Read Esther 4:1-17. According to the Babylonian tradition, she saw menstrual blood (BT Megillah15a). Esther also spoke of her merit for observing the womens commandments of the taking ofDuring the Temple period, the dough set aside to be given to the priests. Nehemiah probably knew of Queen 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. "And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all who saw her." (2:15). Rabbah6:11). While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Queen Esther is an orphan raised by her uncle Mordecai and is eventually married to King Ahasuerus. 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." 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. When we talk about Esther in the Book of Esther, we can't ignore many other characters in the book as they seem to play roles almost as important as hers. 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 was the best-looking woman, and Ahasuerus picked her to replace Vashti as Queen. 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 . 2). She was compared to the dawn, for just as the dawn breaks at the end of each night, so, too, Esther [i.e., the miraculous delivery of the Jews] came after there had been no miracles [during the period of exile and darkness](BTYoma29a). 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. She greatly feared to appear before Ahasuerus. When events took a turn for the worst and Esther learned that Prime Minister Haman planned to kill all Jews in the Persian Empire, on a single day, she decided to act quickly to prevent the genocide. movie). Queen Esther is a biblical figure from the Hebrew Bible who was the Jewish Queen of the Persian King Ahasuerus. We don't know, though tradition teaches that she lived a long life. Verily, I seek Your mercy from window to window in the house of Ahasuerus. What happened to Queen Esther in the Bible? You, O Father of orphans, stand at the right hand of this orphan, who trusts in Your compassion. It can also be assumed from the story that Mordecai was well aware that bowing to Haman may compromise his loyalty to the Jews and God, and thus put him in a dangerous situation. We just don't know. During the . Esther understood that this action would require her to commit a grave transgression, and even lose all possibility of returning to her husband Mordecai. . Help JWA continue to lift up Jewish womens stories, this month and every month, by. 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. This status completely changed when Esther went to Ahasuerus of her own free will, in order to persuade him to cancel Hamans decree(Esth. Additionally, he decreed that anyone hostile to the Jews would be punished. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'coalitionbrewing_com-leader-3','ezslot_14',155,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-coalitionbrewing_com-leader-3-0');Furthermore, Esthers actions become increasingly irrational and her behavior can be classified as psychotic. The actual origins of the Purim festival, which was already long established by the 2nd centurybce, remain unknown. Rebekah had sent him there to be safe from his angry twin brother, Esau. The Jews were in the Babylonian exile. And her name was not Esther. In addition, she serves as an example of how to effectively use your voice and influence to make a difference. According to various traditions, at this time she recitedPsalm 22(For the leader; onayelet ha-shahar): in the Rabbinic exegesisayelet ha-shaharis Esther, and the content of the psalm is applied to her.
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