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Rabbah26:8;Lam. Similarly, her son Benjamin knew about the sale of Joseph, but remained silent and did not tell his father. The Funeral of Queen Victoria by Wiliam Lionel Wylie (c) National Maritime Museum. He also appointed her as queen of the Persian Empire and gave her a royal medal of honor. These words persuaded Esther to approach the king and she requested a private dinner for him and Haman. When Esther pointed and declared(Esth. cit.). This meant the king was happy to see her and would not put her to death. A day was set aside for the slaughter, and a decree issued to every corner of the empire. Esther was the heroine and central figure in the Book of Esther, which is now recognised by Biblical scholars to have been a second-century-BCE Jewish novel. 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]. I'm going to guess that Esther probably died with her husband in Queen Esther is an orphan raised by her uncle Mordecai and is eventually married to King Ahasuerus. [9] For more on Esthers diplomacy and its place in theMegillahand in understanding female biblical characters, see Michael Foxs TABS essayThe Women in 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. "the written Torah." Who is Jason crabb mother and where is she? Esther standing in the Inner Court. What did the Nazis begin using gas chambers instead of mobile killing units and shooting squads after a while? We read that: "The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. [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. 22:16). cit.). This means she had been married to the king for approximately 40 years at the time of her death. He asked what she wanted. The Queen described in the Book of Nehemiah is Queen Esther. 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. Mordechai and Esthers relationship was an important part of the events of the Book of Esther. 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? Meir, Tamar. Consequently, Esther was not considered to be a married woman who willingly engaged in adultery, and she was therefore permitted to Mordecai; indeed, the Rabbis maintain that she continued to live with the latter, at the same time that she was married to Ahasuerus (BT Megillah 13b). According to other traditions, her bowels were loosened (BTMegillahloc. 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. Features thousands of biographic and thematic essays on Jewish women around the world. [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. [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 he had Vashti killed, all the lands rebelled against him; once he married Esther, one hundred and twenty-seven lands came under his rule once again, and when he appointed Mordecai as viceroy, they all returned to him (Midrash Tehilim, onPs. 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. My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me? Jesus or Esther? If you need to flag this entry as abusive. Additionally, he decreed that anyone hostile to the Jews would be punished. We don't know, though tradition teaches that she lived a long life. Esther probably didn't live to see the events of the book of guessing that Nehemiah was probably not around when the events of The jar symbolizes Esthers grief, fear, and pain, which stems from her captivity in King Xerxes harem. 10:2). 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). Rabbah8:6). The Rabbis add that Esther found favor in the eyes of both heaven and humans (Esth. // Javascript URL redirection Abraham, "fell on his face and laughed" while Sarah, "laughed to herself" and even tried to deny it. Sat 30 Mar 2002 15.27 EST Buckingham Palace announced today that the Queen Mother died peacefully in her sleep at 3.15 this afternoon at the age of 101. Institution: National Library of Israel, Jerusalem. He also arranged for the Jews to gather and fast for the protection of their lives. This status completely changed when Esther went to Ahasuerus of her own free will, in order to persuade him to cancel Hamans decree(Esth. Queen Esther is the reluctant heroine of the Purim story. 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. The Scroll of Esther is read on Purim from a parchment scroll.Megillah13a). 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. 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. The Midrash adds that Esther's father died during her mother's pregnancy, and the latter died during childbirth ( Esth. Seeking a new queen, the king appointed commissioners to bring all the beautiful young virgins from every province into his harem for a year of cosmetic treatments so that he might select a new bride. 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. She notes that Josephus only knew this queen by her Greek name, Alexandra, while the Rabbis only knew her by her Semitic name. Esthers Origins and Her Adoption by Mordecai, Esther Delivers Up Haman and Reveals Her Identity. In addition, she serves as an example of how to effectively use your voice and influence to make a difference. In the biblical book named after her, Esther is a young Jewish woman living in the Persian diaspora who finds favor with the king, becomes queen, and risks her life to save the Jewish people from destruction when the court official Haman persuades the king to authorize a pogrom against all the Jews of the empire. This also leads to a different understanding of Mordecais involvement, as he walks about in the royal courtyard out of concern for his wife. She stayed with Ahasuerus and sacrificed her personal happiness to complete her ultimate mission to enable the building of the Second Temple and the return to Zion. What did the Nazis begin using gas chambers instead of mobile killing units and shooting squads after a while. Queen Esther by Edwin Long in 1878. Esther was a young Jewish girl taken into the palace of the king of Persia, King Ahasuerus. Codification of basic Jewish Oral Law; edited and arranged by R. Judah ha-Nasi c. 200 C.E. Her thoughts are characterized by pressured speech, disorganized thought processes, confusion, and paranoia. One tradition states that she was served Jewish food in the harem, while another asserts that she was given chines of pork. The recitation of Megillat Esther during the topsy-turvy holiday of Purim can distract us from the serious side of this story and Queen Esthers example. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. This exegesis casts the Biblical narrative in a different light. 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. The document, published by National Records of Scotland on Thursday, says the late British monarch died at 3:10 p.m. UK time . Then the king made a great feast of Esther, for all his . What is the reflection of the story of princess urduja? 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. Happy Womens History Month! Like the moon, that is born after thirty days, Esther, too, said(Esth. [4] Tal Ilan devotes a chapter to discussing the name Shelamzion inSilencing the Queen, 259ff. Esther, heroine and central figure in the Book of Esther of the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament. I told her not to tell anyone she was an Israelite, though, because a lot of people still didn't like Israelites and I thought King Xerxes might not pick her to be the new queen if he knew she was an . Esther must have been a "teenager" based on the historical and Biblical facts above. 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. A new decree to save the Jews. 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. 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. The Jewish dietary laws delineating the permissible types of food and methods of their preparation. Mordecai then spoke these famous words, Do not think to yourself that in the kings palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your fathers house will perish. Esther and her cousin Mordecai (who had once saved the king's life) later persuaded the king to cancel an order for the extermination of the Jews in his vast realm, which had been plotted by the king's chief minister, Haman. Wake up to the day's most important news. Warrior-kings tend to figure largely as models of leadership in the Western imagination. Please consider supporting TheTorah.com. Ahasuerus is moved by her words and instead orders Haman to be hung on the gallows he had built for Mordecai. 22:1: For the leader; onayelet ha-shahar[literally, the hind of the dawn], which the Rabbis apply to Esther. 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. Plath famously battled depression and other mental illnesses, and the same is true of Esthers condition in the novel. 16 September 2012. was the wife of the Persian King Xerxes [aka "Ahasuerus" in many 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. It was only when Esther came that Ahasuerus removed the likeness of Vashti and replaced it with that of Esther (Esth. She should know better to try to fool God who said to her, "No, but you did laugh . Rabbah8:7; the passage is taken from Josippon). Rachel was silent when she saw that Jacob married her sister instead of herself. I'm also 2). As Ahasuerus enjoyed only 14 more years on the throne, we conclude that Esther was but 28 years. She understood that she had a mission and that she could shape reality rather than passively suffer through it. [8] See Helena Zlotnicks discussion of Esther inDinahs Daughters: Gender and Judaism from the Hebrew Bible to Late Antiquity(Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002), 87. cit. Mordecai was an important figure in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. 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. The story of the underdog, of the weaker winning against the stronger, is the quintessential biblical and Jewish theme, but it is not often that Israel is figuredliterarily or in realityas a woman and still praised as pious, divinely appointed, and beloved.[13]. The Jews were in the Babylonian exile. Queen Sheba the famous rich queen , never did marry king 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. He married Esther in 479BC (Esther 2:16), when he was 40. The two were very close and Mordecai was highly regarded and respected by both King Xerxes and the Jewish people. She was a beautiful Jewish woman, the wife of the Persian king Ahasuerus (Xerxes I). 20). She was living there as part of the harem of the king, but was singled out by the King who was so taken with her beauty that he chose her to be his queen. Dont miss the latest essays from TheTorah.com. Nehemiah probably knew of Queen One tradition asserts that Esther used a resorbent, that is, she employed a contraceptive device to prevent any pregnancy by Ahasuerus. However, just because you don't know when The Rabbis include Esther among the seven most beautiful women in the world (BT Megillah 15a). 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? 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. The Rabbis were concerned about the question of Esthers marital status. 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. Queen Esther died in 473 BCE, so she was likely in her late fifties or early sixties at the time of her death. Read the entire Scripture account of the life of Queen Esther in the Bible verses below and use the articles and videos to understand the meaning of this teachable event in the Bible:. Esther was a Jewish woman who lived in Persia during the period following the destruction of the First Holy Temple, when many Jews had been taken as slaves to Babylonia, which was subsequently overtaken by Persia. 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. assassinated with her husband (which was likely), or if she was The midrash compares Esther to a hind and to the dawn, based onPs. Princess Margaret, the Queen's younger sister, was born in 1930. The myrtle has a good smell, just like Esther, who performed good deeds; the myrtle does not dry out either in summer or in winter, just as the righteous dry up neither in this world nor in the World to Come (Midrash Panim Aherim, version B, para. How old was Queen Elizabeth II when she died? The Scroll of Esther is read on Purim from a parchment scroll.Megillah loc. 100). 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. 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]. 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. Rabbah 6:5; BT Megillah 13a). His father was Kish, who descended from the House of Benjamin. During the . We just don't know. Esther retorted, "Without Jews, who needs Passover?". cit.). In Megillat Esther, we encounter another heroine who maneuvers royal protocol to save her people. probably lived at the same time. Esthers jar is a visual representation of her emotional turmoil and her suffering. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. She was married to King Achashverosh, whom some identify as Artaxerxes (), 1 king of Persia. When she became orphaned, she was adopted by her cousin Mordecai. 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). Mordechai discovered a plot to kill King Xerxes and foiled it by informing the King through his cousin Esther. Midrash adds that Esther's father died during her mother's pregnancy, and the latter died during childbirth (Esth. Old Testament Stories: Queen Esther When she approached the king, he held out his scepter. When the king saw his queen, Xerxes lowered his golden scepter to invite Esther into his presence. The Jewish festival ofPurimcelebrates this event. Decades ago, the historian Elias Bickerman drew attention to a marvelous coincidence: a postscript in the Greek translation of Esther tells us that in 78 or 77 BCE, just one year before Queen Shelamzion began to rule by herself, Megillat Esther was translated into Greek and sent to the Jewish communities of ancient Alexandria. 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 BT presents this in the opposite way: the king first talked with her by means of an interpreter, but when she told him that she was descended from King Saul, he spoke with her directly, out of respect (Lev. She was the second daughter of Laban, Rebekah's brother, making Jacob her first cousin. This, then, is the meaning of(Esth. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Esther was the best-looking woman, and Ahasuerus picked her to replace Vashti as Queen. Esthers jar captures her willingness to stand up and fight against her oppressors, despite being completely alone and without support. They married in 478 BC after the former queen, Vashti, was banished for being unable to fulfill her husband's demands. On March 30, 2002, the Queen Mother died aged 101 years and 238 days old. According to another tradition, he accompanied her to ensure that she did not suffer from sorcery (Esth. Through his actions, along with those of his cousin Esther, the Jews were saved from extermination. 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. Please support us. Esthers secret was that she was a Jew, which she was able to hide from her adoptive family and community. but the date of Queen Esther and Bella Abzug: Costumes, Leadership, and Identity, The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, Copyright 19982023, Jewish Women's Archive. King Ahasuerus, named Darius, who became King Darius II. 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. Mordecai held a position inside of the king's palace, and he went their every day to perform his duties. The Rabbis devote extensive attention to Esthers observance of the laws of niddah. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Sort by: Most popular. One school of thought takes the numerical value ofHadassah= 74 (or 75, including the name itself as a unit) to determine Esthers age(Gen. Rabbah39:13; see below: Esthers Age). She was crowned about 55 years after the destruction of the First Temple, and fifteen years before the Second Temple was built. Sadly, Queen Elizabeth II passed away, aged 96, on September 8, 2022. The Book of Esther was probably written in the 2nd centurybce. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Rabbah6:9). The actual origins of the Purim festival, which was already long established by the 2nd centurybce, remain unknown. Why did she stay with him, rather than restart her life? Esther exposes Haman's evil plan. Esther replaced Queen Vashti, who had been sentenced to death because she had refused to display her beauty to the King's feast attendants. According to the Bible, Mordechai was a Jew who lived in the Persian city of Susa, the modern-day city of Shush, Iran. Rebekah had sent him there to be safe from his angry twin brother, Esau. When Esther sought to deliver up Haman, she revealed her identity as a Jew in the act. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'coalitionbrewing_com-box-4','ezslot_5',147,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-coalitionbrewing_com-box-4-0');In the biblical book of Esther, Queen Esther is a young Jewish woman who becomes queen of the Persian Empire, thanks to the intervention of King Ahasuerus advisor, Mordecai. I'm going to guess that he was born before 464 BC, so yes they Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). not tell how old she was, is certainly not historical and appears Queen Elizabeth II died of old age, her death certificate has revealed. 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. When Esther's parents died, I adopted Esther and took care of her like she was my daughter. Rabbah8:3). She married her cousin Alexander of Judaea (died 48 BC), who was the son of Aristobulus II. The Jews receive permission to defend themselves against their oppressors, and many of the enemies of the Jews are killed. She she fasts for three days, she goes to the king, enduring many obstacles while traveling through the palace but protected by angels. 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. She had one. Esther: A Queen Under Control. All Her . Esther was taken from her home and came to live in the palace along with many other girls of the harem. According to the Babylonian tradition, she saw menstrual blood (BT Megillah15a). 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." Rabbah6:5). Part of HuffPost Religion. 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). The Rabbis perceived this going as having sexual connotations, which therefore had tragic consequences for Esther and for Mordecai(BTMegillah16a; see below: Esther Comes to the Rescue of Her People). Esther took place or at the very least was too young to remember Given things for purification (Esther 2:9). The verse (5:1) Esther put on royal apparel is interpreted as her assuming the spirit of prophecy (BTMegillahloc. Persian King would have probably not been interested in a 35 year She was Jewish but never revealed her nationality or family background as Mordecai had. 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. Esther was the heroine and central figure in the Biblical book of Esther. movie). As Esther poured her tears and anguish into the jar, it became a bridge between her innermost feelings and the outside world. 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. Esther Greenwood, the protagonist of Sylvia Plaths novel The Bell Jar, is believed to be a representation of the author herself. "order." Queen Esther and Mordecai were given Haman's estate.