cit.). What did the Nazis begin using gas chambers instead of mobile killing units and shooting squads after a while? This exegesis casts the Biblical narrative in a different light. Upset, the king stepped out into the palace gardens. Esther understood that this action would require her to commit a grave transgression, and even lose all possibility of returning to her husband Mordecai. Read a brief summary of this topic. [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. Esth. Rabbah6:5; BTLit. Then the king made a great feast of Esther, for all his . When Esther was taken captive, her emotional world was completely destroyed. She understood that she had a mission and that she could shape reality rather than passively suffer through it. The events of Esther unfold over an eight- to ten-year period. 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. cit.). However, just because you don't know when Her reign is famous as 'The Golden Age', for its . She was alone, alone with her grief and trauma. 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. Why did she stay with him, rather than restart her life? Rabbah6:9). 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. Upon realizing this, Mordecai subdued the enemy and turned the wickedness of Haman back onto himself and his family. The Bible depicts Esther as an orphan who was raised in the house of her uncle Mordecai(Esth. Rabbah10:13). This last event was around the same time that Esther became Queen. Esther was born about 492BC and was 14 when she became Queen. According to the view that Esther was Hadassahs second name, the Rabbis explain that she was given this name because she concealed (histirah) her origins. Let us know. As Ahasuerus enjoyed only 14 more years on the throne, we conclude that Esther was but 28 years. Menstruation; the menstruant woman; ritual status of the menstruant woman. And You, O Lord, bring success to this, Your poor handmaiden. The Rabbis include Esther among the seven most beautiful women in the world (BT Megillah 15a). Queen Vashti has been banished and an edict goes out for all qualified young virgins throughout the empire to be taken to the palace as he searches for a new queen. Queen Esther is an orphan raised by her uncle Mordecai and is eventually married to King Ahasuerus. 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). "scroll." Designation of the five scrolls of the Bible (Ruth, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther). cit.). He asked what she wanted. Esther 4:11-16. The Midrash adds that Esther's father died during her mother's pregnancy, and the latter died during childbirth ( Esth. 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. Darius must be 37 years old (62 minus 25) when he got married to Esther. 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. She was married to King Achashverosh, whom some identify as Artaxerxes (), 1 king of Persia. And her name was not Esther. Queen Esther died in 473 BCE, so she was likely in her late fifties or early sixties at the time of her death. 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. Instead, Haman was hanged, and the Jews were given permission to destroy their enemies. The Scroll of Esther is read on Purim from a parchment scroll.Megillah13a). Despite the close bond they had, they remained uncle and niece and were not married. One advantage to welcoming Shelamzion back into Jewish memory is making space for a role model of diplomacy and peace. My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me? Jesus or Esther? 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. 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. Queen Esther is the reluctant heroine of the Purim story. Rabbah8:6). This tradition results from the desire to equate Esthers age with that of Abraham when he left his native land forThe Land of IsraelErez Israel upon Gods command. Victoria's funeral began on 2 February 1901. In the affair of Bigthan and Teresh, Esther continued to follow Mordecais instructions. and Nehemiah may have known each other personally. Although the Bible Even though Esther and Mordecai werent directly related, their close relationship was very strong and continued throughout their lives. 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. She was the last of the house of Hanover and . 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). Unlike the other women, who wanted to be chosen, Esther tried to evade the king, but she was the one picked to be queen. Esther was taken to the royal harem despite her being married, which further aggravated her sorry condition. Mordecai was instrumental in thwarting a murderous plot by one of the kings advisers, Haman, to annihilate the Jewish people. One tradition asserts that Esther used a resorbent, that is, she employed a contraceptive device to prevent any pregnancy by Ahasuerus. 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. The Jews, said Haman, must be eliminated for the good of the kingdom. Esther had been made queen to save her people; her mission and her faith shaped her character and inspired her to act and succeed. [4] Tal Ilan devotes a chapter to discussing the name Shelamzion inSilencing the Queen, 259ff. If you need to flag this entry as abusive. Queen Esther died in 473 BCE, so she was likely in her late fifties or early sixties at the time of her death. Institution: National Library of Israel, Jerusalem. Jewish Women's Archive. Daniel probably died shortly after Darius took the throne in 521 The Rabbis add that Esther found favor in the eyes of both heaven and humans (Esth. Through his actions, along with those of his cousin Esther, the Jews were saved from extermination. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'coalitionbrewing_com-leader-2','ezslot_12',154,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-coalitionbrewing_com-leader-2-0');Throughout the course of the story, Esther suffers from a major depressive episode, possibly accompanied by severe anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. 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. Esthers first husband was Mordecai. Rabbah6:4). When Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman at the gate, Haman was extremely offended and sought to have Mordecai killed. The story of Esther happened after Cyrus, the first Persian King, called for all deported Jews to return to Jerusalem to build the House of God (538 B.C., Ezra 1:2). 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. 464 BC. Similarly, her son Benjamin knew about the sale of Joseph, but remained silent and did not tell his father. 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. Later pilgrims mentioned the site, and noted that special celebrations were held there on Shushan Purim. So, we know that Daniel was dead long before Esther was born and 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. Three ministering angels were appointed to aid her at that moment: one made her head erect, one endowed her with charm, and one stretched out the scepter(BTMegillah15b). The verse (5:1) Esther put on royal apparel is interpreted as her assuming the spirit of prophecy (BTMegillahloc. According to other traditions, her bowels were loosened (BTMegillahloc. The Rabbis describe at length Esthers activities after she learned of Hamans decree against the Jews. 12:2], 5:11). 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. Sort by: Most popular. Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, has died at Balmoral aged 96, after reigning for 70 years. Esther was taken from her home and came to live in the palace along with many other girls of the harem. The Queen Mother lived to the grand age of 101 years and 238 days old. In reference to her lineage, the Rabbis state that she continued the way of the members of her tribe: Rachel, Benjamin, and Saul(Gen. Rabbah71:35; see below: Esther Does Not Reveal Her Origins). a. Part of HuffPost Religion. He was born in 518BC. cit.). Fear strikes in the hearts of many, including Mordecai, as he realizes Hadassah will be taken. Rabbah26:8;Lam. The Bible depicts Esther as an orphan who was raised in the house of her uncle Mordecai ( Esth. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Esther-biblical-figure, McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia - Esther. A day was set aside for the slaughter, and a decree issued to every corner of the empire. Princess Margaret, the Queen's younger sister, was born in 1930. Esther wanted to speak with Xerxes about Haman's hatred toward the Jews. 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. 2). Esther retorted, "Without Jews, who needs Passover?". In contrast with other women, whom Ahasuerus married without recording the nuptials or the date of the marriage, Esthers marriage was documented, and the date of her marriage was recorded (Pesikta de-Rav Kahana,Ha-Hodesh ha-Zeh["This monthEx. In contrast, the BT also cites a tradition that Esther had a greenish [sallow] complexion, and therefore was called Hadassah; according to this tradition, Ahasuerus was drawn to her because she was endowed with great charm (BTMegillahloc. Queen Elizabeth II has died today aged 96. case we can not say how old she was. The Scroll of Esther is read on Purim from a parchment scroll.Megillah loc. The book of Nehemiah begins in 444 BC, so they probably 726. Esther told the king that her people were in danger. In post-Temple times, a small piece of dough set aside and burnt. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. How old was Esther when she became queen? In spite of its origins it soon became the basis of the Jewish festival of Purim.According to the book, Vashti, Esther's predecessor as queen of Persia, was divorced by her husband, King Xerxes (Ahasuerus), who then sought a suitable virgin for his wife, finally choosing Esther. 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. . The Book of Esther was probably written in the 2nd centurybce. 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. Rabbah 6:5; BT Megillah 13a). In post-Temple times, a small piece of dough set aside and burnt. Their grandfather was Alexander Jannaeus, the second eldest son of John Hyrcanus. She received her Ph.D. in religion from Princeton University. "scroll." Elizabeth reigned for almost forty-five years and was the last monarch of the Tudor Dynasty, having died childless. Mordecai remained a close confidant to Esther and played a pivotal role in helping her save the Jewish people. Historians say there never was a Queen Vashti of Persia. Rabbah8:7; the passage is taken from Josippon). She appears to be a loyal wife to Mordecai, as she supports him throughout his efforts to save the Jewish people from Hamans plot. Updates? [3] See discussion in Ilan, Daughters of Israel, Weep for Rabbi Ishmael!: The School of Rabbi Aqiva vs. the School of Rabbi Ishmael,Silencing the Queen: The Literary Histories of Shelamzion and Other Jewish Women(Tbingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2006).
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