She was the second daughter of Laban, Rebekah's brother, making Jacob her first cousin. 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. She recognizes that she needs to personally plead the king to save her people but knows this act is a grave transgression. The historical reality of this biblical episode, and whether or not Esther actually existed, has often been questioned. Abase him before me, for You abase the proud (Esth. Esther then initiated a covert plan to defeat Haman using her grace and beauty. Esther: A Queen Under Control. Features thousands of biographic and thematic essays on Jewish women around the world. She overtook Queen. 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. "scroll." Esth. What did this queen do? [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. Horev], chap. 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. cit.). 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. 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. 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. This shows that her selection was part of the divine plan; Esther was meant to rule in order to bring deliverance to all Israel (Lit. 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. Mordecai, the leader of the Jewish community in the city of Susa, heard the news of the decree and went to Queen Esther, his cousin, to plead with her to plead to the king on their behalf and to save them from the impending danger. 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). point. Despite her hiding her identity, Esther still maintained contact with Mordecai. 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. 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. Routing number of commercial bank of Ethiopia? The document, published by National Records of Scotland on Thursday, says the late British monarch died at 3:10 p.m. UK time . Most people have never heard of Queen Shelamzion Alexandra. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Throughout the book of Esther, Queen Esthers bravery and courage is seen as an example of how God can deliver and uses those who are willing to obey and trust Him. 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. [2] See Ilan,Integrating women, 127, commenting onJewish War1.71 andJewishAntiquities13.302. According to the tradition that she was previously unmarried, she was now married to and lived with a non-Jewish king. a. 5). At first, Esther was hesitant to approach the king, as anyone who approached him without his invitation was put to death unless the king extended his top scepter. However, just because you don't know when 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. The Jews receive permission to defend themselves against their oppressors, and many of the enemies of the Jews are killed. Mordecai was an important figure in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. 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 96. They were honored with royal garments and a decree was written to protect all Jews. Through his actions, along with those of his cousin Esther, the Jews were saved from extermination. Her name was Shelamzion Alexandra. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. 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). 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). 2:7 ). Their grandfather was Alexander Jannaeus, the second eldest son of John Hyrcanus. Esther gained even greater favour with Ahasuerus after she helped thwart an assassination plot against him that Mordecai overheard at the palace gate. Just as the myrtle is sweet-smelling but has a bitter taste, so Esther was sweet to Ahasuerus, but bitter to Haman (Esth. When Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman at the gate, Haman was extremely offended and sought to have Mordecai killed. Ahasuerus promised Esther that he would grant her request, even to half the kingdom(Esth. The Rabbis were concerned about the question of Esthers marital status. "scroll." How Can a Torah Commentary Be Source-Critical and Jewish? It is most unlikely that there ever was a Queen Esther, in which 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. She oversaw a peaceful and prosperous period. In the affair of Bigthan and Teresh, Esther continued to follow Mordecais instructions. Her son Charles, the former Prince of Wales, is now King Charles III, as the world grieves his mother, Britain's longest-reigning monarch. Esther remained passive and allowed the King to rape her repeatedly. Kings David and Solomon had many wives, some more influential than others, but they are never represented as ruling in their husbands stead. As Esther poured her tears and anguish into the jar, it became a bridge between her innermost feelings and the outside world. 4:11): Now I have not been summoned to visit the king for the last thirty days(Ex. How Did Queen Esther Die? See Ilana Pardes,Countertraditions in the Bible: A Feminist Approach(Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1992), 126 ff. She notes that Josephus only knew this queen by her Greek name, Alexandra, while the Rabbis only knew her by her Semitic name. 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. Later, when Haman planned to hang Mordecai, the king found out that it was Mordecai who had uncovered a plot to assassinate him, so he reversed the orders, hanged Haman instead and gave Mordecai the harem. Her death is believed to have been around the age of 57. Queen Elizabeth, who reigned for 70 years as Britain's monarch, died Thursday at Balmoral, her estate in the Scottish Highlands. 20). cit. 22:5). Esther 7:1-6, 9-10. The short answer is that we'll never know. This prayer also mentioned her situation, which contrasted with that of Sarah andRebekah: they were taken for a single night to the court of a foreign king and miracles were performed for them. guessing that Nehemiah was probably not around when the events of Their relationship was instrumental in saving the Jews from extermination and is one of the main themes of the Book of Esther. 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 . 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. The legal corpus of Jewish laws and observances as prescribed in the Torah and interpreted by rabbinic authorities, beginning with those of the Mishnah and Talmud. The Jews, said Haman, must be eliminated for the good of the kingdom. Esther, heroine and central figure in the Book of Esther of the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament. The enraged King ordered Haman's hanging, elevated Mordecai to prime minister and gave Jews the right to defend themselves against any enemy. The Rabbis add that Esther found favor in the eyes of both heaven and humans (Esth. Esther invited Ahasuerus and Haman to a feast and the Rabbis ask: why did she invite Haman? The Rabbis describe at length Esthers activities after she learned of Hamans decree against the Jews. 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. Prince Charles, who is next in line for the throne, was by her side. The Bible depicts Esther as an orphan who was raised in the house of her uncle Mordecai(Esth. When she relayed Mordecais information to the king, she attributed it to Mordecai(Esth. The book of Nehemiah begins in 444 BC, so they probably Esther becoming queen was a massive step up in the world, but that was probably because her husband was The King You Didn't Mess With. She was crowned about 55 years after the destruction of the First Temple, and fifteen years before the Second Temple was built. brought him up to be favorable to the Jews and he later rebuilt the The Rabbis viewed Esther as one who was compelled to marry Ahasuerus against her will. 22:1: For the leader; onayelet ha-shahar[literally, the hind of the dawn], which the Rabbis apply to Esther. 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. They were in no way penalized for being ruled over by a queen rather than a king.[5]. Rabbah6:5). The Queen described in the Book of Nehemiah is Queen Esther. What Did God Write on the Tablets of Stone? assumed in to the next King's harem (also possiblealthough a i. Torah and history converge in a remarkable way in the life of Shelamzion. 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. 22:16). A seven-day festival to commemorate the Exodus from Egypt (eight days outside Israel) beginning on the 15. 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? Please consider supporting TheTorah.com. Another tradition has her becoming pregnant by Ahasuerus, but miscarrying (Esth. In the midrashic exposition, Ahasuerus tries to discover Esthers origins, explaining that this would be beneficial for her relatives, since he would appoint them to important positions (Midrash Panim Aherimloc. Continue Learning about Religious Studies. God used her to deliver His people from a wicked plan of total destruction. 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). [12] Ilan, Esther, Judith and Susanna as Propaganda for Shelamzions Queenship,Integrating Women, 135. 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 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. Dont miss the latest essays from TheTorah.com. 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. Upon realizing this, Mordecai subdued the enemy and turned the wickedness of Haman back onto himself and his family. Browse 35 queen esther bible stock illustrations and vector graphics available royalty-free, or start a new search to explore more great stock images and vector art. Most of the Jews preferred the comfortable life of the Persian Empire to an arduous life rebuilding their devastated homeland. Rabbah8:3). older than her (do the math a 37 year old king marrying a 14 year Her bravery earns her a spot among the seven women prophets, and she is remembered as the one responsible for the deliverance of Israel. Launched Shavuot 5773 / 2013 | Copyright Project TABS, All Rights Reserved, script type="text/javascript"> The Rabbis accordingly relate her to the MatriarchRachel, the mother of the tribe of Benjamin. One tradition states that she was served Jewish food in the harem, while another asserts that she was given chines of pork. Mordecais wife is an unnamed woman from Susa. [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. 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. 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. She never forgot her cousin Mordecai and she never forgot that she was one of God's children. Part of HuffPost Religion. Instead, he anticipates Peter's thought in 1 Peter 2:17, before Peter ever wrote it: Fear God. 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. The Talmud reveals that Esther's relationship with Ahasuerus wasn't a romantic one. Updates? What did the Nazis begin using gas chambers instead of mobile killing units and shooting squads after a while? Old Testament Stories: Queen Esther When she approached the king, he held out his scepter. Mordecai did not bow to Haman because he was a Jew and Haman was an Agagite, the enemies of Gods chosen people. 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. Esther wanted to speak with Xerxes about Haman's hatred toward the Jews. There, she was forced to prepare herself for her first night with the King by spending six months doused in oil of myrrh and another six in sweet odors ointments. At that banquet, she heightened the tension between the two by inviting both men to a second banquet. In post-Temple times, a small piece of dough set aside and burnt. Historians say there never was a Queen Vashti of Persia. 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). [3] Her reign lasted less than a decade but still longer than a two-term presidency. Considering that she was likely in her mid-teens when she met King Ahasuerus, she lost her parents before that point. cit.). Unlike the other women, who wanted to be chosen, Esther tried to evade the king, but she was the one picked to be queen. In order to recognize Mordecais efforts, the king made him his minister and gave him a royal robe and princely apparel. Rabbah8:7; the passage is taken from Josippon). The Jews were in the Babylonian exile. What happened to Queen Esther in the Bible? The Funeral of Queen Victoria by Wiliam Lionel Wylie (c) National Maritime Museum. In common parlance, the braided loaves blessed and eaten on the Sabbath and Festivals. 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). We rely on the support of readers like you. 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. probably lived at the same time. Although the Bible She overtook Queen Victoria as the longest reigning monarch in 2015 - Victoria had served for 63 years and lived to the age of 81. The best. "order." The King also issued a proclamation throughout the land to honor Mordecai. The Babylonian tradition (according to which she was Mordecais wife) understands this apprehension as her awareness that she would thereby lose her status as one compelled [a married woman living with another man against her will] and become a woman who does so freely. Her loyalty to her people is admirable, as is . cit.). The two were very close and Mordecai was highly regarded and respected by both King Xerxes and the Jewish people. Sadly, Queen Elizabeth II passed away, aged 96, on September 8, 2022. 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. Haman, too, was troubled by the question of Esthers origins. Mordecais refusal to bow to Haman displayed his firm faith and commitment to his people and to the God of Israel. The Book of Esther was probably written in the 2nd centurybce. Princess Elizabeth ascended to the throne on February 6, 1952, following the death of her father, King George VI. The answer is yes. We see, however, that this was a stratagem on Mordecais part, so that Esther would not be frequently summoned to the king. He was a Jew living in the Persian city of Susa, and he became a prime minister in the Persian court of King Ahasuerus. 2). That day, Esther told the king about Haman's plan to massacre all Jews in his kingdom, and she acknowledged her own Jewish ethnicity. Who is Jason crabb mother and where is she? 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. Instead, Haman was hanged, and the Jews were given permission to destroy their enemies. Thisdevarbuilds on Ilans work: her oeuvre is well known to academics but is not as well known as it could be tothe reading public. What did the Nazis begin using gas chambers instead of mobile killing units and shooting squads after a while. 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). One day he overheard a conspiracy between two of the king's guards who wanted to assassinate Xerxes. Esther took place or at the very least was too young to remember cit.). The day before, the 96-year-old queen pulled out of a virtual Privy Council meeting after her doctors advised her to rest. Esther turns in prayer to God and compares the situation of the Jews of Persia to that of the Jews in Egypt: in Egypt the Jews cried out and were answered; and in Persia, they fasted, prayed and cried out over their tribulation and the decree that was harsher than that during the time of the Egyptian servitude. Immediately upon her death, her sons fought over the throne, eventually inviting in Rome, and Judea never regained full independence until the modern state of Israel. Rabbah5:3). This book therefore has the same sanctity as the other books of Scripture. Modesty and Sexuality in Halakhic Literature, What Queen Esther can teach us about intermarriage. Laying the scene atSusa, a residential city of the Persian kings, the Book of Esther narrates thatKing Ahasuerus deposed his first wife, Queen Vashti, after she refused to display her beauty to the people and nobles at the kings feast. old, non-virgin wife. The Queen Mother lived to the grand age of 101 years and 238 days old. This means she had been married to the king for approximately 40 years at the time of her death. I'm going to guess that Esther probably died with her husband in 31 December 1999. Designation of the five scrolls of the Bible (Ruth, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther). Her reign is famous as 'The Golden Age', for its . Since Nehemiah was a leading figure in Jerusalem by 432 BC, Victoria, in full Alexandrina Victoria, (born May 24, 1819, Kensington Palace, London, Englanddied January 22, 1901, Osborne, near Cowes, Isle of Wight), queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1837-1901) and empress of India (1876-1901). The king held a party in his honor one day. Solomon. 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. In a 1957 Christmas Broadcast, the Queen promised the United Kingdom she would give her . Mordecai stopped at the gate because he wanted to tell the king about a plot to kill him. Nehemiah probably knew of Queen Theodor-Albeck], MS. Vatican, para. To hide her identity as a Jew, he tells her to go by the name of Esther. 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. Rabbah28:6). He deposed Queen Vashti in 483/482BC when he was 36 ( Esther 1:3 ). Verily, I seek Your mercy from window to window in the house of Ahasuerus. assassinated 20 years earlier (he was probably bout 20-25 years While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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. 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. Daniel probably died shortly after Darius took the throne in 521 But to approach the king without being summoned was not only illegal, but it could very well result in death for impertinence. We need to put the Book of Esther into an historical context to better understand Esther's choice. 2:7). The murdered queens name does not survive in the historical record. He wished Queen Vashti to be brought to the feast so that he may flaunt her wonderful beauty. 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. 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. One of these officials was the biblical Mordecai. QueenEsther, the central character in the Biblical book named after her, is extensively and sympathetically portrayed in the Rabbinic sources. These actions demonstrated the kings respect and admiration for Esther and earned her the loyalty of her people.
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