Persian King would have probably not been interested in a 35 year As a result of her mother's death . Abraham, "fell on his face and laughed" while Sarah, "laughed to herself" and even tried to deny it. [4] Tal Ilan devotes a chapter to discussing the name Shelamzion inSilencing the Queen, 259ff. 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). He even granted permission for the Jews to arm themselves with weapons and deliver the kings edicts throughout the kingdom. He married Esther in 479BC (Esther 2:16), when he was 40. Queen Esther and Mordecai were given Haman's estate. What can we learn from Esther about our personal understanding of our true life's mission? "And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all who saw her." (2:15). That day, Esther told the king about Haman's plan to massacre all Jews in his kingdom, and she acknowledged her own Jewish ethnicity. 114 BCE: see Carey Moore, On the Origins of the LXX Additions to the Book of Esther,JBL92.3 (1973): 382-83. When we celebrate Purim, may we laugh with Esther and Mordecai, but also remember Queen Shelamzion Alexandra, praise her example, and wish that Eretz Israel may experience those heavenly rains of peace again in our time. She was the daughter of the infamous King Henry VIII and his second wife the illustrious Queen Anne Boleyn, who was executed when Elizabeth was just two years old. A new decree to save the Jews. The ancient Jewish historian Josephus provides some details. The Talmud reveals that Esther's relationship with Ahasuerus wasn't a romantic one. The Rabbis were concerned about the question of Esthers marital status. Most of the Jews preferred the comfortable life of the Persian Empire to an arduous life rebuilding their devastated homeland. Oops! He was a Jew living in the Persian city of Susa, and he became a prime minister in the Persian court of King Ahasuerus. The situation was even more serious according to the tradition that Esther was married to Mordecai (the Babylonian tradition), for then, as a married woman, she committed adultery. Bibles] who ruled Persia from 486 to 465 BC. Esther was the best-looking woman, and Ahasuerus picked her to replace Vashti as Queen. 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. The Coronation of Queen Esther, from the 1617 Scroll of Esther from Ferrara, Italy. This, then, is the meaning of(Esth. Mordechai and Esthers relationship was an important part of the events of the Book of Esther. Lit. How old was The Queen Mother when she died? Most people have never heard of Queen Shelamzion Alexandra. Mordechai discovered a plot to kill King Xerxes and foiled it by informing the King through his cousin Esther. As early as 1215, Rabbi Menachem Ha-Hevroni wrote that while visiting the Galilee, he came across the tomb of Queen Esther, "who, during her lifetime, had instructed her son Cyrus to bring her there [for burial]". Her jar allowed her to find a voice in a situation where she could feel voiceless. How Can a Torah Commentary Be Source-Critical and Jewish? 7:6): The adversary and enemy, she first pointed to Ahasuerus, but the king moved her hand in Hamans direction. [11] Elias J. Bickerman, The Colophon of the Greek Book of Esther,Journal of Biblical Literature63.4 (1944): 339-62. The Jews honored God and knew that one should not bow down to Haman, or any of his gods, for it was a sign of idolatry and would directly break the command of God. Queen Shelamzion Alexandra reigned as queen of Judea from 76 to 67 BCE. Prince Charles, who is next in line for the throne, was by her side. 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? 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. On returning, he found Haman falling on the couch where Esther was. The king mistook Hamans frantic pleas for mercy as an attack upon the queen. On March 30, 2002, the Queen Mother died aged 101 years and 238 days old. We need to put the Book of Esther into an historical context to better understand Esther's choice. 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. The Book of Esther reports that when Esther learned that Mordecai was wearing sackcloth, the queen was greatly agitated (4:4). 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. As Esther poured her tears and anguish into the jar, it became a bridge between her innermost feelings and the outside world. Esther illuminated Israel like the light of dawn, while this light itself was like darkness for the nations of the world (MidrashTehilim, onPs. 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. "scroll." Designation of the five scrolls of the Bible (Ruth, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther). Esthers jar captures her willingness to stand up and fight against her oppressors, despite being completely alone and without support. 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. Modesty and Sexuality in Halakhic Literature, What Queen Esther can teach us about intermarriage. Esther must have been a "teenager" based on the historical and Biblical facts above. 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. She was crowned about 55 years after the destruction of the First Temple, and fifteen years before the Second Temple was built. She succeeded in remaining concealed for four years but was eventually found and brought to the royal palace. Continue Learning about Religious Studies. 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. Given things for purification (Esther 2:9). The Scroll of Esther is read on Purim from a parchment scroll.Megillah13a). The Book of Esther relates that Esther told no one of her Jewish origins, as Mordecai had ordered her. The Rabbis viewed Esther as one who was compelled to marry Ahasuerus against her will. During this historical period, the first group of Jews who had returned to Judah struggled to revive temple worship by Moses' Law. Even after she becomes queen because of the disobedience of Queen Vashti, Esther remains modest and down-to-earth. What is a reason a mathematical model can fail? As a result, the King promoted Mordechai to a high position in the court. Esther retorted, "Without Jews, who needs Passover?". 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). 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. And her name was not Esther. Plath famously battled depression and other mental illnesses, and the same is true of Esthers condition in the novel. script>. Elizabeth reigned for almost forty-five years and was the last monarch of the Tudor Dynasty, having died childless. Theritualobservance of Purim begins with a day of fasting,Taanit Esther(Fast of Esther) on Adar 13, the day preceding the actual holiday, in honour of the fast Mordecai and the other Jews held on Esthers behalf when she went uninvited to the king. Instead, Haman was hanged, and the Jews were given permission to destroy their enemies. The jar symbolizes Esthers grief, fear, and pain, which stems from her captivity in King Xerxes harem. What is the moral of the story of Esther? Esther despaired throughout her first six years in the palace. 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. 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. Queen Elizabeth II has died today aged 96. cit.). This makes Esther 60 years younger than her cousin Mordecai. She was married to King Achashverosh, whom some identify as Artaxerxes (), 1 king of Persia. But to approach the king without being summoned was not only illegal, but it could very well result in death for impertinence. 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). She appears to be a loyal wife to Mordecai, as she supports him throughout his efforts to save the Jewish people from Hamans plot. According to the tradition that she was previously unmarried, she was now married to and lived with a non-Jewish king. The Book ofEsther (2:11)relates that Mordecai would walk about in front of the court of the harem, to learn how Esther was faring. The Rabbis understood Mordecais escorting of Esther as his providing her withThe 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.halakhic guidance, for he would rule for her in questions ofMenstruation; the menstruant woman; ritual status of the menstruant woman.niddah (the laws governing menstrual purity, and, more generally, family purity; see below: Esthers Personal Status"). 100). 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. 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. She trusted in the goodness and power of God, and in the end He delivered her and her people, the Jewish people, from destruction. 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. Esther Greenwood, the protagonist of Sylvia Plaths novel The Bell Jar, is believed to be a representation of the author herself. To hide her identity as a Jew, he tells her to go by the name of Esther. Menstruation; the menstruant woman; ritual status of the menstruant woman. She recognizes that she needs to personally plead the king to save her people but knows this act is a grave transgression. In post-Temple times, a small piece of dough set aside and burnt. May this man have mercy on me, for I fear him. 726. On the third day, Queen Esther put on her royal robes and presented herself to King Xerxes, even though her husband had not requested her presence in over a month. 20). Guy Siverson Graceful Touch | Massage Therapy Therapist (s) | Rapid City Author has 5.2K answers and 2.7M answer views 7 mo Esther 2:7 King James Version Another tradition has her becoming pregnant by Ahasuerus, but miscarrying (Esth. Princess Margaret, the Queen's younger sister, was born in 1930. In the midrashic account, Ahasuerus initially ruled the entire world. Esther would have been in her early to mid 60's when the While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. "Esther: Midrash and Aggadah." 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). Corrections? The Book of Esther tells of Esther marrying King Ahasuerus of Persia and therefore becoming his queen. [13] The analogy of Israel to a sinful adulteress in the prophets is more prominent. Since Nehemiah was a leading figure in Jerusalem by 432 BC, 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.". Queen Esther is a biblical figure from the Hebrew Bible who was the Jewish Queen of the Persian King Ahasuerus. Mordecai argued that these three days fast happened to include the Passover night, which shouldn't be a night of fasting. does not give many details of Esther's life, Persian records do. It is also thought that Mordecai may have had additional children, as it is not explicitly mentioned that Esther is his only child. book of Nehemiah began, although her husband, King Xerxes was It seems unlikely that Esther was ever Queen of Persia, so we can not say at what age Xerxes married her. 100-105 and 127-154. Esther: A Queen Under Control. 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. Queen Esther is the reluctant heroine of the Purim story. Instead, he anticipates Peter's thought in 1 Peter 2:17, before Peter ever wrote it: Fear God. Esther eventually won the heart of the king and his servants, and she was selected to become the new queen of Persia. The Midrash adds that Esther's father died during her mother's pregnancy, and the latter died during childbirth ( Esth. No, Esther and Mordecai were not married. Photo Credit: Wikipedia, 'Ahasuerus and Haman at the Feast of Esther . 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. 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). cit.). 31 December 1999. She is mentioned several times throughout the Book of Esther. tradition is that Queen Esther's tomb is in Hamadan, also known as In Megillat Esther, we encounter another heroine who maneuvers royal protocol to save her people. She had been suffering from a cold for the previous four months. The Talmud sees Haman's decree as a punishment from Heaven to these Jews. 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. According to the Bible, Mordechai was a Jew who lived in the Persian city of Susa, the modern-day city of Shush, Iran. Later pilgrims mentioned the site, and noted that special celebrations were held there on Shushan Purim. Daniel probably died shortly after Darius took the throne in 521 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. And You, O Lord, bring success to this, Your poor handmaiden. During the Temple period, the dough set aside to be given to the priests. 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. Rabbah28:6). Similarly, her son Benjamin knew about the sale of Joseph, but remained silent and did not tell his father. 482 BC, so Daniel had likely been dead for about 25 years at this Rabbah1:41; BT Megillah 16a). Esther was the heroine and central figure in the Biblical book of Esther. Similarly, Shelamzion had to succeed against all odds to maintain her queenship. He also appointed her as queen of the Persian Empire and gave her a royal medal of honor. Esther remained passive and allowed the King to rape her repeatedly. Esther and Mordecai then obtained a royal edict allowing Jews throughout the empire to defend themselves on the day set for their extermination. 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. 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. Vintage colour lithograph from 1882 of Esther standing in the Inner Court of the King's House. assassinated with her husband (which was likely), or if she was In the Book of Lamentations Israel bemoan (5:3): We have become orphans, fatherless, and God promises them the redemption of the fatherless and motherless orphan (Lam. One tradition asserts that Esther used a resorbent, that is, she employed a contraceptive device to prevent any pregnancy by Ahasuerus. Rabbah6:8), or to arrange for the kashrut of her food. 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. 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 .