Bibles] who ruled Persia from 486 to 465 BC. In the Erez Israel tradition, she miscarried the fetus she bore in her womb (the offspring of Ahasuerus) (Esth. Esther 4:11-16. The Rabbis accordingly relate her to the MatriarchRachel, the mother of the tribe of Benjamin. movie). The ministering angels took action to inflame Ahasueruss wrath: they appeared as people cutting the trees in his garden, and when the king asked why they were doing this, they said that they were acting on Hamans orders. When Esther sought to deliver up Haman, she revealed her identity as a Jew in the act. She succeeded in remaining concealed for four years but was eventually found and brought to the royal palace. Nehemiah, unless she survived the assassination, in which case she 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). Vintage colour lithograph from 1882 of Esther standing in the Inner Court of the King's House. Esther was born about 492BC and was 14 when she became Queen. [6] Josephus writes: Alongside Queen Alexandra, and gaining power with her, were the Pharisees, an important sector of the Jewish community who were considered more religious than the rest of the nation and stricter in the observance and interpretation of the Laws (trans. Other sources say that the the woman "Esther" in the bible, married. The plea was turned down by her. (Viewed on March 4, 2023) . tradition is that Queen Esther's tomb is in Hamadan, also known as The Bible depicts Esther as an orphan who was raised in the house of her uncle Mordecai ( Esth. 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. 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). 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. 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. What is error code E01-5 on Toyota forklift. As Ahasuerus enjoyed only 14 more years on the throne, we conclude that Esther was but 28 years. Her bravery earns her a spot among the seven women prophets, and she is remembered as the one responsible for the deliverance of Israel. cit.). Yes, Mordechai was indeed Esthers cousin. Estimates vary, but she was most likely between 50 and 60 years old when she died. 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. What is the labour of cable stayed bridges? cit.). Oops! Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. The Feast of Purim was instituted to help the Jews remember their deliverance from Haman. Mordecai is mentioned inEsth. ), or her strength wanedPirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer[ed. Esther: A Queen Under Control. A few of them, such as Nehemiah, Mordecai and Daniel, rose to positions of prominence under the Babylonian kings.The last of the Prophets of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) were still living.King Cyrus had recently made his famous proclamation (2 Chronicles 36:22-23) allowing the Jews to resettle Judea (Israel), and some had gone up with Zerubavel, but the enemies of the Jews had then slandered them (Ezra ch.4), causing the Babylonian king to put a stop to the rebuilding and resettlement of Judea. She was 96. [11] Elias J. Bickerman, The Colophon of the Greek Book of Esther,Journal of Biblical Literature63.4 (1944): 339-62. 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. brought him up to be favorable to the Jews and he later rebuilt the Her jar allowed her to find a voice in a situation where she could feel voiceless. [3] So, we know that Daniel was dead long before Esther was born and 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. 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. In the midrashic account, Ahasuerus initially ruled the entire world. Queen Esther and Bella Abzug: Costumes, Leadership, and Identity, The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, Copyright 19982023, Jewish Women's Archive. Rabbah 6:5; BT Megillah 13a). 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. The Book of Esther, which does Their legal marriage age suggests that they prefer young people below 18 (prime of the youth). Designation of the five scrolls of the Bible (Ruth, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther). 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. She she fasts for three days, she goes to the king, enduring many obstacles while traveling through the palace but protected by angels. She also exhibits symptoms of agoraphobia, suicidal ideation, and feelings of overwhelming guilt and worthlessness. [2] But Shelamzion remained queen and lived up to her name, maintaining the peace of Zion with a strong army, careful diplomacy, and the support of the Jews of ancient Israel and beyond. Esther 5:2-3; 7:4-6 Image During Jacob's stay, he fell in love with Rachel . She notes that Josephus only knew this queen by her Greek name, Alexandra, while the Rabbis only knew her by her Semitic name. It is also thought that Mordecai may have had additional children, as it is not explicitly mentioned that Esther is his only child. Esther illuminated Israel like the light of dawn, while this light itself was like darkness for the nations of the world (MidrashTehilim, onPs. 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). 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. She died in her sleep at the Royal Lodge, Great Windsor Park, which is now the main residence of her grandson. Nehemiah probably knew of Queen Though she may have been elderly at the time of her death, her legacy continues to live on. However, later scribes, as the manuscript evidence suggests, no longer understood it. , Rabbi Nathan states, In its season from Shabbat night to Shabbat night, the way [rains] fell in the days of Queen Shelamzion., Megillat Esther: A Godless and Assimilated Diaspora.. 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. Designation of the five scrolls of the Bible (Ruth, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther). "And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all who saw her." (2:15). A new decree to save the Jews. The Rabbis then mention an additional argument that is raised by the people, that the writing of the Book of Esther will arouse the enmity of the non-Jewish nations. The midrash tells that when Esther came to Ahasueruss palace the spirit of divine inspiration left her, and she then prayed to God. Before she went to Ahasuerus, Esther uttered the prayer: O Lord, the God of Israel, who has reigned from days of yore and created the universe, help, please, Your handmaiden who has remained an orphan without father and mother, and who is compared to a pauper who begs from door to door. We can adjust the hypothetical ages and birth dates of Mordecai, Esther and their parents by a few years and still keep it . Queen Esther died in 473 BCE, so she was likely in her late fifties or early sixties at the time of her death. The king did not believe in God but Esther did. Esther invited Ahasuerus and Haman to a feast and the Rabbis ask: why did she invite Haman? 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. In Esther Chapter 2, royal eunuchs advised Ahasuerus to look for a new queen. She was 96 years old. [2] See Ilan,Integrating women, 127, commenting onJewish War1.71 andJewishAntiquities13.302. She remained passive to the moody King and obedient to her authoritarian uncle, Mordecai. When Esther is chosen as the queen, unknown to her, Mordecai discovers a plan by the kings wicked advisor, Haman, to kill all the Jews. For an analysis of these sources and their reliability, see Tal Ilan,Integrating Women into Second Temple History(Tbingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1999), esp. One tradition asserts that Esther used a resorbent, that is, she employed a contraceptive device to prevent any pregnancy by Ahasuerus. point). [12] Ilan, Esther, Judith and Susanna as Propaganda for Shelamzions Queenship,Integrating Women, 135. 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. Solomon. Esth. The night of their union, Ahasuerus loved Esther "above all women" and made her the Persian Empire's Queen. What is the reflection of the story of princess urduja? Ahasuerus is moved by her words and instead orders Haman to be hung on the gallows he had built for Mordecai. It is believed that Mordecai was married before the events of the book, as the King of Persia issues a decree for all unmarried women to come to the palace for beautification treatments. It is believed that Esther's life 22:5). 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). When her secret was revealed, the whole of Persia, who had had no knowledge of the Jewish people or their plight, was amazed and moved by Esthers courage and selflessness. The Funeral of Queen Victoria by Wiliam Lionel Wylie (c) National Maritime Museum. 2). She appears to be a loyal wife to Mordecai, as she supports him throughout his efforts to save the Jewish people from Hamans plot. She and her cousin Mordecai persuaded the king to cancel an order for the extermination of Jews in his realm, plotted by the king's chief minister, Haman. Scripture is silent on when and how Queen Esther died, and history is also silent on her life, as well. 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. She was placed with her adoptive family, the Kings, on the orders of Queen Esther of Persia, who held a grudge against all Jews. A type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules). The midrash compares Esther to a hind and to the dawn, based onPs. The Scroll of Esther is read on Purim from a parchment scroll. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Esther gained even greater favour with Ahasuerus after she helped thwart an assassination plot against him that Mordecai overheard at the palace gate. Jewish Women's Archive. In common parlance, the braided loaves blessed and eaten on the Sabbath and Festivals. She was crowned about 55 years after the destruction of the First Temple, and fifteen years before the Second Temple was built. 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). They married in 478 BC after the former queen, Vashti, was banished for being unable to fulfill her husband's demands. Esther, on the other hand, was taken every day and, like them, she requested miracles. 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. 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. . The Rabbis include Esther among the seven most beautiful women in the world (BT Megillah 15a). The Rabbis also offer various proofs that the Book of Esther was written with the spirit of divine inspiration. probably lived at the same time. Her death is believed to have been around the age of 57. 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. Read Esther 4:1-17. them clearly. When Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman at the gate, Haman was extremely offended and sought to have Mordecai killed. [8]Once there, she does not plead for help but carefully petitions the king, setting in motion a plan to undermine Haman and save the Jewish people.[9]. She never forgot her cousin Mordecai and she never forgot that she was one of God's children. 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. 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. Persians are modern day Iranians and they are not Jews. King Xerxes: King Xerxes married Esther when he was 41 years old. That being said, Esther is then remembered and celebrated in the annual festival of Purim. He deposed Queen Vashti in 483/482BC when he was 36 ( Esther 1:3 ). I'm also This book therefore has the same sanctity as the other books of Scripture. The Book of Esther relates that Esther told no one of her Jewish origins, as Mordecai had ordered her. Similarly, her son Benjamin knew about the sale of Joseph, but remained silent and did not tell his father. At that banquet, she heightened the tension between the two by inviting both men to a second banquet. After she came to the fourth department, Ahasueruss ire was aroused and he remembered Vashti, who did not come into him despite his repeated requests, while Esther came into him without permission, like a harlot. 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. The Book of Esther was probably written in the 2nd centurybce. Mordecai was an important figure in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. What did the Nazis begin using gas chambers instead of mobile killing units and shooting squads after a while? 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. May this man have mercy on me, for I fear him. The combined symptoms in Esther signify that she was suffering from a serious psychiatric illness, but the precise diagnosis remains unclear. Abase him before me, for You abase the proud (Esth. According to the Bible, Mordechai was a Jew who lived in the Persian city of Susa, the modern-day city of Shush, Iran. Menstruation; the menstruant woman; ritual status of the menstruant woman. Esther and Mordecai then obtained a royal edict allowing Jews throughout the empire to defend themselves on the day set for their extermination. 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. 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. A day was set aside for the slaughter, and a decree issued to every corner of the empire. Rabbah1:41; BT Megillah 16a). assassinated with her husband (which was likely), or if she was Have an update or correction? Esther took place or at the very least was too young to remember King Xerxes ordered Queen Vashti to appear at a banquet, but she refused to do so which led to her banishment. The day before, the 96-year-old queen pulled out of a virtual Privy Council meeting after her doctors advised her to rest. All Her . Additionally, Hamans royal throne and belongings were given to Mordecai, and he was honored by the people of the city. 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. "the written Torah." After the immediate danger to her community passed, Queen Esther stayed with Ahasuerus. 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. She ordered her uncle: "Go, gather together all the Jews and fast for me, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day." Josephus tells us that she was loved by the masses of the Jewish people (Jewish Antiquities 13:407). Esther remained passive and allowed the King to rape her repeatedly. 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). Since Nehemiah was a leading figure in Jerusalem by 432 BC, Estimates vary, but she was most likely between 50 and 60 years old when she died. . Ilan relies upon Bickermans dating, as does Aaron KollersEsther in Ancient Jewish Thought(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014). 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. Sometimes it was hard for Esther because the other Jews were treated badly. How old was Esther when she became queen? 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. The beginning of the psalm: My God, my God, why have You abandoned me? is what Esther asks when she wants to know why the spirit of divine inspiration has left her: was this because she went to Ahasuerus of her own free will, or because she disparaged him, and called him a dog (following the text of the psalm)(BTMegillah15a)? 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. Yet another tradition maintains that she was eighty years of age(Gen. Rabbah39:13;MidrashAbba Gurion, para. The document, published by National Records of Scotland on Thursday, says the late British monarch died at 3:10 p.m. UK time . 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. The Rabbis devote extensive attention to Esthers observance of the laws of niddah. According to one tradition, Esther was responsible for Mordecais being seated at the palace gate, since she told Ahasuerus that all the great kings seated a Jewish advisor at the gate (Midrash Abba Gurionloc. 5). 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. The Queen died in the afternoon of September 8, 2022. 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. [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. In response, Esther tells him that, like him, she is the offspring of royalty (Midrash Abba Gurion, para.