After an exhilarating victory, they declared the following day a holiday and (alluding to the lots Haman had cast) named it Purim, which is Hebrew for lots.. Esther gained even greater favour with Ahasuerus after she helped thwart an assassination plot against him that Mordecai overheard at the palace gate. 100-105 and 127-154. Estimates vary, but she was most likely between 50 and 60 years old when she died. . 7:6): The adversary and enemy, she first pointed to Ahasuerus, but the king moved her hand in Hamans direction. 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. Designation of the five scrolls of the Bible (Ruth, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther). Esther asked Mordecai to fast for three days, even though the third day was the first day of the holiday ofA seven-day festival to commemorate the Exodus from Egypt (eight days outside Israel) beginning on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nissan. 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. BC (he would have already been well over 90 years old at this 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. Most people have never heard of Queen Shelamzion Alexandra. 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. Her death is believed to have been around the age of 57. What is a reason a mathematical model can fail? Considering that she was likely in her mid-teens when she met King Ahasuerus, she lost her parents before that point. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Yes, Mordechai was indeed Esthers cousin. 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. Esthers first husband was Mordecai. Ahasuerus promised Esther that he would grant her request, even to half the kingdom(Esth. A type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules). Yet another tradition maintains that she was eighty years of age(Gen. Rabbah39:13;MidrashAbba Gurion, para. Esther stood in the middle of the fourth department; the guards of the first department could no longer touch her, while those of the last department could not yet approach her. assumed in to the next King's harem (also possiblealthough a She had one. Alexandra the Maccabee. Furthermore, because of her passivity, her life with Ahasuerus was not thought to entail illicit sexual intercourse (a grave sin, for which one should be killed rather than transgress")(BTSanhedrin74b). The midrash compares Esther to a hind and to the dawn, based onPs. Esther, heroine and central figure in the Book of Esther of the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament. [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). Let us know. According to one, Hadassah, which appears first in the verse, was Esthers real name, and the reason why she was called Esther requires clarification. Perhaps there is room for a role model of the leader who advocates peace, piety, and diplomacy as well. The Babylonian tradition maintains that Esther was Mordecais wife. The Rabbis even find proof that God concurred with the activity of Mordecai and Esther, since it is written(Esth. 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). Sadly, Queen Elizabeth II passed away, aged 96, on September 8, 2022. The verse (5:1) Esther put on royal apparel is interpreted as her assuming the spirit of prophecy (BTMegillahloc. Photo Credit: Wikipedia, 'Ahasuerus and Haman at the Feast of Esther . 22:26). 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. After more than 70 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022. In response, Esther tells him that, like him, she is the offspring of royalty (Midrash Abba Gurion, para. 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? 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. 6:6), or the definite statement, that could be known only to God: but they did not lay hands on the spoil (9:10). 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. Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, has died at Balmoral aged 96, after reigning for 70 years. 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. She was 96. King Xerxes ordered Queen Vashti to appear at a banquet, but she refused to do so which led to her banishment. 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. When the king saw his queen, Xerxes lowered his golden scepter to invite Esther into his presence. Esther had 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). cit.). Esthers story culminates when the beloved queen is faced with the decision to either continue to disguise her Jewish heritage and maintain her safety or jeopardize everything to advocate for her people. When we talk about Esther in the Book of Esther, we can't ignore many other characters in the book as they seem to play roles almost as important as hers. It was Mordecai who helped Esther win the favor of the King, who then chose her to be his queen. Rabbah6:4). The two were very close and Mordecai was highly regarded and respected by both King Xerxes and the Jewish people. The Jews were well acquainted with the command of God, which stated that they must not bow down to false gods nor to those enemies of God who idolized them. 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. Victoria's funeral began on 2 February 1901. Like many Jews today, she had two names, one Hebrew and one Greek. Haman, too, was troubled by the question of Esthers origins. Rabbah26:8;Lam. Thisdevarbuilds on Ilans work: her oeuvre is well known to academics but is not as well known as it could be tothe reading public. 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. 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. Queen Esther is a biblical figure from the Hebrew Bible who was the Jewish Queen of the Persian King Ahasuerus. The actual origins of the Purim festival, which was already long established by the 2nd centurybce, remain unknown. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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? 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. Mordechai discovered a plot to kill King Xerxes and foiled it by informing the King through his cousin Esther. Rachel was silent when she saw that Jacob married her sister instead of herself. 2:7). Routing number of commercial bank of Ethiopia? It is believed that Esther's life The Coronation of Queen Esther, from the 1617 Scroll of Esther from Ferrara, Italy. Since Nehemiah was a leading figure in Jerusalem by 432 BC, The moral of the story of Esther is to stay true to yourself and never give up on your beliefs. brought him up to be favorable to the Jews and he later rebuilt the Because of Haman's law, she and all the Jews in the kingdom would be killed. 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. 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. I'm also He deposed Queen Vashti in 483/482BC when he was 36 ( Esther 1:3 ). No, Esther and Mordecai were not married. Rachel is first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible in Genesis 29 when Jacob happens upon her as she is about to water her father's flock. Lit. 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:. [11] Elias J. Bickerman, The Colophon of the Greek Book of Esther,Journal of Biblical Literature63.4 (1944): 339-62. In post-Temple times, a small piece of dough set aside and burnt. She understood that she had a mission and that she could shape reality rather than passively suffer through it. Her loyalty to her people is admirable, as is . One tradition states that she was served Jewish food in the harem, while another asserts that she was given chines of pork. (Viewed on March 4, 2023) . cit.). 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]. Alexandra the Maccabee (died ca. See also Susan Niditch,A Prelude to Biblical Folklore: Underdogs and Tricksters(Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2000). This, then, is the meaning of(Esth. Their legal marriage age suggests that they prefer young people below 18 (prime of the youth). Ahasueruss intimates attempted sorcery, so that her hands and feet would look like leather hides, but a miracle was performed for her and they began to shine like sapphires (Midrash Tehilim, onPs. Given new belongings (Esther 2:9). Rabbah8:3). The answer she gave was that anasmakhta(Scriptural support) for the writing of the Book of Esther is to be found in the verses mandating that the memory of Amalek be blotted out, with the explicit command(Ex. Also called the "Festival of Mazzot"; the "Festival of Spring"; Pesah.Passover. A new decree to save the Jews. Esther understood that this action would require her to commit a grave transgression, and even lose all possibility of returning to her husband Mordecai. This means she had been married to the king for approximately 40 years at the time of her death. 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. Jewish and Persian Anyway, there's no record of whether Esther was That being said, What is the labour of cable stayed bridges? Is the singer Avant and R Kelly brothers? Additionally, Hamans royal throne and belongings were given to Mordecai, and he was honored by the people of the city. script>. "Esther: Midrash and Aggadah." This status completely changed when Esther went to Ahasuerus of her own free will, in order to persuade him to cancel Hamans decree(Esth. The spelling of her name is confirmed by its appearance in the Qumran material; see4QCalendrical Document C(Florentino Garcia Martinez and Elbert J. C. Tigchelaar, eds.,Dead Sea Scrolls Study Edition[Brill Academic Publishers, 2000], 694). Though she may have been elderly at the time of her death, her legacy continues to live on. They derive this from the various verses that reflect the thought of the characters, or that attest to actions of which a normal person could not be cognizant, such as Haman said to himself(Esth. 2:5as being a Benjaminite, from which the Rabbis assumed that Esther also came from this tribe. 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. Am Yisrael Chai The events of Esther unfold over an eight- to ten-year period. Despite the close bond they had, they remained uncle and niece and were not married. 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"). 2:7 ). After Esther was crowned queen, Mordecai held an important position at the palace and worked closely with the Queen in all matters. Esth. The Queen ascended to the throne in 1952 at the tender age of 25, and was on a royal tour of Kenya when Philip delicately broke the news that her father, King George VI, had died. Rabbah8:7; the passage is taken from Josippon). Happy Womens History Month! She oversaw a peaceful and prosperous period. Esther would have been in her early to mid 60's when the 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. And You, O Lord, bring success to this, Your poor handmaiden. Esther was a Jewish young woman who was providentially selected to be the queen of Persia. 482 BC, so Daniel had likely been dead for about 25 years at this She was in a foreign land without the protection and support of her people. Mordecai is promoted to the second highest ranking position in the empire, and Esther is given control of the household of Haman. Esther Greenwood, the protagonist of Sylvia Plaths novel The Bell Jar, is believed to be a representation of the author herself. Rabbah6:9). How old was Esther when she became queen? Esther replaced Queen Vashti, who had been sentenced to death because she had refused to display her beauty to the King's feast attendants. The Jewish dietary laws delineating the permissible types of food and methods of their preparation. Esther risked her life to save the Jews, thus, she became an example of unselfishness and faithfulness. Her reign lasted less than a decade but still longer than a two-term presidency. In this article: Her Name Early Life Palace Life Esther and Mordechai Save the King's Life Esther remained passive and allowed the King to rape her repeatedly. When Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman at the gate, Haman was extremely offended and sought to have Mordecai killed. How old was Esther when she became queen of Persia? Help us elevate the voices of Jewish women. As a result, the king reversed his decree and the Jews were saved from death. In Esther Chapter 2, royal eunuchs advised Ahasuerus to look for a new queen. Queen Elizabeth, who reigned for 70 years as Britain's monarch, died Thursday at Balmoral, her estate in the Scottish Highlands. Their grandfather was Alexander Jannaeus, the second eldest son of John Hyrcanus. 16 September 2012. In a 1957 Christmas Broadcast, the Queen promised the United Kingdom she would give her . She was crowned about 55 years after the destruction of the First Temple, and fifteen years before the Second Temple was built. Esther was born about 492BC and was 14 when she became Queen. If you need to flag this entry as abusive. The king held a party in his honor one day. Daniel probably died shortly after Darius took the throne in 521 These actions demonstrated the kings respect and admiration for Esther and earned her the loyalty of her people. The Jewish festival of Purim celebrates this event. 2). Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. [13] The analogy of Israel to a sinful adulteress in the prophets is more prominent. The. 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). When word of the planned massacre reachedEsther, she risked her life by going uninvited to the king to suggest a banquet that Haman would attend. This last event was around the same time that Esther became Queen. Esther had been made queen to save her people; her mission and her faith shaped her character and inspired her to act and succeed. For today's Bible studies, we're going to discuss 10 characteristics of Esther in the Bible. cit.). Kings David and Solomon had many wives, some more influential than others, but they are never represented as ruling in their husbands stead. Updates? 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. When she relayed Mordecais information to the king, she attributed it to Mordecai(Esth. Queen Esther died in 473 BCE, so she was likely in her late fifties or early sixties at the time of her death. 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. She received her Ph.D. in religion from Princeton University. The Jews, said Haman, must be eliminated for the good of the kingdom. This book therefore has the same sanctity as the other books of Scripture. Omissions? [1] As shall be discussed further below, much of what we know about Shelamzion Alexandra comes from Josephuss two accounts of her reign inJewish War1.107-119 andJewish Antiquities13.398-432. Continue Learning about Religious Studies. Even though Esther and Mordecai werent directly related, their close relationship was very strong and continued throughout their lives. What is the moral of the story of Esther? She was the last of the house of Hanover and . 4:11): Now I have not been summoned to visit the king for the last thirty days(Ex. The King also issued a proclamation throughout the land to honor Mordecai. 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). Who is Jason crabb mother and where is she? Notably, Shelamzion maintained peace through defensive measures and diplomatic outreach rather than outright acts of aggression. 22:25). Rabbah8:6). Mordecai held a position inside of the king's palace, and he went their every day to perform his duties. Mordecai would walk about in front of the harem in order to rule for Esther regarding menstrual spotting; another exegetical exposition has Esther showing the spotting from her menstruation to theTorah she-bi-khetav: Lit. window.location.replace(""); All Her . How can a woman test for infertility at home? According to various traditions, at this time she recitedPsalm 22(For the leader; onayelet ha-shahar): in the Rabbinic exegesisayelet ha-shaharis Esther, and the content of the psalm is applied to her. 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. That day, Esther told the king about Haman's plan to massacre all Jews in his kingdom, and she acknowledged her own Jewish ethnicity. Her son Charles, the former Prince of Wales, is now King Charles III, as the world grieves his mother, Britain's longest-reigning monarch. Her jar allowed her to find a voice in a situation where she could feel voiceless. The monarch of Persia, King Ahasuerus, was wealthy and powerful. Mordecais wife is never directly named, but it is presumed that she was originally from Susa, based on her residence in the city at the time of the story. The Rabbis relate to Esther as the one responsible for the deliverance of Israel and compare her to the moon, which shone for Israel in the darkness of night. "order." 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. She What can we learn from Esther about our personal understanding of our true life's mission? Esther probably didn't live to see the events of the book of 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. 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. Esthers extreme courage and her willingness to risk her own life for the safety of her people serves as an inspiration to this day. How old was King Xerxes when he married Esther? Dont miss the latest essays from TheTorah.com. Have an update or correction? 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. Rabbah8:3). 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]. He married Esther in 479BC (Esther 2:16), when he was 40. Esther found favor in the eyes of everyone who gazed upon her; every person thought that she was one of the women of his nation, whom he found comely. Esther despaired throughout her first six years in the palace. "scroll." Esther was a young Jewish girl taken into the palace of the king of Persia, King Ahasuerus. 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. 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. According to the Bible, Mordechai was a Jew who lived in the Persian city of Susa, the modern-day city of Shush, Iran. Rabbah6:5). Esther told the king that her people were in danger. It is known that Esther was the daughter of Abihail, and she had married King Xerxes of Persia around the age of 18. 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.