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. He deposed Queen Vashti in 483/482BC when he was 36 ( Esther 1:3 ). The Talmud reveals that Esther's relationship with Ahasuerus wasn't a romantic one. 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). Most of the Jews preferred the comfortable life of the Persian Empire to an arduous life rebuilding their devastated homeland. 4:11): Now I have not been summoned to visit the king for the last thirty days(Ex. cit.). 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. I'm also tradition is that Queen Esther's tomb is in Hamadan, also known as [13] The analogy of Israel to a sinful adulteress in the prophets is more prominent. Despite her hiding her identity, Esther still maintained contact with Mordecai. 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]. 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. 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. Esthers Origins and Her Adoption by Mordecai, Esther Delivers Up Haman and Reveals Her Identity. 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. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Despite the close bond they had, they remained uncle and niece and were not married. Esther, the orphaned cousin and adopted daughter of Mordecai, won the kings devotion and was chosen to be the new queen; Mordecai had instructed her to not reveal that she was Jewish. "order." Routing number of commercial bank of Ethiopia? With the kings consent, Haman set a date for the execution (the 13th day of the month of Adar) by casting lots and built a gallows specifically for Mordecai. 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). not tell how old she was, is certainly not historical and appears This also leads to a different understanding of Mordecais involvement, as he walks about in the royal courtyard out of concern for his wife. After recently suffering with a bad. This last event was around the same time that Esther became Queen. Others have suggested an earlier date of translation, ca. brought him up to be favorable to the Jews and he later rebuilt the Queen Shelamzion Alexandra reigned as queen of Judea from 76 to 67 BCE. This status completely changed when Esther went to Ahasuerus of her own free will, in order to persuade him to cancel Hamans decree(Esth. cit.). 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. Persian King would have probably not been interested in a 35 year TheTorah.com is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.We rely on the support of readers like you. Instead, he anticipates Peter's thought in 1 Peter 2:17, before Peter ever wrote it: Fear God. How Can a Torah Commentary Be Source-Critical and Jewish? a. Mordecai was Esthers cousin and guardian, having adopted her as his daughter when her parents died. Queen Shelamzion Alexandra reigned as queen of Judea from 76 to 67 BCE. ), or her strength wanedPirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer[ed. The night of their union, Ahasuerus loved Esther "above all women" and made her the Persian Empire's Queen. 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. Esther before she died (I'm guessing she died in 464 BC) and maybe The Rabbis add that Esther found favor in the eyes of both heaven and humans (Esth. She was a beautiful Jewish woman, the wife of the Persian king Ahasuerus (Xerxes I). These actions demonstrated the kings respect and admiration for Esther and earned her the loyalty of her people. Mordecai argued that these three days fast happened to include the Passover night, which shouldn't be a night of fasting. I'm going to guess that he was born before 464 BC, so yes they Alexandra the Maccabee (died ca. 22:16). Instead, Haman was hanged, and the Jews were given permission to destroy their enemies. Designation of the five scrolls of the Bible (Ruth, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther). An additional stratagem employed by Esther against Haman was connected with his leading Mordecai on the horse. One of these officials was the biblical Mordecai. Mordechai later adopted Esther as his daughter after her parents died. and Nehemiah may have known each other personally. If you need to flag this entry as abusive. When she relayed Mordecais information to the king, she attributed it to Mordecai(Esth. Seeing the Letter Tet in a Dream: 9th Anniversary, Study the Torah with Academic Scholarship, By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use, Jewish Queens: From the Story of Esther to the History of Shelamzion, https://thetorah.com/article/jewish-queens-from-the-story-of-esther-to-the-history-of-shelamzion. Esther may or may not have reflected the historical reality of the Persian period, but her story provided a model for a new reality in Shelamzions lifetime. 2). In order to recognize Mordecais efforts, the king made him his minister and gave him a royal robe and princely apparel. She understood that she had a mission and that she could shape reality rather than passively suffer through it. cit.). The monarch of Persia, King Ahasuerus, was wealthy and powerful. Jewish Women's Archive. 28 BC) was the daughter of Hyrcanus II (died 30 BC), who was the son of Alexander Jannaeus. He even granted permission for the Jews to arm themselves with weapons and deliver the kings edicts throughout the kingdom. What happened to Queen Esther in the Bible? Though she may have been elderly at the time of her death, her legacy continues to live on. To hide her identity as a Jew, he tells her to go by the name of Esther. Dont miss the latest essays from TheTorah.com. Rabbah28:6). The Queen described in the Book of Nehemiah is Queen Esther. Esther remained passive and allowed the King to rape her repeatedly. She was 96 years old. She is the author of several books, including On My Right Michael, On My Left Gabriel: Angels in Ancient Jewish Culture (University of California Press, 2021). [7] See Elsie Sterns reading of Megillat Esther as a cautionary tale for Jews living in the Diaspora in her TABS essay, Megillat Esther: A Godless and Assimilated Diaspora.. This, then, is the meaning of(Esth. 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.". She had two grown sons (Aristobulus and Hyrcanus II), but she decided not to step aside for them; perhaps she foresaw that the rivalry between the younger and older son would not end well. Esther was a good queen. What is a reason a mathematical model can fail? In post-Temple times, a small piece of dough set aside and burnt. 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. Answer (1 of 5): I don't about my husband Ahaserus, but I, Haddasha aka Esther never died, for here I Am. Help us elevate the voices of Jewish women. My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me? Jesus or Esther? What did the Nazis begin using gas chambers instead of mobile killing units and shooting squads after a while. Rabbah6:5; BTLit. Later pilgrims mentioned the site, and noted that special celebrations were held there on Shushan Purim. 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. Her death is believed to have been around the age of 57. The outraged king ordered that Haman be hanged on the gallows built for Mordecai and that Mordecai be named to fill Hamans position. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Rabbah26:8;Lam. These words persuaded Esther to approach the king and she requested a private dinner for him and Haman. case we can not say how old she was. Esther was born about 492BC and was 14 when she became Queen. Through his actions, along with those of his cousin Esther, the Jews were saved from extermination. 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. [11] Elias J. Bickerman, The Colophon of the Greek Book of Esther,Journal of Biblical Literature63.4 (1944): 339-62. The best. Please consider supporting TheTorah.com. The answer is yes. 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. 17:14): Inscribe this in a document as a reminder (since Haman was of Amalekite stock). Esther replaced Queen Vashti, who had been sentenced to death because she had refused to display her beauty to the King's feast attendants. 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 verse (5:1) Esther put on royal apparel is interpreted as her assuming the spirit of prophecy (BTMegillahloc. Most people have never heard of Queen Shelamzion Alexandra. She became the new wife of the king when his . God used her to deliver His people from a wicked plan of total destruction. cit.). There is not one correct rendering of her name in any rabbinic manuscript (260). 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. Her son Charles, 73, is now king. old, non-virgin wife. We rely on the support of readers like you. 10:2). 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). 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). 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. The midrash tells that when Esther came to Ahasueruss palace the spirit of divine inspiration left her, and she then prayed to God. Esthers first husband was Mordecai. 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). The Queen died in the afternoon of September 8, 2022. The Queen Mother lived to the grand age of 101 years and 238 days old. How old was Queen Elizabeth II when she died? point. The Book of Esther was probably written in the 2nd centurybce. Even though Esther and Mordecai werent directly related, their close relationship was very strong and continued throughout their lives. Am Yisrael Chai The King also issued a proclamation throughout the land to honor Mordecai. This means she had been married to the king for approximately 40 years at the time of her death. In post-Temple times, a small piece of dough set aside and burnt. For today's Bible studies, we're going to discuss 10 characteristics of Esther in the Bible. Another question that concerned the Rabbis was that of the children from the union of Esther and Ahasuerus. In Megillat Esther, we encounter another heroine who maneuvers royal protocol to save her people. Institution: National Library of Israel, Jerusalem. In a risky move, Esther reveals her Jewish heritage to Ahasuerus and pleads with him to spare her people, despite the risk of death. She was compared to a hind, for just as a hind has a narrow womb and is as desirable to her mate at all times as at the first time, so, too, was Esther as desirable to Ahasuerus at all times as at the first time. What is error code E01-5 on Toyota forklift. Historians say there never was a Queen Vashti of Persia. Lit. I told her not to tell anyone she was an Israelite, though, because a lot of people still didn't like Israelites and I thought King Xerxes might not pick her to be the new queen if he knew she was an . Daniel probably died shortly after Darius took the throne in 521 Midrash adds that Esther's father died during her mother's pregnancy, and the latter died during childbirth (Esth. "scroll." Part of HuffPost Religion. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Like many Jews today, she had two names, one Hebrew and one Greek. 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. Also called the "Festival of Mazzot"; the "Festival of Spring"; Pesah.Passover. What is the answer punchline algebra 15.1 why dose a chicken coop have only two doors? 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. cit.). Rabbah6:9). The Feast of Purim was instituted to help the Jews remember their deliverance from Haman. She recognizes that she needs to personally plead the king to save her people but knows this act is a grave transgression. but the date of 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 in a foreign land without the protection and support of her people. Lit. Rabbah8:3). They were honored with royal garments and a decree was written to protect all Jews. We can adjust the hypothetical ages and birth dates of Mordecai, Esther and their parents by a few years and still keep it . Modesty and Sexuality in Halakhic Literature, What Queen Esther can teach us about intermarriage. Upon realizing this, Mordecai subdued the enemy and turned the wickedness of Haman back onto himself and his family. Her death is believed to have been around the age of 57. 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. Hi, I'm Mordecai, Esther's older cousin. assumed in to the next King's harem (also possiblealthough a Esther understood that this action would require her to commit a grave transgression, and even lose all possibility of returning to her husband Mordecai. The BT lists a number of possible reasons: (1) she wanted Haman to be near her (so that she could say what she wanted about him at the appropriate moment); (2) she wanted to set a trap for him; (3) she planned to act toward Haman in a way that would lead Ahasuerus to suspect that she had engaged in an improper relationship with the former and thus cause the king to kill them both. Her bravery earns her a spot among the seven women prophets, and she is remembered as the one responsible for the deliverance of Israel. Her reign is famous as 'The Golden Age', for its . The Bible depicts Esther as an orphan who was raised in the house of her uncle Mordecai ( Esth. Since Nehemiah was a leading figure in Jerusalem by 432 BC, Features thousands of biographic and thematic essays on Jewish women around the world. Queen Elizabeth, who reigned for 70 years as Britain's monarch, died Thursday at Balmoral, her estate in the Scottish Highlands. 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. An orphan raised by her uncle, young Esther was taken against her will as a beautiful virgin to Persian King Ahasuerus's harem. Designation of the five scrolls of the Bible (Ruth, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther). 12:2], 5:11). cit.). Plath famously battled depression and other mental illnesses, and the same is true of Esthers condition in the novel. Esther's Origins and Her Adoption by Mordecai. Mordecai was instrumental in thwarting a murderous plot by one of the kings advisers, Haman, to annihilate the Jewish people. Esthers extreme courage and her willingness to risk her own life for the safety of her people serves as an inspiration to this day. Rabbah8:6). 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:. In Esther Chapter 2, royal eunuchs advised Ahasuerus to look for a new queen. As Tal Ilan has suggested, this moment is also crucial because it shows us that the decision to promote the book of Esther could well be associated with the coronation of Shelamzion Alexandria and that it may have been part of a larger literary campaign designed to promote the leadership of women through dialogue with other contemporary points of view which were hostile to the idea of women in power (as Josephus was, for example). 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 overtook Queen Victoria as the longest reigning monarch in 2015 - Victoria had served for 63 years and lived to the age of 81. , 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.. Mordecai remained a close confidant to Esther and played a pivotal role in helping her save the Jewish people. During the . The enraged King ordered Haman's hanging, elevated Mordecai to prime minister and gave Jews the right to defend themselves against any enemy. Lastly, Mordecai helped the Jews to establish their rights, which became to be known as the Purim festival. Updates? 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. 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. 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. Beautiful as the moon (Talmud, Megillah 13a).3) Esther comes from the Semitic root ath-tar, "morning star." What can we learn from Esther about our personal understanding of our true life's mission? According to the Babylonian tradition, she saw menstrual blood (BT Megillah15a). Esth. 2). Given new belongings (Esther 2:9). According to the tradition that she was previously unmarried, she was now married to and lived with a non-Jewish king. King Xerxes ordered Queen Vashti to appear at a banquet, but she refused to do so which led to her banishment. What is the labour of cable stayed bridges? 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. The King of Persia, Ahasuerus, had appointed Haman to be his prime minister and a decree was issued ordering the annihilation of all Jews. Furthermore, the Jewish people had a special holiday to commemorate their deliverance and celebrate the bravery of Mordecai. It was Mordecai who helped Esther win the favor of the King, who then chose her to be his queen. 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. Esther standing in the Inner Court. It was only when Esther came that Ahasuerus removed the likeness of Vashti and replaced it with that of Esther (Esth. When Esther was taken captive, her emotional world was completely destroyed. 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. Rabbah1:41; BT Megillah 16a). One tradition asserts that Esther used a resorbent, that is, she employed a contraceptive device to prevent any pregnancy by Ahasuerus.
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