"scroll." Designation of the five scrolls of the Bible (Ruth, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther). The Book of Esther tells of Esther marrying King Ahasuerus of Persia and therefore becoming his queen. 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. The document, published by National Records of Scotland on Thursday, says the late British monarch died at 3:10 p.m. UK time . tradition is that Queen Esther's tomb is in Hamadan, also known as She is mentioned several times throughout the Book of Esther. Esther was born about 492BC and was 14 when she became Queen. Is the singer Avant and R Kelly brothers? In the midrashic reenactment, Esther sent a message to Mordecai in which she asked him whether Israel had transgressed one of the commandments of the Torah. Esther took place or at the very least was too young to remember Rabbah6:5; BTLit. We rely on the support of readers like you. guessing that Nehemiah was probably not around when the events of 4:16) and if I am to perish, I shall perish.". We just don't know. Esthers jar captures her willingness to stand up and fight against her oppressors, despite being completely alone and without support. [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. In order to recognize Mordecais efforts, the king made him his minister and gave him a royal robe and princely apparel. He even granted permission for the Jews to arm themselves with weapons and deliver the kings edicts throughout the kingdom. He also appointed her as queen of the Persian Empire and gave her a royal medal of honor. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. In the Erez Israel tradition, she miscarried the fetus she bore in her womb (the offspring of Ahasuerus) (Esth. In Esther Chapter 2, royal eunuchs advised Ahasuerus to look for a new queen. 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:. The king agreed, not knowing that Esther, his beloved queen, and Mordecai, the man to whom he owed his life, were both Jews. How old was King Xerxes when he married Esther? Esther had been made queen to save her people; her mission and her faith shaped her character and inspired her to act and succeed. Queen Esther and Bella Abzug: Costumes, Leadership, and Identity, The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, Copyright 19982023, Jewish Women's Archive. Upset, the king stepped out into the palace gardens. older than her (do the math a 37 year old king marrying a 14 year What is the reflection of the story of princess urduja? Even though Esther and Mordecai werent directly related, their close relationship was very strong and continued throughout their lives. This exegesis casts the Biblical narrative in a different light. Like the moon, that is born after thirty days, Esther, too, said(Esth. It seems unlikely that Esther was ever Queen of Persia, so we can not say at what age Xerxes married her. What did this queen do? 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. Esther, heroine and central figure in the Book of Esther of the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament. She was in a foreign land without the protection and support of her people. point. Haman, too, was troubled by the question of Esthers origins. Despite the close bond they had, they remained uncle and niece and were not married. Nehemiah probably knew of Queen a. And You, O Lord, bring success to this, Your poor handmaiden. 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. In addition, she serves as an example of how to effectively use your voice and influence to make a difference. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. After Esther was crowned queen, Mordecai held an important position at the palace and worked closely with the Queen in all matters. 2). Designation of the five scrolls of the Bible (Ruth, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther). 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. Ahasuerus is moved by her words and instead orders Haman to be hung on the gallows he had built for Mordecai. It is known that Esther was the daughter of Abihail, and she had married King Xerxes of Persia around the age of 18. The monarch of Persia, King Ahasuerus, was wealthy and powerful. 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. 22:23). 28 BC) was the daughter of Hyrcanus II (died 30 BC), who was the son of Alexander Jannaeus. Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, was born in 1900 and would give birth to the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1926. Meir, Tamar. Other problems that also call into question the story's reliability include Mordecai being identified as sent into exile by Nebuchadnezzar - an event that must have place over a century before Xerxes assumed power. 2). 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. 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"). 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. 100-105 and 127-154. The Rabbis accordingly relate her to the MatriarchRachel, the mother of the tribe of Benjamin. [13] The analogy of Israel to a sinful adulteress in the prophets is more prominent. Jewish Women's Archive. A type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules). But she does not reveal her Jewish heritage to the king and learns of a plan to kill all Jews by the kings advisor, Haman. 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. The more prevalent Rabbinic opinion is that Hadassah was Esthers second name, with a plethora of interpretations built on the similarity of the myrtle (hadas) to Esther: Esther was so called because she was righteous, and the righteous are called myrtles; she was of average height, like a myrtle, which is neither short nor long; she had a greenish (sallow) complexion, like a myrtle (BTMegillahloc. Hi, I'm Mordecai, Esther's older cousin. Ecbatana, located in what is now western Iran. 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. She recognizes that she needs to personally plead the king to save her people but knows this act is a grave transgression. Mordecai was an important figure in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. Through his actions, along with those of his cousin Esther, the Jews were saved from extermination. Darius must be 37 years old (62 minus 25) when he got married to Esther. The Rabbis compare Esther to the son of the uncle who redeems an ancestral landholding(Lev. At that banquet, she heightened the tension between the two by inviting both men to a second banquet. 4:11): Now I have not been summoned to visit the king for the last thirty days(Ex. The Rabbis viewed Esther as one who was compelled to marry Ahasuerus against her will. What is a reason a mathematical model can fail? 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 . 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. 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. Rabbah6:5). The Rabbis describe at length Esthers activities after she learned of Hamans decree against the Jews. Part of HuffPost Religion. What can we learn from Esther about our personal understanding of our true life's mission? How old was Queen Elizabeth II when she died? [1] In preparation for Purim and the reading of Megillat Esther, the story of this forgotten Jewish queen is worth recounting. He was born in 518BC. How old was The Queen Mother when she died? They married in 478 BC after the former queen, Vashti, was banished for being unable to fulfill her husband's demands. 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. Their grandfather was Alexander Jannaeus, the second eldest son of John Hyrcanus. them clearly. "scroll." It was Mordecai who helped Esther win the favor of the King, who then chose her to be his queen. 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. Similarly, her son Benjamin knew about the sale of Joseph, but remained silent and did not tell his father. 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. 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. [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.. assassinated 20 years earlier (he was probably bout 20-25 years Esther illuminated Israel like the light of dawn, while this light itself was like darkness for the nations of the world (MidrashTehilim, onPs. Modesty and Sexuality in Halakhic Literature, What Queen Esther can teach us about intermarriage. This last event was around the same time that Esther became Queen. Mordechai discovered a plot to kill King Xerxes and foiled it by informing the King through his cousin Esther. 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. [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. 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). 25:49) because she was the niece of Mordecai and Israel was delivered through her (Esth. She invited both Haman and Ahasuerus to a private banquet, stirring up jealousy in the King's mind. 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). The bleeding jar in Esthers story is significant because of the deep symbolism behind it. The Feast of Purim was instituted to help the Jews remember their deliverance from Haman. Jewish and Persian [12] Queen Shelamzion Alexandra certainly stood to benefit from Esthers precedent. All Her . She was the second daughter of Laban, Rebekah's brother, making Jacob her first cousin. 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 a 1957 Christmas Broadcast, the Queen promised the United Kingdom she would give her . Furthermore, the Jewish people had a special holiday to commemorate their deliverance and celebrate the bravery of Mordecai. Like many Jews today, she had two names, one Hebrew and one Greek. The moral of the story of Esther is to stay true to yourself and never give up on your beliefs. Mordecai stopped at the gate because he wanted to tell the king about a plot to kill him. Most people have never heard of Queen Shelamzion Alexandra. cit. The courtiers hoped that she would be executed like Vashti and that they would be able to apportion her clothing and jewelry among themselves; those close to Ahasuerus encircled her and harassed her on her way to the king, while Hamans sons awaited her downfall. Thisdevarbuilds on Ilans work: her oeuvre is well known to academics but is not as well known as it could be tothe reading public. Considering that she was likely in her mid-teens when she met King Ahasuerus, she lost her parents before that point. 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. In another exposition, she was given this name by the Gentiles, after the celestial body Istahar (BTLit. The night of their union, Ahasuerus loved Esther "above all women" and made her the Persian Empire's Queen. cit.). One advantage to welcoming Shelamzion back into Jewish memory is making space for a role model of diplomacy and peace. Esther was a young Jewish girl taken into the palace of the king of Persia, King Ahasuerus. 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. 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. Though she may have been elderly at the time of her death, her legacy continues to live on. Esthers jar is a visual representation of her emotional turmoil and her suffering. 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. 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 is then remembered and celebrated in the annual festival of Purim. The king wanted to honor Esther, so he showered her with gifts, including a crown and royal robes. Menstruation; the menstruant woman; ritual status of the menstruant woman. The Queen was the oldest monarch to have reigned in Britain before she passed away in September 2022, aged 96. Esthers secret was that she was a Jew, which she was able to hide from her adoptive family and community. Rabbah 6:5; BT Megillah 13a). The Jews receive permission to defend themselves against their oppressors, and many of the enemies of the Jews are killed. Yes, Mordechai was indeed Esthers cousin. 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. What is the moral of the story of Esther? Queen Esther and Mordecai were given Haman's estate. We may assume, therefore, that she was about 14 years of age when she succeeded to the throne. Esther was a Jewish woman who lived in Persia during the period following the destruction of the First Holy Temple, when many Jews had been taken as slaves to Babylonia, which was subsequently overtaken by Persia. The Bible doesn't say how old Esther was when she married him, but if she was 17 this would make her born in 500BC. Bibles] who ruled Persia from 486 to 465 BC. When she relayed Mordecais information to the king, she attributed it to Mordecai(Esth. 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. Please consider supporting TheTorah.com. Dont miss the latest essays from TheTorah.com. Another tradition has her eating only seeds in the harem, similar to Daniel and his fellows, in order to observe the laws ofThe Jewish dietary laws delineating the permissible types of food and methods of their preparation.kashrut (BT Megillahloc. Am Yisrael Chai She married her cousin Alexander of Judaea (died 48 BC), who was the son of Aristobulus II. This book therefore has the same sanctity as the other books of Scripture. Yet another tradition maintains that she was eighty years of age(Gen. Rabbah39:13;MidrashAbba Gurion, para. 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). She was married to King Achashverosh, whom some identify as Artaxerxes (), 1 king of Persia. 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. Esther: A Queen Under Control. 22:16). 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. Persian King would have probably not been interested in a 35 year Commenting on Deuteronomy 11:13-14, which describes rain falling in its season as a reward for keeping the commandments, Sifre Deuteronomy writes (42): In other words, Rabbi Nathan observes that in the days of Queen Shelamzion, the people actually obeyed the commandmentsthey were all good for a change!and God rewarded the Israelites with plentiful rain from heaven. However, later scribes, as the manuscript evidence suggests, no longer understood it. Lastly, Mordecai helped the Jews to establish their rights, which became to be known as the Purim festival. Alexandra the Maccabee. She never forgot her cousin Mordecai and she never forgot that she was one of God's children. [8] See Helena Zlotnicks discussion of Esther inDinahs Daughters: Gender and Judaism from the Hebrew Bible to Late Antiquity(Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002), 87. 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. 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. The Jewish festival ofPurimcelebrates this event. As a result of his heroic actions, Mordecai was honored by King Ahasuerus for his bravery, and he was made Prime Minister with great authority. i. Their relationship was instrumental in saving the Jews from extermination and is one of the main themes of the Book of Esther. She was 96 years old. point). The Jewish festival of Purim celebrates this event. Just as the myrtle is sweet-smelling but has a bitter taste, so Esther was sweet to Ahasuerus, but bitter to Haman (Esth. 17:14): Inscribe this in a document as a reminder (since Haman was of Amalekite stock). On March 30, 2002, the Queen Mother died aged 101 years and 238 days old. He married Esther in 479BC (Esther 2:16), when he was 40. She received her Ph.D. in religion from Princeton University. When Esther pointed and declared(Esth. 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. 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. to be fictional. 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). 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 also arranged for the Jews to gather and fast for the protection of their lives. 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. Persians are modern day Iranians and they are not Jews. Queen Esther is a biblical figure from the Hebrew Bible who was the Jewish Queen of the Persian King Ahasuerus. 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. Rabbah 6:5; BT. 7:5states: Thereupon King Ahasuerus demanded [va-yomerliterally, and he saidwritten twice in the verse] of Queen Esther, Who is he. The midrash is of the opinion that the verbva-yomeris repeated here because Ahasuerus initially spoke directly to Esther, but when he discovered that she was a Jew, he spoke to her through an interpreter. Esthers first husband was Mordecai. Historians say there never was a Queen Vashti of Persia. Esther, on the other hand, was taken every day and, like them, she requested miracles. Esther 5:2-3; 7:4-6 Image 22:26). Esther was a good queen. How Can a Torah Commentary Be Source-Critical and Jewish? 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. In response, Esther tells him that, like him, she is the offspring of royalty (Midrash Abba Gurion, para. 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. Nehemiah, unless she survived the assassination, in which case she Queen Elizabeth II died of old age, her death certificate has revealed. She had been suffering from a cold for the previous four months. cit.). My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me? Jesus or Esther? Rabbah26:8;Lam. 2:7 ). She also exhibits symptoms of agoraphobia, suicidal ideation, and feelings of overwhelming guilt and worthlessness. 20). 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. 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). In post-Temple times, a small piece of dough set aside and burnt. How old was Queen Elizabeth II when she died? 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.
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