She reigned in the first century BCE, sixty years after the Hasmoneans achieved independence from the Seleucid Empire and a few decades before King Herod. Kings David and Solomon had many wives, some more influential than others, but they are never represented as ruling in their husbands stead. Esther 7:1-6, 9-10. Through his actions, along with those of his cousin Esther, the Jews were saved from extermination. Read Esther 4:1-17. cit.). Esther told the king that her people were in danger. Yet another tradition maintains that she was eighty years of age(Gen. Rabbah39:13;MidrashAbba Gurion, para. Esth. The Rabbis describe at length Esthers activities after she learned of Hamans decree against the Jews. The answer is yes. The situation was even more serious according to the tradition that Esther was married to Mordecai (the Babylonian tradition), for then, as a married woman, she committed adultery. The Jewish dietary laws delineating the permissible types of food and methods of their preparation. Ecbatana, located in what is now western Iran. Esthers jar is a visual representation of her emotional turmoil and her suffering. King Xerxes ordered Queen Vashti to appear at a banquet, but she refused to do so which led to her banishment. The Queen was the oldest monarch to have reigned in Britain before she passed away in September 2022, aged 96. 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. 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. [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. 22:23). Am Yisrael Chai 31 December 1999. but the date of 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, 73, is now king. 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). 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). Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, has died at Balmoral aged 96, after reigning for 70 years. Princess Margaret, the Queen's younger sister, was born in 1930. movie). 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. We read that: "The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 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). Rachel was silent when she saw that Jacob married her sister instead of herself. 28 BC) was the daughter of Hyrcanus II (died 30 BC), who was the son of Alexander Jannaeus. 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. In common parlance, the braided loaves blessed and eaten on the Sabbath and Festivals.hallah from dough,niddah, and the kindling of the Sabbath candle, even in the palace of Ahasuerus (Midrash Tehilim, onPs. He had a war against Greece in 480-470BC, when he was 39-49. 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 . 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. Alexandra the Maccabee (died ca. Esther probably didn't live to see the events of the book of She married her cousin Alexander of Judaea (died 48 BC), who was the son of Aristobulus II. She understood that she had a mission and that she could shape reality rather than passively suffer through it. script>. In common parlance, the braided loaves blessed and eaten on the Sabbath and Festivals. 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). She should know better to try to fool God who said to her, "No, but you did laugh . The outraged king ordered that Haman be hanged on the gallows built for Mordecai and that Mordecai be named to fill Hamans position. Even after she becomes queen because of the disobedience of Queen Vashti, Esther remains modest and down-to-earth. In a risky move, Esther reveals her Jewish heritage to Ahasuerus and pleads with him to spare her people, despite the risk of death. It is also thought that Mordecai may have had additional children, as it is not explicitly mentioned that Esther is his only child. Who is Jason crabb mother and where is she? One of these officials was the biblical Mordecai. However, later scribes, as the manuscript evidence suggests, no longer understood it. The events of Esther unfold over an eight- to ten-year period. brought him up to be favorable to the Jews and he later rebuilt the old, non-virgin wife. One advantage to welcoming Shelamzion back into Jewish memory is making space for a role model of diplomacy and peace. "Esther: Midrash and Aggadah." Queen Elizabeth II died of old age, her death certificate has revealed. Since the king had commanded Haman to have Mordecai dressed in the kings clothes, Esther ordered the bathing attendants not to work that day, so that Haman would be forced to serve Mordecai himself (Lev. Esther standing in the Inner Court. The grave of Mordecai and Esther still stands in Hamadan; and the Jews of Iran, to this day, are referred to as "the children of Esther.". Mordecais refusal to bow to Haman displayed his firm faith and commitment to his people and to the God of Israel. During the . 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:. Do you, or does someone you know, demonstrate the same total commitment to a mission, even at the cost of sacrificing personal happiness? 22:1: For the leader; onayelet ha-shahar[literally, the hind of the dawn], which the Rabbis apply to Esther. She notes that Josephus only knew this queen by her Greek name, Alexandra, while the Rabbis only knew her by her Semitic name. His father was Kish, who descended from the House of Benjamin. One tradition states that she was served Jewish food in the harem, while another asserts that she was given chines of pork. How old was Esther when she became queen? 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. Esther 4:11-16. "scroll." 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. cit.). In Megillat Esther, we encounter another heroine who maneuvers royal protocol to save her people. Instead, Haman was hanged on the gallows he had built for Mordecai, and the Jews were given permission to destroy their enemies. He wished Queen Vashti to be brought to the feast so that he may flaunt her wonderful beauty. It is known that Esther was the daughter of Abihail, and she had married King Xerxes of Persia around the age of 18. In Shelamzions period, there were no precedents for powerful queens in Judeanot unless one counts Jezebel, the most notorious queen in Israelite history, or her daughter Athaliah. 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. point). [3] See discussion in Ilan, Daughters of Israel, Weep for Rabbi Ishmael!: The School of Rabbi Aqiva vs. the School of Rabbi Ishmael,Silencing the Queen: The Literary Histories of Shelamzion and Other Jewish Women(Tbingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2006). Estimates vary, but she was most likely between 50 and 60 years old when she died. window.location.replace(""); Abraham, "fell on his face and laughed" while Sarah, "laughed to herself" and even tried to deny it. In response, Esther tells him that, like him, she is the offspring of royalty (Midrash Abba Gurion, para. 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. Queen Esther and Bella Abzug: Costumes, Leadership, and Identity, The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, Copyright 19982023, Jewish Women's Archive. The verse (5:1) Esther put on royal apparel is interpreted as her assuming the spirit of prophecy (BTMegillahloc. Torah and history converge in a remarkable way in the life of Shelamzion. Like many Jews today, she had two names, one Hebrew and one Greek. 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. [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.. Omissions? [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. 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.. Codification of basic Jewish Oral Law; edited and arranged by R. Judah ha-Nasi c. 200 C.E. 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. Yes, Mordechai was indeed Esthers cousin. 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. [12] Ilan, Esther, Judith and Susanna as Propaganda for Shelamzions Queenship,Integrating Women, 135. Another tradition has her becoming pregnant by Ahasuerus, but miscarrying (Esth. Then the queen gave Haman's estate to Mordecai and prayed the king to deliver the nation of the Jews from the fear for their lives, and she showed him what the letter that had been sent throughout the country by Haman, the son of Ammedatha; for, she said, if her country were destroyed and her countrymen were to perish, she could herself bear to . When Esther's parents died, I adopted Esther and took care of her like she was my daughter. 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 . After Esthers coronation, the king continues to gather virgins in his palace, which the Rabbis understand as an activity meant to reveal Esthers identity. In the midrashic expansion, on her way to the king Esther encountered various obstacles and she had to pass through seven departments in the palace. Mordechai and Esthers relationship was an important part of the events of the Book of Esther. 2). She became the new wife of the king when his . 5). She had been suffering from a cold for the previous four months. even met her a few times when He was a young boy. Queen Esther is the reluctant heroine of the Purim story. Prince Charles, who is next in line for the throne, was by her side. Her reign is famous as 'The Golden Age', for its . You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. 114 BCE: see Carey Moore, On the Origins of the LXX Additions to the Book of Esther,JBL92.3 (1973): 382-83. [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. Continue Learning about Religious Studies. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'coalitionbrewing_com-leader-2','ezslot_12',154,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-coalitionbrewing_com-leader-2-0');Throughout the course of the story, Esther suffers from a major depressive episode, possibly accompanied by severe anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. She was 96 years old. Jewish and Persian She was able to use the jar to communicate her innermost thoughts and feelings to those around hershowcasing her strength, resilience and defiance in the face of her oppression. He married Esther in 479BC (Esther 2:16), when he was 40. To hide her identity as a Jew, he tells her to go by the name of Esther. 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. Esther 5:2-3; 7:4-6 Image What can we learn from Esther about our personal understanding of our true life's mission? Decades ago, the historian Elias Bickerman drew attention to a marvelous coincidence: a postscript in the Greek translation of Esther tells us that in 78 or 77 BCE, just one year before Queen Shelamzion began to rule by herself, Megillat Esther was translated into Greek and sent to the Jewish communities of ancient Alexandria. Additionally, he decreed that anyone hostile to the Jews would be punished. She was 96. Narrator: After Haman died, King Ahasuerus gave a second decree to preserve the Jews and give them power to destroy their enemies within the kingdom. 10:2). 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. Ultimately, the jar became a symbol of Esthers courage and determination. This meant the king was happy to see her and would not put her to death. She understood why she had to suffer through her relationship with this irritable king. The king was humiliated and enraged, and he banished Vashti. Rabbah6:9). Queen Elizabeth II has died today aged 96. Esther: A Queen Under Control. Esther was a Jewish young woman who was providentially selected to be the queen of Persia. Esther, on the other hand, was taken every day and, like them, she requested miracles. The Jews were in the Babylonian exile. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Esther was a good queen. // Javascript URL redirection 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. Esthers jar captures her willingness to stand up and fight against her oppressors, despite being completely alone and without support. Meir, Tamar. Similarly, her son Benjamin knew about the sale of Joseph, but remained silent and did not tell his father. 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. Lit. 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. 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). 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.