how old was queen esther when she died
The Feast of Purim was instituted to help the Jews remember their deliverance from Haman. Esther replaced Queen Vashti, who had been sentenced to death because she had refused to display her beauty to the King's feast attendants. Esther: Nice Jewish Girl, Married to a Goy? Esther then initiated a covert plan to defeat Haman using her grace and beauty. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'coalitionbrewing_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_3',146,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-coalitionbrewing_com-medrectangle-3-0'); Queen Esther was a brave and courageous woman who risked her life many times to save the Jewish people. At the meal she pleaded for the Jews, thus revealing herself as Jewish, and accused thiswickedHaman of plotting the annihilation of her people. She should know better to try to fool God who said to her, "No, but you did laugh . Continue Learning about Religious Studies. Rabbah26:8;Lam. He wished Queen Vashti to be brought to the feast so that he may flaunt her wonderful beauty. Esther understood that this action would require her to commit a grave transgression, and even lose all possibility of returning to her husband Mordecai. According to one tradition, he could not find a wet nurse and he himself miraculously had milk and nursed her(Gen. Rabbah30:8). extended into the reign of her stepson, Artaxerxes. 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. 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.". The king was humiliated and enraged, and he banished Vashti. Esthers jar captures her willingness to stand up and fight against her oppressors, despite being completely alone and without support. Additionally, he decreed that anyone hostile to the Jews would be punished. 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. Queen Esther is an orphan raised by her uncle Mordecai and is eventually married to King Ahasuerus. She understood that she had a mission and that she could shape reality rather than passively suffer through it. does not give many details of Esther's life, Persian records do. What is the answer punchline algebra 15.1 why dose a chicken coop have only two doors? In Jacobs blessing to his sons, he blesses Benjamin(Gen. 49:27): Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he consumes the foe, and in the evening he divides the spoil, which the Rabbis applied to Mordecai and Esther. After Esthers coronation, the king continues to gather virgins in his palace, which the Rabbis understand as an activity meant to reveal Esthers identity. 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. Instead, he anticipates Peter's thought in 1 Peter 2:17, before Peter ever wrote it: Fear God. In conclusion, yes, Mordechai was indeed Esthers cousin. Prince Charles, who is next in line for the throne, was by her side. Institution: National Library of Israel, Jerusalem. The Book ofEsther (2:7)relates that Esther had two names: He was foster father to Hadassahthat is, Esther. The Rabbis take two interpretive directions as regards these names. She was Jewish but never revealed her nationality or family background as Mordecai had. 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). 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). Queen Sheba the famous rich queen , never did marry king She overtook Queen Victoria as the longest reigning monarch in 2015 - Victoria had served for 63 years and lived to the age of 81. Esther standing in the Inner Court. The Rabbis viewed Esther as one who was compelled to marry Ahasuerus against her will. 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. 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. 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.". 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. Esther was a good queen. A seven-day festival to commemorate the Exodus from Egypt (eight days outside Israel) beginning on the 15. Esther is also compared to a wolf, to the moon (see below: Esther as the Deliverer of Israel) and to a stove on which everyone places his pots (Midrash Tehilim, onPs. brought him up to be favorable to the Jews and he later rebuilt the We just don't know. Consequently, Esther was not considered to be a married woman who willingly engaged in adultery, and she was therefore permitted to Mordecai; indeed, the Rabbis maintain that she continued to live with the latter, at the same time that she was married to Ahasuerus (BT Megillah 13b). Esthers extreme courage and her willingness to risk her own life for the safety of her people serves as an inspiration to this day. The bleeding jar in Esthers story is significant because of the deep symbolism behind it. even met her a few times when He was a young boy. The monarch of Persia, King Ahasuerus, was wealthy and powerful. She trusted in the goodness and power of God, and in the end He delivered her and her people, the Jewish people, from destruction. Esther eventually won the heart of the king and his servants, and she was selected to become the new queen of Persia. Please support us. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. It seems unlikely that Esther was ever Queen of Persia, so we can not say at what age Xerxes married her. After the immediate danger to her community passed, Queen Esther stayed with Ahasuerus. 4:16) and if I am to perish, I shall perish.". 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. Launched Shavuot 5773 / 2013 | Copyright Project TABS, All Rights Reserved, script type="text/javascript"> Do you, or does someone you know, demonstrate the same total commitment to a mission, even at the cost of sacrificing personal happiness? 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). Elizabeth reigned for almost forty-five years and was the last monarch of the Tudor Dynasty, having died childless. The Talmud reveals that Esther's relationship with Ahasuerus wasn't a romantic one. 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. There is support for this too in the Talmud (Yoma 29a).4) Esther comes from the Median "astra," meaning "myrtle." She became the new wife of the king when his . Haman, too, was troubled by the question of Esthers origins. 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. 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. With great courage, Esther fasts for three days, arranges a banquet with the king and Haman, then pleads with the king to save the Jews. The King also issued a proclamation throughout the land to honor Mordecai. Until Esther was chosen, no woman could compare with Vashti in beauty. 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. 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). Fear strikes in the hearts of many, including Mordecai, as he realizes Hadassah will be taken. One tradition states that she was served Jewish food in the harem, while another asserts that she was given chines of pork. Josephus tells us that she was loved by the masses of the Jewish people (Jewish Antiquities 13:407). It is also thought that Mordecai may have had additional children, as it is not explicitly mentioned that Esther is his only child. Rabbah10:13). They did not have the riches that Esther had. Hatach and Esther. 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. A day was set aside for the slaughter, and a decree issued to every corner of the empire. Although the Bible 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. 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. Her name was Shelamzion Alexandra. Mordecai did not bow to Haman because he was a Jew and Haman was an Agagite, the enemies of Gods chosen people. Lastly, Mordecai helped the Jews to establish their rights, which became to be known as the Purim festival. He became King of Persia in 485BC at the age of 33. Her thoughts are characterized by pressured speech, disorganized thought processes, confusion, and paranoia. Let us know. 20). 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. 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. 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. Esther was born about 492BC and was 14 when she became Queen. [13] The analogy of Israel to a sinful adulteress in the prophets is more prominent. Guy Siverson Graceful Touch | Massage Therapy Therapist (s) | Rapid City Author has 5.2K answers and 2.7M answer views 7 mo Esther 2:7 King James Version They were in no way penalized for being ruled over by a queen rather than a king.[5]. Esther despaired throughout her first six years in the palace. 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. The Queen described in the Book of Nehemiah is Queen Esther. The Jews receive permission to defend themselves against their oppressors, and many of the enemies of the Jews are killed. One school of thought takes the numerical value ofHadassah= 74 (or 75, including the name itself as a unit) to determine Esthers age(Gen. Rabbah39:13; see below: Esthers Age). The Jewish festival of Purim celebrates this event. cit.). Upon realizing this, Mordecai subdued the enemy and turned the wickedness of Haman back onto himself and his family. Victoria's funeral began on 2 February 1901. The king held a party in his honor one day. Esther would have been in her early to mid 60's when the 4:11): Now I have not been summoned to visit the king for the last thirty days(Ex. 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). I'm going to guess that he was born before 464 BC, so yes they "Esther: Midrash and Aggadah." [9] For more on Esthers diplomacy and its place in theMegillahand in understanding female biblical characters, see Michael Foxs TABS essayThe Women in Esther.. For today's Bible studies, we're going to discuss 10 characteristics of Esther in the Bible. Esther risked her life to save the Jews, thus, she became an example of unselfishness and faithfulness. 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. What happened to Queen Esther in the Bible? Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The Book of Esther, which does Despite her hiding her identity, Esther still maintained contact with Mordecai. 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. The best. 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? When, several years later, Nehemiah asked the Persian King for permission to return to Zion and rebuild Jerusalem, "the Queen is seating by him" (Nehemia 2:6), and she influenced the King's decision to approve Nehamia's request. She received her Ph.D. in religion from Princeton University. Mordecai was Esthers cousin and guardian, having adopted her as his daughter when her parents died. 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. How old was Queen Elizabeth II when she died? Dont miss the latest essays from TheTorah.com. Anyway, there's no record of whether Esther was Rabbah15:6). Queen Esther is a biblical figure from the Hebrew Bible who was the Jewish Queen of the Persian King Ahasuerus. 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. She overtook Queen. Similarly, her son Benjamin knew about the sale of Joseph, but remained silent and did not tell his father. As a result, the King promoted Mordechai to a high position in the court. Darius must be 37 years old (62 minus 25) when he got married to Esther. [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. 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. 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. When the king saw his queen, Xerxes lowered his golden scepter to invite Esther into his presence. Upset, the king stepped out into the palace gardens. movie). 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. 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. The midrash tells that when Esther came to Ahasueruss palace the spirit of divine inspiration left her, and she then prayed to God. Furthermore, the Jewish people had a special holiday to commemorate their deliverance and celebrate the bravery of Mordecai. 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. but the date of 31 December 1999. These words persuaded Esther to approach the king and she requested a private dinner for him and Haman. What is the reflection of the story of princess urduja? 10:3) was able to have interceded for the welfare of all his kindred (Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer, chap. Most people have never heard of Queen Shelamzion Alexandra. tradition is that Queen Esther's tomb is in Hamadan, also known as 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. Rabbah6:8), or to arrange for the kashrut of her food. In the midrashic account, Ahasuerus initially ruled the entire world. Esther was the heroine and central figure in the Biblical book of Esther. Mordecai was instrumental in thwarting a murderous plot by one of the kings advisers, Haman, to annihilate the Jewish people. cit.). Routing number of commercial bank of Ethiopia? 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. 22:5). [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 married her cousin Alexander of Judaea (died 48 BC), who was the son of Aristobulus II. 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 . No, Esther and Mordecai were not married. According to the second direction, Esther was her real name, and she is so named throughout the Book of Esther; accordingly, the name Hadassah needs further explanation. Her jar allowed her to find a voice in a situation where she could feel voiceless. 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. 5). Esthers secret was that she was a Jew, which she was able to hide from her adoptive family and community. When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 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. In contrast, the BT also cites a tradition that Esther had a greenish [sallow] complexion, and therefore was called Hadassah; according to this tradition, Ahasuerus was drawn to her because she was endowed with great charm (BTMegillahloc.
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