how old was queen esther when she died how old was queen esther when she died

Dont miss the latest essays from TheTorah.com. Ahasuerus consulted with Mordecai how to discover Esthers secret, and Mordecai advised him to arouse Esthers jealousy by inviting other women to him, thus motivating her to disclose her secret (BT Megillah 13a). She was a beautiful Jewish woman, the wife of the Persian king Ahasuerus (Xerxes I). We need to put the Book of Esther into an historical context to better understand Esther's choice. At the meal she pleaded for the Jews, thus revealing herself as Jewish, and accused thiswickedHaman of plotting the annihilation of her people. She was a beautiful Jewish woman, the wife of the Persian king Ahasuerus (Xerxes I). She had one son with Daniel probably died shortly after Darius took the throne in 521 assassinated 20 years earlier (he was probably bout 20-25 years 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 . 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. We don't know, though tradition teaches that she lived a long life. Esthers Origins and Her Adoption by Mordecai, Esther Delivers Up Haman and Reveals Her Identity. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. even met her a few times when He was a young boy. Queen Esther is a biblical figure from the Hebrew Bible who was the Jewish Queen of the Persian King Ahasuerus. She had one. Their legal marriage age suggests that they prefer young people below 18 (prime of the youth). [13] The analogy of Israel to a sinful adulteress in the prophets is more prominent. An orphan raised by her uncle, young Esther was taken against her will as a beautiful virgin to Persian King Ahasuerus's harem. He married Esther in 479BC (Esther 2:16), when he was 40. 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). Upon realizing this, Mordecai subdued the enemy and turned the wickedness of Haman back onto himself and his family. Persian King would have probably not been interested in a 35 year Instead, he anticipates Peter's thought in 1 Peter 2:17, before Peter ever wrote it: Fear God. 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. movie). Perhaps there is room for a role model of the leader who advocates peace, piety, and diplomacy as well. The king wanted to honor Esther, so he showered her with gifts, including a crown and royal robes. 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.. 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 Scroll of Esther is read on Purim from a parchment scroll.Megillah13a). Esther wanted to speak with Xerxes about Haman's hatred toward the Jews. 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. 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. How old was Esther when she became queen of Persia? 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. Alexandra the Maccabee. 25:49) because she was the niece of Mordecai and Israel was delivered through her (Esth. The beginning of the psalm: My God, my God, why have You abandoned me? is what Esther asks when she wants to know why the spirit of divine inspiration has left her: was this because she went to Ahasuerus of her own free will, or because she disparaged him, and called him a dog (following the text of the psalm)(BTMegillah15a)? Another view cites the verse (9:27): the Jews undertook and irrevocably obligated themselveswhat they took upon themselves below was confirmed above (BTMegillahloc. Happy Womens History Month! The Bible depicts Esther as an orphan who was raised in the house of her uncle Mordecai ( Esth. The ancient Jewish historian Josephus provides some details. 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. 5:3), but not things that were opposed to the kingdom, such as her asking him to rebuild the Temple (BT Megillah loc. 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. cit.). 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. Like many Jews today, she had two names, one Hebrew and one Greek. For today's Bible studies, we're going to discuss 10 characteristics of Esther in the Bible. She appears to be a loyal wife to Mordecai, as she supports him throughout his efforts to save the Jewish people from Hamans plot. assassinated with her husband (which was likely), or if she was Esther had been made queen to save her people; her mission and her faith shaped her character and inspired her to act and succeed. Rabbah8:6). Is the singer Avant and R Kelly brothers? Rabbah6:9). This book therefore has the same sanctity as the other books of Scripture. cit.). "scroll." Designation of the five scrolls of the Bible (Ruth, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther). We rely on the support of readers like you. 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. cit.). [9] For more on Esthers diplomacy and its place in theMegillahand in understanding female biblical characters, see Michael Foxs TABS essayThe Women in Esther.. 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. Have an update or correction? She and her cousin Mordecai persuaded the king to cancel an order for the extermination of Jews in his realm, plotted by the king's chief minister, Haman. Esther Greenwood, the protagonist of Sylvia Plaths novel The Bell Jar, is believed to be a representation of the author herself. It seems unlikely that Esther was ever Queen of Persia, so we can not say at what age Xerxes married her. 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. She overtook Queen. The events of Esther took place between 483 and 473 BC, during the first part of King Xerxes's reign when he appointed Esther as his queen. The day before, the 96-year-old queen pulled out of a virtual Privy Council meeting after her doctors advised her to rest. So, we know that Daniel was dead long before Esther was born and Rabbah1:41; BT Megillah 16a). Haman (the bad guy) represented the Jews' first enemy Ernest Normand/Wikipedia Esther's story is full of symbolism, which really helped the case for being accepted into the Bible. How can a woman test for infertility at home? As a result of her mother's death . Ahasuerus is moved by her words and instead orders Haman to be hung on the gallows he had built for Mordecai. Esther, heroine and central figure in the Book of Esther of the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament. 49). As Esther poured her tears and anguish into the jar, it became a bridge between her innermost feelings and the outside world. How can we explain Esther's abrupt change in behavior from deep despair to determined action and from passiveness to leadership? Additionally, he decreed that anyone hostile to the Jews would be punished. 4:11): Now I have not been summoned to visit the king for the last thirty days(Ex. 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"). 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. Others have suggested an earlier date of translation, ca. This means she had been married to the king for approximately 40 years at the time of her death. Esth. Fear strikes in the hearts of many, including Mordecai, as he realizes Hadassah will be taken. Bibles] who ruled Persia from 486 to 465 BC. Ecbatana, located in what is now western Iran. cit.). The Rabbis compare Esther to the son of the uncle who redeems an ancestral landholding(Lev. 2). She remained passive to the moody King and obedient to her authoritarian uncle, Mordecai. Help us elevate the voices of Jewish women. Wake up to the day's most important news. Queen Esther is the reluctant heroine of the Purim story. 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. 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. In the biblical book named after her, Esther is a young Jewish woman living in the Persian diaspora who finds favor with the king, becomes queen, and risks her life to save the Jewish people from destruction when the court official Haman persuades the king to authorize a pogrom against all the Jews of the empire. Despite the close bond they had, they remained uncle and niece and were not married. Mordecai is promoted to the second highest ranking position in the empire, and Esther is given control of the household of Haman. Esther was the heroine and central figure in the Biblical book of Esther. 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. Esther and Mordecai then obtained a royal edict allowing Jews throughout the empire to defend themselves on the day set for their extermination. According to another tradition, he accompanied her to ensure that she did not suffer from sorcery (Esth. Esther had How Can a Torah Commentary Be Source-Critical and Jewish? 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. She oversaw a peaceful and prosperous period. 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. "Esther: Midrash and Aggadah." cit.). 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.". 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. Lit. She succeeded in remaining concealed for four years but was eventually found and brought to the royal palace. Queen Esther and Mordecai were given Haman's estate. One tradition asserts that Esther used a resorbent, that is, she employed a contraceptive device to prevent any pregnancy by Ahasuerus. Darius must be 37 years old (62 minus 25) when he got married to Esther. cit.). 100). The Rabbis also relate to Esthers sexuality: if Ahasuerus wanted to find in her the taste of a virgin, he found it; if the taste of a non-virgin, he found it(BTMegillah13a;Esth. Rabbah8:3). cit.). 49). Queen Esther by Edwin Long in 1878. Esther: Nice Jewish Girl, Married to a Goy? Other sources say that the the woman "Esther" in the bible, married. We can adjust the hypothetical ages and birth dates of Mordecai, Esther and their parents by a few years and still keep it . Josephus tells us that she was loved by the masses of the Jewish people (Jewish Antiquities 13:407). Designation of the five scrolls of the Bible (Ruth, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther). Vintage colour lithograph from 1882 of Esther standing in the Inner Court of the King's House. There is not one correct rendering of her name in any rabbinic manuscript (260). Mordecai is mentioned inEsth. 2). Queen Esther and Bella Abzug: Costumes, Leadership, and Identity, The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, Copyright 19982023, Jewish Women's Archive. Esther was taken to the royal harem despite her being married, which further aggravated her sorry condition. Omissions? 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. Why did she stay with him, rather than restart her life? Mordecais refusal to bow to Haman displayed his firm faith and commitment to his people and to the God of Israel. Verily, I seek Your mercy from window to window in the house of Ahasuerus. 10:3) was able to have interceded for the welfare of all his kindred (Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer, chap. In this article: Her Name Early Life Palace Life Esther and Mordechai Save the King's Life It is most unlikely that there ever was a Queen Esther, in which 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. Until Esther was chosen, no woman could compare with Vashti in beauty. Her jar represented her strength and her resilience and gives a powerful message of hope to all those facing oppression. 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. What is the reflection of the story of princess urduja? Notably, Shelamzion maintained peace through defensive measures and diplomatic outreach rather than outright acts of aggression. 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. Jacob had traveled a great distance to find Laban. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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. She had been suffering from a cold for the previous four months. Warrior-kings tend to figure largely as models of leadership in the Western imagination. cit.). 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. Mordecai was instrumental in thwarting a murderous plot by one of the kings advisers, Haman, to annihilate the Jewish people. [6], Typical of his time period, Josephus was uncomfortable with the idea of a woman in charge of political affairs but admits that. Mordechai and Esthers relationship was an important part of the events of the Book of Esther. Esther was born about 492BC and was 14 when she became Queen. "the written Torah." She was crowned about 55 years after the destruction of the First Temple, and fifteen years before the Second Temple was built. This, then, is the meaning of(Esth. Horev], chap. The night of their union, Ahasuerus loved Esther "above all women" and made her the Persian Empire's Queen. The enraged King ordered Haman's hanging, elevated Mordecai to prime minister and gave Jews the right to defend themselves against any enemy. Later, when Haman planned to hang Mordecai, the king found out that it was Mordecai who had uncovered a plot to assassinate him, so he reversed the orders, hanged Haman instead and gave Mordecai the harem. He was a Jew living in the Persian city of Susa, and he became a prime minister in the Persian court of King Ahasuerus. "scroll." As a result of her mothers death, Mordecai had to care for Esthers nursing. Midrash adds that Esther's father died during her mother's pregnancy, and the latter died during childbirth (Esth. In Megillat Esther, we encounter another heroine who maneuvers royal protocol to save her people. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. Queen Esther died in 473 BCE, so she was likely in her late fifties or early sixties at the time of her death. holy Temple in Jersusalem. Gaalya Cornfeld, ed.,Josephus: The Jewish War; Zondervan Publishing House, 1982). Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. someone died doesn't mean they didn't exist. missed each other by at least 50 years. 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. 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? 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. Queen Sheba the famous rich queen , never did marry king 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. Esthers first husband was 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. Like the moon, that is born after thirty days, Esther, too, said(Esth. The Book of Esther, which does Esther retorted, "Without Jews, who needs Passover?". An additional stratagem employed by Esther against Haman was connected with his leading Mordecai on the horse. 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. Furthermore, the Jewish people had a special holiday to commemorate their deliverance and celebrate the bravery of Mordecai. The 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. 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 BT presents this in the opposite way: the king first talked with her by means of an interpreter, but when she told him that she was descended from King Saul, he spoke with her directly, out of respect (Lev. Jewish and Persian They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 2). Part of HuffPost Religion. The Book of Esther reports that when Esther learned that Mordecai was wearing sackcloth, the queen was greatly agitated (4:4). The king was humiliated and enraged, and he banished Vashti. The Jews were in the Babylonian exile. It is believed that Esther's life She died peacefully on Thursday afternoon at her Scottish estate, where. Hi, I'm Mordecai, Esther's older cousin. She What did the Nazis begin using gas chambers instead of mobile killing units and shooting squads after a while? Themidrashrelates that Esther hid from Ahasueruss agents who sought women for the king. The Rabbis were concerned about the question of Esthers marital status. , 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.. 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. 22:16). Even though she was the queen and the favorite of Xerxes, Esther was taking a great risk in deciding to go to him. 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. 22:23). 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? In another exposition, she was given this name by the Gentiles, after the celestial body Istahar (BTLit. Honor the king. 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. Plath famously battled depression and other mental illnesses, and the same is true of Esthers condition in the novel. The Bible; the Pentateuch; Tanakh (the Pentateuch, Prophets and Hagiographia)Torah scholars. Another question that concerned the Rabbis was that of the children from the union of Esther and Ahasuerus. 2:5as being a Benjaminite, from which the Rabbis assumed that Esther also came from this tribe. Esther invited Ahasuerus and Haman to a feast and the Rabbis ask: why did she invite Haman? The hero of the Book of Esther is a Jewish woman who lived in Susa and became queen when she was chosen to be the wife of King . and Nehemiah may have known each other personally. Rebekah had sent him there to be safe from his angry twin brother, Esau. Taken to the palace of King Ahasuerus of Persia, she exposed the plot of the evil Haman, who had convinced the king to allow the annihilation of all the Jews in his extensive empire. guessing that Nehemiah was probably not around when the events of Later pilgrims mentioned the site, and noted that special celebrations were held there on Shushan Purim. She was the second daughter of Laban, Rebekah's brother, making Jacob her first cousin. 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. According to one tradition, he could not find a wet nurse and he himself miraculously had milk and nursed her(Gen. Rabbah30:8). The Rabbis add that Esther found favor in the eyes of both heaven and humans (Esth. ; Frymer-Kensky,In the Wake of the Goddesses, 137-38. [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). Because of Haman's law, she and all the Jews in the kingdom would be killed. [12] Ilan, Esther, Judith and Susanna as Propaganda for Shelamzions Queenship,Integrating Women, 135. Lastly, Mordecai helped the Jews to establish their rights, which became to be known as the Purim festival.