(Esther 5, 2). The Darius "the Mede" of Daniel is not Darius II, the son of Xerxes who ruled 423-405 BC. The lady he was renting from said it belonged to an old Jewish man who had rented the condo previously. Their relatives, like thousands of Jews, had been taken captive by an invading army and exiled there in decades past. Answer: The book of Esther begins with a description of King Xerxes (or Ahasuerus) of Persia celebrating with the leading men of his kingdom. I’m a journalist at heart. 2. He was the son of Atossa , the daughter of Achaemenid king Cyrus the Great , and King Darius I and became the heir apparent in preference to his elder brother due to his lineage in relation to Cyrus (which his elder brother missed out on because he was not Atossa’s son). These virgins were prepared with the oils and perfumes for 12 months (v. 12,13) before meeting the king. This paper. Haman made two decrees. The story of Esther and King Ahasuerus likely happens approximately 50 years after Daniel dies. Wood engraving, published in 1886. But there’s a point at which someone really ought to say to us, “We don’t know. She brought him up to be favorable to the Jews and he eventually lifted the ban against the rebuilding of the Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple), which led to the building of the Second Temple. Get over it and get on with your life.”. Answer: Esther 2 describes King Xerxes’ (or Ahasuerus’) search for a new queen of Persia. At the conclusion of seven days of feasting, the king called Queen Vashti to appear before him. Josephus, recorded that the king chose 400 women as candidates (ch. But I’ve come to appreciate “I don’t know” when I know it. Let's go on in the story. Perhaps more than most when it comes to the Bible and God. The Bible doesn’t say enough about heaven for the kind of books I write. I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day (2 Timothy 1:12 NJKV). This was precisely Mordechai's intent and is the only thing that saved us. We need to put the Book of Esther into an historical context to better understand Esther's choice. Regarding Purim, it struck me as somewhat strange that the decree to kill the Jews would be issued almost an entire year before it was to be carried out...wouldn't this have given the Jews time to escape or ready themselves, regardless of a counter-order? Esther is described in all versions of the Book of Esther as the Jewish queen of a Persian king Ahasuerus. King Solomon had a thousand. My brother-in-law's father was renting a condo in Florida and he stumbled across a megillah (Scroll of Esther) in a silver case. Obviously, Moshe was imbued with supernatural insight, and the imperative to follow him was not lessened by the immediate result of his actions. Every subscriber to Steve's free blog or quarterly newsletter is automatically entered in the giveaway of free books each week. An unnamed festival is … While we do not know a lot about what happened to Esther one thing that we do know is that she had a son, Darius, who became King Darius II. Gerard GERTOUX. if he’ll come like some religion experts say he will, or if he’ll surprise religion experts. Haman secured the king's permission to massacre of all the Jews in the empire. She lived in exile. We ask any of our readers who have information about David Bezbovodko, or Bezdborosko, to email you at rachaelfri@juno.com. Later, when it was time for everyone to bow to Haman, again Mordechai "just doesn't get it." What could possibly have been his motive for this bizarre move? Esther Becomes Queen - After a while, King Xerxes got over being angry. Here are a few things Esther went through: 1. no one knows. Shushan's Jews, politically-correctly, attended Achashverosh's feast. JEWISH QUEEN OF IRAN. Subsequent to Esther, Ezra leads a second return to the land of Israel about 20 to 30 years later in 458 BC under Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:1). 3 In the third year of his rule, he gave a banquet for all his important men and royal officers. King Solomon had a thousand. After the immediate danger to her community passed, Queen Esther stayed with Ahasuerus. Am I missing something here? By his refusal to bow, he seems to be the one who brings a death decree on all the Jews. All subscribers are automatically included in drawings for free books! Esther, who according to the midrash was one of the four most beautiful women in the world, was a married woman, the wife of Mordechai, but … Listening to Mordechai could have saved a lot of trouble! 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. it isn't mentioned in the book of esther. Download Full PDF Package. I’m sorry that I don’t know what happened to Esther, that beautiful Jewish orphan who became the Queen of Iran—Persia in Bible times. I would start with some examples that most people know and perhaps can relate to. When I was a kid, I imagined Esther to be something of a beauty pageant contestant. What is the issue of eating seeds (as in poppy seeds) on Purim? Why did she stay with him, rather than restart her life? About. Have you done the basics, like call telephone information in Ohio and asked for this name? Finally and most notably, "took her to him" is always used in the Torah to refer to marriage. 1 This is what happened during the time of King Xerxes, the king who ruled the one hundred twenty-seven states from India to Cush. Of course we all know the end of that story and that Moshe eventually succeeded in a big way. Here’s my answer: I don’t know. First, since the verse says that Mordechai "adopted Haddasah," why does it seem to repeat the fact that he "took her to him as a daughter?" We are trying to do the mitzvah of "hashavas aveidah" (returning a lost object) and I hope you can help. All rights reserved. In many ways, Esther's story – known as the Book of Esther in the Christian Old Testament and the Megillah (Scroll) of Esther in the Jewish Bible – reads like a Cinderella tale. Both center on the consonantal sounds “ch,” “sh,” “r,” and “sh.” The Hebrew added an initial aleph, referred to by linguists as a “prosthetic aleph,” a frequent occurrence when foreign words with tw… The feast of Purim was a tradition by the time of Jesus, over 400 years later. Khshayarsha is very close to the Hebrew “Achashverosh.” In their consonantal structure, the two names are identical. A younger son of Xerxes I and Amestris, he was raised to the throne by the commander of the guard, Artabanus, who had murdered Xerxes.A few months later, Artaxerxes slew Artabanus in a hand-to-hand fight. Xerxes the Great was born in 519 BC and died in Persepolis, modern day Iran. Although they had been granted freedom to return to their homeland, many of the Jewish people stayed in exile rather than go back to a war-torn Jerusalem. After that, Xerxes’ attendants looked for beautiful virgins throughout the land to find a new queen for the king. Looking forwards to hearing from you as soon as possible. Thanks. Mordechai, however, warned against it (spoil-sport, not cool, old-fashioned). I put it here for old-timers who read this blog, because Paul’s words, written from prison shortly before his execution are powerful for those of us who have been singing these words in a hymn all of our lives. for the Jews. Steve is giving away 10 free books. I don’t know that one person’s near-death vision represents what heaven will be like for you or me. Queen Esther wife of Xerxes: Chronological, Historical and Archaeological Evidence. Indeed, however, as the Talmud says, it was attending the feast, given in celebration of the non-rebuilding of Jerusalem, which brought about the decree. Based on the identity of Vashti with Amestris, historians have tried to work out a detailed chronology where the known events in Persian history are reconciled with the events in the book of Esther. Curious. I have sent you a list of some of our Ohio contacts for you to contact, and we're posting this message here in our weekly "Ask the Rabbi" column. Note that, according to the midrash, 80 percent of the Jewish People were not willing to leave fertile Egypt for the uncharted dessert. Second, there is no legal status of "adoptive parent" in Judaism; that is, you raise an orphan girl in your home, but you don't "take her as a daughter." Question: "Why did Queen Vashti refuse to appear before Xerxes?" Life-or-Death Decision . [1] For more on how these names are related linguistically, see discussion in Mitchell First, “If Achashverosh is Xerxes is Esther His Wife Amestris?” TheTorah.com, 2015. He was surnamed in Greek Macrocheir (“Longhand”) and in Latin Longimanus. Esther and a significant number of the Jewish people lived scattered throughout Persia after the Babylonian exile. DigitalVision Vectors / Getty Images. We know he was about 97 when he died 3 years ago and he was probably from Ohio and may have had some ties to Lubavitch. On the second day of the banquet, Queen Esther revealed to the king what had happened, and Haman was hanged on the pole he designed for Mordecai. 37 Full PDFs related to this paper. So, it's not hard to see how the Talmudic Sages saw in this verse support for the oral tradition that says Mordechai, Esther's cousin, was also her husband. After King Ahasuerus had his wife, Queen Vashti, killed in a fit of drunken rage, messengers were sent to seek out the most beautiful maidens, one of whom would be the next queen of Persia. After Haman's decree became known, the Jews said to themselves: "We have a sister in the palace, Esther. ς ksérksɛːs; 518–465 BC), called Xerxes the Great, was the fourth king of kings of the Achaemenid dynasty of Persia. What would common wisdom say? Download PDF. if “end-time” Bible prophecies mean our generation will be the last one. However, it is possible that Artaxerxes restored some of her power after Xerxes died. See Shea (1976) and Yamauchi (1996, pp.230-232). And his kingdom was a Mom and Pop Shop compared to the Persian Empire. I write easy-reading books about the Bible for non-Christians and nominal Christians—Bible newbies. When Haman, the king's chief minister, found out that his foe, Mordecai, was a Jew, he devised a plan to have all Jews killed. The Book of Esther says, "And he adopted Haddasah, i.e., Esther...and when her mother and father died, Mordechai took her to him as a daughter." Esther 1:1-2:18 New Century Version (NCV) Queen Vashti Disobeys the King. The terms "sister" and "daughter" are common expressions of endearment, as we see in other places in the Torah (e.g., Ruth 2:8, Shir Hashirim 4:9) and Talmud (e.g., Shabbat 13b). Another example is Moshe: When he went to Pharaoh the first time -- at G-d's command, no less -- things got worse(!) A group of beautiful young virgins from the city of Susa was selected (verse 3). Copyright © 2010-2021 Stephen M. Miller. I neve In the narrative, Ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, Vashti, refuses to obey him, and Esther is chosen for her beauty.The king's chief adviser, Haman, is offended by Esther's cousin and guardian, Mordecai, and gets permission from the king to have all the Jews in the kingdom killed. If you can help us, we are trying to get this megillah to his family by Purim, if possible. Queen Esther will work to annul this bad decree." Many thanks in advance. (It's not PC to refuse a king's invitation to his victory celebration.) He then furthered the depletion of the once-enormous resources he had gathered, through multiple taxation, by launching a vast construction program. sorry There are three apparent snags in this verse. And if one interprets Esther 2:5-6 as meaning Mordecai was the one taken captive by Jehoiachin, as some believe, which happened in 597 B.C., then Astyages fits this king very well since Esther 1:3 states that the events happened in the kings third year. They were talking And his kingdom was a Mom and Pop Shop compared to the Persian Empire. I’ve written articles about that, and a few chapters in a book. 2:1–4). Delores Elliott from Courtenay, British Columbia wrote: We are confused. We all know the end of the story. Good one today Stephen…isn’t it wonderful to know that we don’t know everything? But near-death experiences isn’t what the Bible says about heaven. The second was that everyone should be ready and prepared for something special on the 13th of Adar. Queen Esther, the central character in the Biblical book named after her, is extensively and sympathetically portrayed in the Rabbinic sources. LOL. (Esther 2). Isn't that the same thing? READ PAPER. Perhaps she went back into the Persian harem with the king’s stable of wives—who knows, maybe a hundred wives or more. the book ends after haman and his sons are hanged and mordecai gets their land and power. Xerxes I - Xerxes I - Withdrawal to Persia: Soured by this failure, which modern historians consider the beginning of Achaemenian decline, Xerxes retired to Susa and Persepolis. Very few Bible scholars believe now in the historicity of the book of Esther, but what is really incomprehensible is that their conclusion is based only on the following prejudice: this story looks like a fairy tale, consequently, it is a fairy tale! The Vilna Gaon explains that the reason that Haman kept the first decree secret was in order to prevent the Jews from escaping in any way. Take Mordechai, for example. How would you explain the dynamics of "da'at torah" to a secular audience, many of them being total beginners as far as Jewish learning is concerned? The book of Esther, which may be a work of fiction, is set in Xerxes… Among this group was Esther, a Jewess who kept her ethnic background hidden (verse 8). He appeared to do everything wrong, against the common wisdom, but was right in the end. Thanks for letting us help in this mitzvah! Thanks so much, Jennifer Loewen Jennifer; The problem comes up because of questions about the identity of Darius. Etc.? All we know about him is that his first name is David and his last name is either Bezbovodko or Bezdborosko (these spellings were found on some old mail found in the house). Thanks for your help. While we do not know a lot about what happened to Esther one thing that we do know is that she had a son, Darius, who became King Darius II. Xerxes I (Old Persian: 𐎧𐏁𐎹𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠, romanized: XÅ¡aya-ṛšā; c. 518 – August 465 BC), commonly known as Xerxes the Great, was the fourth King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, ruling from 486 to 465 BC.He was the son and successor of Darius the Great (r. 522 – 486 BC) and his mother was Atossa, a daughter of Cyrus the Great (r. 550 – 530 BC), the first Achaemenid king. But I’ve got good news about what I do know. I’ve been studying the Bible and writing professionally about it for nearly four decades, and I can tell you this: when it comes to the Bible and all things God, there’s a whole lot more “I don’t know” in me than there is “I know.”. So much of what I read places the book of Daniel around 150 B.C and I’m having a hard time nailing down the dates for when Esther was alive. Esther gained favor with Hegai, the man in charge of these women (verse 8). Based on Bible insights alone, we don’t know. The book suggests that Esther, born to Abihail, was orphaned as a child and was thereafter adopted and raised by her cousin, Mordecai. Some Rabbis contend that Esther was Mordecai's wife and if she was, that raises a lot of legal questions and yet in Holy Scriptures we cannot find anything except that she was raised by him and that she was like his daughter! When Vashti, the first wife of Ahasuerus, defied the king’s wish to appear at his banquet and display her beauty, she was banished. The idea is that a husband and wife should develop a loving and giving relationship as one naturally has with one's child and sibling. From where did Mordechai get this special insight and ability? Mordecai and Esther live in Susa during the reign of Xerxes. Brace yourself. It comes from Janet TeBockhorst Page, who wins a free, signed copy of one of my books. The first was to destroy the entire Jewish People. The role that "seeds" played in the story of Esther is that in the king's palace, Esther ate seeds in order to observe the Torah's command to eat only kosher food. They knew The Jewish people managed to avoid being exterminated by Haman’s sympathizers, and Mordecai was elected to his position. But he kept thinking about what Vashti had done and the law that he had written because of her. I could certainly report on near-death experiences. Why does it use the term "daughter?" A short summary of this paper. Whatever happened to Esther, the orphan who became queen of the Persian Empire? Esther goes off the grid. This way, she was able to have a healthy, caloric diet while avoiding the royal yet unkosher meat and wine fed to the other queen candidates. What happened to Esther after she saved her people? I would never try to feed that to Bible newbies. Artaxerxes I, (died 425 bc, Susa, Elam [now in Iran]), Achaemenid king of Persia (reigned 465–425 bc).. Again. Queen Esther standing in the court of Ahasuerus: the king holds out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. I think these examples show fairly clearly the importance of following the guidance of our Torah leaders, and that such allegiance should not hinge on our short-term perception of the immediate result of that leadership. In the meantime, if anyone turns over a rock in Iran and finds a family portrait of Esther, the king, their kiddos and a camel, I’ll be blogging that like crazy. First let us clarify: Yes, it is the same King Xerxes from 300 . People are naturally curious. The story begins with the Persian ruler Ahasuerus, a figure often associated with the Persian monarch known by his Greek name, Xerxes . 2 In those days King Xerxes ruled from his capital city of Susa. But again, Mordechai seems to miss the boat, instructing Esther to remain silent about her background. However, it is not known whether or not Queen Esther met a similar violent end, perhaps it is possible that she passed away peacefully. According to historical records, Artabanus, who commanded the royal bodyguard at the time, killed Xerxes with the help of an eunuch Aspamitres. [2] For a detailed explanation of how the rabbis understood the Persian period, including a description of the academic literature on this subject and a thorough presentation of all the factors involved, see ch. In a blatant affront to God, on the first day of the Jewish calendar, he ordered a lottery be administered to fi… Then the king’s personal servants said: Your Majesty, a search must be made to find you some beautiful young women. Did she have children? Perhaps she went back into the Persian harem with the king’s stable of wives—who knows, maybe a hundred wives or more. What became of her? Literally, then, the verse is saying that he married her. From his sincere and total immersion in Torah study; Mordechai, as one of the outstanding Torah scholars of the generation, sat among the foremost of the Sanhedrin, Israel's Supreme Torah court. Esther's husband, King Xerxes, is mostly referred to as the king in the book of Esther, and it takes place largely after his conquering and soldiering days are over. There are writers and publishers willing to provide those missing details, creatively imagined and portrayed as God’s Honest Truth. Thank you so much. Intrusively so, sometimes. I figured that, in addition to her twelve months of beautification, she must have performed a talent and answered questions from a glass bowl before winning the heart of a love-struck King Xerxes. We see that basically everything Mordechai did -- although sometimes seeming to run against common sense -- in the end brought good to the Jewish People. I read there was such a thing on an Ohr Somayach web site. Thanks. She brought him up to be favorable to the Jews and he eventually lifted the ban against the rebuilding of the Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple), which led to the building of the Second Temple. Tizku l'mitzvos! Here’s where you toss your name in the hat. Celebrating Death or Suffering of Our Enemies, Vilna Gaon, commentary to Megillat Esther. Are there any sources regarding what happened to Queen Esther after the traditional story ended? I often get frustrated with modern evangelicalism because they think they have the concrete answer to everything and in my journey I have discovered that some of the things I have been taught are filed under “don’t know.” Just think of the money that is being made today by people who know the unknown – well you know what I mean! I’m as curious as anyone. What happened to Esther after she saved her people? Precisely because Esther did not reveal her Jewishness, the Jews gave up on her and turned their eyes toward Heaven alone, fasting and repenting. The decree that the Jews should be killed was secret. One publisher asked me to write a book about heaven. The search for a new queen. What They want to know details that God has not made known. We enjoy your answers and have been collecting them in a notebook to refer back to for answers. By da'as torah I mean the special insight that sincere and intense Torah study imparts to the leaders of the Torah community. Because these millions of people were not ready to follow Moshe, they were forever lost to the Jewish People. Words, images, and all other media may not be reproduced without written permission. Help! "Let Esther tell the king that she's Jewish and we Jews will get favorable treatment." Here’s the reason I picked this question: Writers, agents, and publishers sometimes get rich and buy ranches by answering “I don’t know” questions as if:

New Amsterdam Vodka Watermelon Calories, Buff Buffet Buff, Koramangala Menu, Samoa Joe Theme Tna, Primary School Vision Statement Examples, Hollow Knight Controversy, Cumberland County Vehicle Tax Military, Potty Mouth Urban Dictionary, Laser Trading Platform, Iwc Top Gun Price, Assault By Pointing A Gun In North Carolina,