What’s in a name? Names and Namelessness in Megillat Esther
Rabbanit Karen Miller-Jackson
Names are often a window into character and destiny in Tanach. In biblical narratives which take place in exile, names and namelessness highlight the challenges of preserving Jewish identity and commitment to God while living in a foreign diaspora world. This is a central theme in the story of the near annihilation and rescue of the Jews of Persia in Megillat Esther, and a recurring motif in the ultimate redemption narrative, the Exodus from Egypt. It is also the story of the Jewish people throughout history.
Megillat Esther
Mordechai and Esther, two protagonists in the story, are introduced with various names and epithets:
In the capitol Shushan lived a Jew by the name of Mordechai, son of Jair son of Shimei son of Kish, a Benjaminite, who had been exiled from Jerusalem in the group that was carried into exile along with King Jeconiah of Judah, which had been driven into exile by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. He fostered Hadassah—that is, Esther—his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The maiden was shapely and beautiful; and when her father and mother died, Mordecai adopted her as his own daughter (Esther 2:6-8).
Although driven into exile, Mordechai is introduced descriptively as “a Jew.” His genealogy is listed; his origin is clear and strongly stated. Esther, on the other hand, is an orphan. This is not only a reference to having lost her parents, but also a metaphor for her identity. She has two names, not one. The megillah is asking, who is she? Is she Esther, or is she Hadassah?
This ambivalence is reinforced by the continuation of the narrative when Mordechai instructs her to hide her identity (Esther 2:10). Esther’s name reflects the fact that she needs to hide who she is (Esther evokes the word hester, hidden). The following midrash expresses the tension between her two names, or two identities:
Rabbi Meir says: Her name is Esther. Why is she called Hadassah? Because she is named after the righteous who are called hadasim… Rabbi Judah says: Her name is Hadassah. Why is she called Esther? Because she hides (mesateret) her words. Rabbi Nehemiah says: Her name is Hadassah. Why is she called Esther? Because the nations of the world named her after the goddess Istaher (BT Megillah 13a).
According to Rabbi Nehemiah her true (Jewish) name is Hadassah, while her Persian name is derived from the name of the goddess known as Astarte. There is a danger in using the name Esther: living as Esther may distance her from God, and lead to assimilation and abandonment of her Jewish self. Mordechai, on the other hand, has only one name, and is known outwardly as a Jew. There is irony in her predicament: Esther saves the Jewish people through hiding her identity, yet she could easily lose her Jewish identity in the process.
The midrash describes names as an identity which is dynamic and dependent on an individual’s desire to maximize his/her potential:
A person is known by three names: the name by which his father and mother call him, the name by which other men call him, and the one he earns for himself; the most important name is the one he earns for himself (Midrash Tanhuma Vayakhel 1).
The names and epithets are certainly significant; yet so is the absence of God’s name in the megillah. The seemingly sudden change in attitude toward the Jews which stems from Haman’s antisemitic agenda is coupled with no explicit reference to God. This leaves the reader wondering, what is the Divine plan? God’s absence may also reflect the sense of distance from God, or even abandonment, by the Jews of Persia, and perhaps also God’s perspective regarding His nation’s lack of devotion and assimilation.
Early biblical commentators address this problem by inserting God’s name into their retelling of the story. The rabbis teach that God may seem absent, but that, in fact, there are allusions to God’s hiddenness in the megillah:
What, do you think that the Holy One blessed be He will abandon Israel? In any case, he will provide them with a redeemer; that is what is written: “Relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place” (Esther Rabbah 8:6).
“Another place” (makom acher) is a reference to ha-Makom, a rabbinic name for God. The absence of God’s name in the megillah conveys a sense of uncertainty. Reading the megillah each year reassures Jews throughout history that although God may seem hidden at times – He is always present.
The Exodus Narrative
The Exodus narrative has a similar focus on names and namelessness. Possibly, the megillah draws and expands upon this motif from there. Parashat Shemot lists the names of Yaacov’s sons who went down to Egypt. Yet, it also refers to several characters without names: There is “a man from the house of Levi,” a “daughter of Levi,” a “daughter of Pharaoh,” and others. Biblical commentators view the names and namelessness as a reflection of the state of their identity, particularly in the Egyptian exile.
Sforno comments that the children of Yaacov are named because they lived up to their “names” or good character and family values. Conversely, the generation enslaved in Egypt was not worthy of being mentioned by name, hence the anonymity. The midrash, in contrast, explains that one of the reasons Bnei Yisrael were redeemed from Egypt was that they kept their Hebrew names while in exile. This assumes that the next generation continues Yaacov’s traditions.
Similarly, according to some commentaries, Moshe is an Egyptian name, given to him by the daughter of Pharaoh; in this reading, it is the Torah that gives his name a Hebrew etymology. Others insist that Moshe is a Hebrew name which was given to him by his mother and preserved by Pharaoh’s daughter. This ambiguity highlights the fact that Moshe, like Esther, had to make a choice about his true name and identity.
God does not actively intervene during the first two chapters of Shemot and the Tetragrammaton (God's personal name) does not appear until the third chapter, when Moshe asks God to reveal His name. Nechama Leibowitz calls this hester panim, the hiddenness of God, suggesting a literary connection between these two stories of Jewish life and survival in exile. God, in the Exodus, moves from hiddenness to revealing a previously unknown name of God to Moshe.”
Modern Jewish Experience
Names are a significant window into identity in the modern Jewish experience as well. During the War of Independence, David Ben Gurion strongly encouraged army officials to Hebraicize their family names. This marked a break from their past diaspora identity and highlighted their Israeli-ness. Dara Horn has also written about the “Ellis Island myth:” Jewish immigrants to America changed their names to sound more “American,” while claiming that they were forced to change their names by officials at Ellis Island. Names are an indication of strength and pride in Jewish identity, which is particularly tested in the diaspora experience, from Torah to modern times.
In summary, our exploration of Megillat Esther reveals how names and epithets serve as a reflection of the Jewish identity of the biblical characters. Additionally, the absence of God's name in the megillah appears to symbolize a perceived distance between God and the Jewish people, although some interpret this as a sign of Divine concealment rather than absence. Shifting to Shemot, we uncover another layer of significance regarding names and identity. Commentaries suggest that the names at the outset of the Exodus narrative signify the adherence of Yaakov’s children to their ancestral traditions. Conversely, the anonymity of the Israelites in Egypt reflects their assimilation. The debate surrounding Moshe's name, akin to Esther's dual names, underscores the pivotal choice they faced in embracing their potential as leaders and saviors of the Jewish people. This link between a Jewish name and one's Jewish or Zionist identity is not confined to biblical times; it continues to be a powerful symbol of Jewish or Zionist identity in contemporary society.
These are not the easiest of times for the Jewish people in Israel and around the world. The stories of Shemot and Megillat Esther remind us of the risks involved in hiding who we are, and call on us to stand strong and answer to our name, Israel – the name of our people and our homeland.