Previous Class (Session 1)
- Introduction to the Five Scrolls
- Introduction to Esther
- Esther 1 (Ahasuerus)
1. Opening Question: Why do some people hate Jews?
or
How do you explain Anti-Semitism?
Assyrian Scribes By Unknown author - Hugo Rydén, Gunnar Stenhag, Dick Widing: Litteraturen genom tiderna. Kortfattad litteraturhistoria för gymnasieskolan. Stockholm 1982., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12610647
Based on stone relief from Nimrud, Iraq, c. 728 BCE
"The first scribe writes Assyrian on a clay tablet with a stylus while the second records the same information in Aramaic on leather or parchment."
From an article by Bradley Parker at
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Relief-carving-from-the-central-palace-at-Nimrud-showing-two-Assyrian-scribes-ca-728_fig2_269661782
2. Reading and Discussing Together
Esther Chapter 2
Some questions to keep in mind as we read Chapter 2:
- Who are Mordecai and Esther?
- What do we learn about the character of: Ahasuerus, Mordecai, and Esther?
- What do we learn about the Persian court?
Esther (c. 1869). By Jean-François Portaels - https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/5721/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73951647
3. Chapter 2: Commentaries
3a. What's in a name?
Adele Berlin, Jewish Study Bible, Comment to Esther 2:5-7
"The older view that the name (Mordecai) is a direct reference to the Babylonian god Marduk, and that Esther is a reference to the goddess Ishtar, is no longer accepted."
(5) In the fortress Shushan lived a Jew by the name of Mordecai, son of Jair son of Shimei son of Kish, a Benjaminite.
(6) These are the people of the province who came up from among the captive exiles that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had deported, and who returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, each to his own city, (7) who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. ...
(7) He was foster father to 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.
Zerubavel--another person without a reported Hebrew name.
(1) In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, this word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest:
(17) and the sons of Jeconiah, the captive: Shealtiel his son, (18) Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah; (19) the sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel and Shimei; the sons of Zerubbabel: Meshullam and Hananiah, and Shelomith was their sister;
(6) Among them were the Judahites Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. (7) The chief officer gave them new names; he named Daniel Belteshazzar, Hananiah Shadrach, Mishael Meshach, and Azariah Abed-nego.
(44) Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh; yet without you, no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” (45) Pharaoh then gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him for a wife Asenath daughter of Poti-phera, priest of On. Thus Joseph emerged in charge of the land of Egypt.—
Adele Berlin, Jewish Study Bible, Comment to Esther 2:7
Hadassah means "myrtle." Esther is probably derived from the Persian name for "star." It was not uncommon for Diaspora Jews to have both a Hebrew and a vernacular name, as did Daniel and his friends (see Daniel 1:6-7) and Judah Maccabee. No Hebrew name is mentioned for Mordecai.
Carey A. Moore, Anchor Bible: Esther, Comment to 2:7, p. 20
[The name Esther is] derived from either the Persian stâra, 'star,' or Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of Love...
Introduction, p. L
...Mordecai may very well have been a historical personage. The name itself is certainly genuine enough, appearing...in an Aramaic letter and...in Treasury Tablets found at Persepolis. More importantly, in an undated text coming probably from either the last years of Darius or the first years of Xerxes, there is a mention of a Mardukâ, an accountant who was a member of an inspection tour from Susa. We do not know how common the name Mardukâ was at that particular time and place, but Arthur Ungnad is probably justified in saying that "it is improbable that there are two Mardukas as high officials in Susa."
3b. Other heroes in strange environments: Joseph, Nehemiah, Daniel, Judith
(9) The chief cupbearer then spoke up and said to Pharaoh, “I must make mention today of my offenses. (10) Once Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and placed me in custody in the house of the prefect, together with the chief baker. (11) We had dreams the same night, he and I, each of us a dream with a meaning of its own. (12) A Hebrew youth was there with us, a servant of the prefect; and when we told him our dreams, he interpreted them for us, telling each of the meaning of his dream. (13) And as he interpreted for us, so it came to pass: I was restored to my post, and the other was impaled.” (14) Thereupon Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was rushed from the dungeon. He had his hair cut and changed his clothes, and he appeared before Pharaoh. (15) And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, but no one can interpret it. Now I have heard it said of you that for you to hear a dream is to tell its meaning.” (16) Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “Not I! God will see to Pharaoh’s welfare.”
(1) In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, wine was set before him; I [=Nehemiah] took the wine and gave it to the king—I had never been out of sorts in his presence. (2) The king said to me, “How is it that you look bad, though you are not ill? It must be bad thoughts.” I was very frightened, (3) but I answered the king, “May the king live forever! How should I not look bad when the city of the graveyard of my ancestors lies in ruins, and its gates have been consumed by fire?” (4) The king said to me, “What is your request?” With a prayer to the God of Heaven, (5) I answered the king, “If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor with you, send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors’ graves, to rebuild it.” (6) With the consort seated at his side, the king said to me, “How long will you be gone and when will you return?” So it was agreeable to the king to send me, and I gave him a date.
(6) Among them were the Judahites Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. (7) The chief officer gave them new names; he named Daniel Belteshazzar, Hananiah Shadrach, Mishael Meshach, and Azariah Abed-nego. (8) Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the king’s food or the wine he drank, so he sought permission of the chief officer not to defile himself, (9) and God disposed the chief officer to be kind and compassionate toward Daniel. (10) The chief officer said to Daniel, “I fear that my lord the king, who allotted food and drink to you, will notice that you look out of sorts, unlike the other youths of your age—and you will put my life in jeopardy with the king.” (11) Daniel replied to the guard whom the chief officer had put in charge of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, (12) “Please test your servants for ten days, giving us legumes to eat and water to drink. (13) Then compare our appearance with that of the youths who eat of the king’s food, and do with your servants as you see fit.”
Judith with the Head of Holofernes (Royal Collection version, 1613) by Cristofano Allori (1577–1621). By Cristofano Allori - Royal Collection, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11871202
(א) ויצו להביאה בחדר משמרת כלי כספו לשבת שם ולתת לה לאכול ולשתות מעל שלחנו:
(ב) ותאמר יהודית אל נא אדוני כי אם אוכל מלחמך וחטאתי לאלוקים הנה הבאתי את לחמי אתי:
(ג) ויאמר הלופרנש ואם כילית לאכול את אשר בידך מאין תיקחי כי אין איש מעמך אתנו במחנה:
(ד) ותען יהודית ותאמר חי נפשך אדוני אם לא יבצע ה' את מעשהו בטרם כיליתי לאכול את אשר בידי:
(ה) ויביאו אנשי הולופרנש אותה החדרה ותשכב ותישן עד חצי הלילה:
(ו) ותקם ותשלח אל הולופרנש לצוות את אנשיו לתיתה לצאת עם אמתה מחוץ למחנה להשתחות לה':
(ז) ויצו את עבדיו לאמור אל תעצרו אותה לצאת ותשב שלושת ימים במחנה:
(ח) ותצא כל לילה ולילה אל הערבה אשר לפני בתול ותרחץ ותתפלל אל ה' להצליח דרכה ולפדות את עמה ואחרי כן שבה האהלה ותצום עד הערב:
From Sefaria: The Book of Judith is an apocryphal work that tells of a heroic woman who seduces and kills an enemy general, saving Israel from oppression. The book was not mentioned by any Jewish sources until the medieval period, when Judith’s character became a subject of discussion in legal works, talmudic commentaries, and liturgical poems. During this period, the story began to become associated with the holiday of Chanukah...
From The New Oxford Annotated Bible: "The book was probably composed near the end of the second century BCE in the aftermath of the Maccabean Revolt..." (p. 1409)
(1) Then he commanded them to bring her in to where his plate was set; and he directed them to prepare for her from his own meats and that she should drink from his own wine.
(2) And Judith said, "I will not eat of it, lest there be an offence, but provision will be made for me from the things which I have brought."
(3) Then Holofernes said to her, "If your provisions should fail, how should we give you the like? For there are none among us from your nation."
(4) Then Judith said to him, "As your soul lives, my lord, your handmaid will not use up those things which I have before the Lord works by my hand the things he has determined."
(5) Then the servants of Holofernes brought her into the tent, and she slept until midnight,
(6) and she arose when it was toward the morning watch. And she sent to Holofernes, saying, "Let my lord now command that your handmaid may go forth to prayer."
(7) Then Holofernes commanded his guard not to prevent her; thus she resided in the camp for three days,
(8) and went out in the night into the valley of Bethulia and washed herself in a spring of water by the camp. And when she came out, she beseeched the Lord God of Israel to direct her way in order to accomplish the raising up of the children of her people. So she came in clean and remained in the tent until she ate her meat in the evening.
3c. Esther is Joseph; Mordecai is Joseph
What light do echoes of the Joseph story (end of Bereshit) shed on the story of Esther and Mordecai?
(ז) וַיְהִ֨י אֹמֵ֜ן אֶת־הֲדַסָּ֗ה הִ֤יא אֶסְתֵּר֙ בַּת־דֹּד֔וֹ כִּ֛י אֵ֥ין לָ֖הּ אָ֣ב וָאֵ֑ם וְהַנַּעֲרָ֤ה יְפַת־תֹּ֙אַר֙ וְטוֹבַ֣ת מַרְאֶ֔ה וּבְמ֤וֹת אָבִ֙יהָ֙ וְאִמָּ֔הּ לְקָחָ֧הּ מׇרְדֳּכַ֛י ל֖וֹ לְבַֽת׃
(7) He was foster father to 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.
(ו) וַיַּעֲזֹ֣ב כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ֮ בְּיַד־יוֹסֵף֒ וְלֹא־יָדַ֤ע אִתּוֹ֙ מְא֔וּמָה כִּ֥י אִם־הַלֶּ֖חֶם אֲשֶׁר־ה֣וּא אוֹכֵ֑ל וַיְהִ֣י יוֹסֵ֔ף יְפֵה־תֹ֖אַר וִיפֵ֥ה מַרְאֶֽה׃
(6) He left all that he had in Joseph’s hands and, with him there, he paid attention to nothing save the food that he ate. Now Joseph was well built and handsome.
(ט) וַתִּיטַ֨ב הַנַּעֲרָ֣ה בְעֵינָיו֮ וַתִּשָּׂ֣א חֶ֣סֶד לְפָנָיו֒ וַ֠יְבַהֵ֠ל אֶת־תַּמְרוּקֶ֤יהָ וְאֶת־מָנוֹתֶ֙הָ֙ לָתֵ֣ת לָ֔הּ וְאֵת֙ שֶׁ֣בַע הַנְּעָר֔וֹת הָרְאֻי֥וֹת לָֽתֶת־לָ֖הּ מִבֵּ֣ית הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וַיְשַׁנֶּ֧הָ וְאֶת־נַעֲרוֹתֶ֛יהָ לְט֖וֹב בֵּ֥ית הַנָּשִֽׁים׃
(9) The girl pleased him [Hegai, guardian of the women] and won his favor [DR נשא חסד/n.s.'. hesed], and he hastened to furnish her with her cosmetics and her rations, as well as with the seven maids who were her due from the king’s palace; and he treated her and her maids with special kindness in the harem.
(טו) וּבְהַגִּ֣יעַ תֹּר־אֶסְתֵּ֣ר בַּת־אֲבִיחַ֣יִל דֹּ֣ד מׇרְדֳּכַ֡י אֲשֶׁר֩ לָקַֽח־ל֨וֹ לְבַ֜ת לָב֣וֹא אֶל־הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ לֹ֤א בִקְשָׁה֙ דָּבָ֔ר כִּ֠י אִ֣ם אֶת־אֲשֶׁ֥ר יֹאמַ֛ר הֵגַ֥י סְרִיס־הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ שֹׁמֵ֣ר הַנָּשִׁ֑ים וַתְּהִ֤י אֶסְתֵּר֙ נֹשֵׂ֣את חֵ֔ן בְּעֵינֵ֖י כׇּל־רֹאֶֽיהָ׃
(15) When the turn came for Esther daughter of Abihail—the uncle of Mordecai, who had adopted her as his own daughter—to go to the king, she did not ask for anything but what Hegai, the king’s eunuch, guardian of the women, advised. Yet Esther won the admiration [DR נשא חן/n.s.'. hen] of all who saw her.
(יז) וַיֶּאֱהַ֨ב הַמֶּ֤לֶךְ אֶת־אֶסְתֵּר֙ מִכׇּל־הַנָּשִׁ֔ים וַתִּשָּׂא־חֵ֥ן וָחֶ֛סֶד לְפָנָ֖יו מִכׇּל־הַבְּתוּל֑וֹת וַיָּ֤שֶׂם כֶּֽתֶר־מַלְכוּת֙ בְּרֹאשָׁ֔הּ וַיַּמְלִיכֶ֖הָ תַּ֥חַת וַשְׁתִּֽי׃
(17) The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she won his grace [DR נשא חן/n.s.'. hen]and favor more than all the virgins. So he set a royal diadem on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
(ג) וַיַּ֣רְא אֲדֹנָ֔יו כִּ֥י ה' אִתּ֑וֹ וְכֹל֙ אֲשֶׁר־ה֣וּא עֹשֶׂ֔ה ה' מַצְלִ֥יחַ בְּיָדֽוֹ׃ (ד) וַיִּמְצָ֨א יוֹסֵ֥ף חֵ֛ן בְּעֵינָ֖יו וַיְשָׁ֣רֶת אֹת֑וֹ וַיַּפְקִדֵ֙הוּ֙ עַל־בֵּית֔וֹ וְכׇל־יֶשׁ־ל֖וֹ נָתַ֥ן בְּיָדֽוֹ׃
(3) And when his master saw that ה' was with him and that ה' lent success to everything he undertook, (4) he took a liking [DR מצא חן/m.tz.'. hen] to Joseph. He made him his personal attendant and put him in charge of his household, placing in his hands all that he owned.
Carey A. Moore, comment to 2:1-18 (p. 27)
Esther did not just "find favor" [DR m.tz.' hen/ מצא חן], she earned it [DR n.s.'. hen / נשא חן].
(4) When they spoke [k'omram] to him day after day and he would not listen to them, they told Haman, in order to see whether Mordecai’s resolve would prevail; for he had explained to them that he was a Jew.
(10) And much as she coaxed [k'dabberah / as she spoke to] Joseph day after day, he did not yield to her request to lie beside her, to be with her.
(ג) וְיַפְקֵ֨ד הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ פְּקִידִים֮ בְּכׇל־מְדִינ֣וֹת מַלְכוּתוֹ֒ וְיִקְבְּצ֣וּ אֶת־כׇּל־נַעֲרָֽה־בְ֠תוּלָ֠ה טוֹבַ֨ת מַרְאֶ֜ה אֶל־שׁוּשַׁ֤ן הַבִּירָה֙ אֶל־בֵּ֣ית הַנָּשִׁ֔ים אֶל־יַ֥ד הֵגֶ֛א סְרִ֥יס הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ שֹׁמֵ֣ר הַנָּשִׁ֑ים וְנָת֖וֹן תַּמְרֻקֵיהֶֽן׃
(3) Let Your Majesty appoint officers/peqidim in every province of your realm to assemble all the beautiful young virgins at the fortress Shushan, in the harem under the supervision of Hege, the king’s eunuch, guardian of the women. Let them be provided with their cosmetics.
(לד) יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה פַרְעֹ֔ה וְיַפְקֵ֥ד פְּקִדִ֖ים עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וְחִמֵּשׁ֙ אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם בְּשֶׁ֖בַע שְׁנֵ֥י הַשָּׂבָֽע׃
(34) And let Pharaoh take steps to appoint overseers/peqidim over the land, and organize the land of Egypt in the seven years of plenty.
3d. What role does Mordecai play in the Persian court?
Adele Berlin to Esther 2:21-23
More than a physical location, ['the king's gate'/palace gate] is Mordecai's official position at court. Mordecai is a member of the king's 'secret police,' official spies who protected the king. Mordecai's job is to ferret out plots against the king.
4. Chavruta Learning: Chapter 3
Some questions to bear in mind
- How much time has elapsed since chapter 1 (see 1:3) and chapter 2 (see 2:16)?
- What do we learn about the character of Mordecai, Haman, and Ahasuerus in ch. 3?
Haman Recognizes his Fate (between 1648 and 1665) By Rembrandt (1606-1669) or workshop - Web Gallery of Art: Image Info about artwork, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15417267
5. Commentaries to Ch. 3
5a. Mutual Enmity
(4) When they spoke to him day after day and he would not listen to them, they told Haman, in order to see whether Mordecai’s resolve would prevail; for he had explained to them that he was a Jew.
NJPS Translation to Esther 3:43, note
I.e., that as a Jew he could not bow to a descendant of Agag, the Amalekite king; see 1 Sam. 15, and cf. Exod. 17.14–16; Deut. 25.17–19.
(17) Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt— (18) how, undeterred by fear of God, he surprised you on the march, when you were famished and weary, and cut down all the stragglers in your rear. (19) Therefore, when your God ה' grants you safety from all your enemies around you, in the land that your God ה' is giving you as a hereditary portion, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!
Samuel's instruction to King Saul:
(3) Now go, attack Amalek, and proscribe all that belongs to him. Spare no one, but kill alike men and women, infants and sucklings, oxen and sheep, camels and asses!”
Saul defends his behavior.
(20) Saul said to Samuel, “But I did obey the LORD! I performed the mission on which the LORD sent me: I captured King Agag of Amalek, and I proscribed Amalek,
5b. Hatred of the Jews
NJPS Translation:
(8) Haman then said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people, scattered and dispersed among the other peoples in all the provinces of your realm, whose laws are different from those of any other people and who do not obey the king’s laws; and it is not in Your Majesty’s interest to tolerate them.
Carey A. Moore Translation:
..."There is a certain people scattered, yet unassimilated, among the peoples...
Carey A. Moore, Comment to Ch. 3
Haman's accusation of the Jews was diabolically clever in its construction, proceeding as it did from the truth ("scattered, yet unassimilated) to half-truth ("[whose] statutes are different") to an outright lie ("They do not observe even the king's statutes"). Such an indictment invited reaction, not investigation or confirmation.
Diodorus Siculus (1st c BCE, Sicily), The Library of History, Book 40
Quoting an ancient argument against the Jews, by (Pseudo-)Hecataeus of Abdera (4th c. BCE)
3 The leader of this colony was one Moses, a very wise and valiant man, who, after he had possessed himself of the country, amongst other cities, built that now most famous city, Jerusalem, and the temple there, which is so greatly revered among them. ...
4 He made no representation or image of gods, because he considered that nothing of a human shape was applicable to God; but that heaven, which surrounds the earth, was the only God, and that all things were in its power. But he so arranged the rites and ceremonies of the sacrifices, and the manner and nature of their customs, as that they should be wholly different from all other nations; for, as a result of the expulsion of his people, he introduced a most inhuman and unsociable manner of life. ...
6 ...At the end of the laws this is added: "This is what Moses has heard from God and proclaims to the Jews." This lawgiver also laid down many excellent rules and instructions for military affairs, in which he trained the youth to be brave and steadfast, and to endure all miseries and hardships.
8 G He also ordered the inhabitants to be careful in rearing their children, who are brought up with very little expense; and by that means the Jewish nation has always been very populous. As to their marriages and funerals, he instituted customs far different from all other people. But under the empires which rose up in later ages, especially during the rule of the Persians, and in the time of the Macedonians, who overthrew the Persians, through intermingling with foreign nations, many of the traditional customs among the Jews were altered . . . This is what Hecataeus of (?) Abdera has related about the Jews.
Source: http://attalus.org/translate/diodorus40.html
(Referred to by Adele Berlin in comment to Esther 3:8)
5c. Months and days in the months
Parallel names for the lunar months--older names and references; newer Babylonian names
- 2.16 "in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth [=Tevet]." Babylonian for 'sinking in' or 'muddy' (C. A. Moore)
- 3:7 "In the first month, that is, the month of Nisan" - based on the Babylonian name for the lunar month called "Aviv" before the Exile
- 3.7 "...the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar"
Precise dates within the months
- 3:7 Haman has lots cast sometime in the month of Nisan, that is, at the beginning of the year.
- 3:7 The lots land on the 13th day of the 12th month, the month of Adar (eleven months away)
- 3:12 The news about the upcoming day of the extermination of the Jews is published on the 13th day of Nisan.
5d. Additional Thought: Attribution and Redemption
(ו) גְּדוֹלָה תוֹרָה יוֹתֵר מִן הַכְּהֻנָּה וּמִן הַמַּלְכוּת, שֶׁהַמַּלְכוּת נִקְנֵית בִּשְׁלֹשִׁים מַעֲלוֹת, וְהַכְּהֻנָּה בְּעֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבַּע, וְהַתּוֹרָה נִקְנֵית בְּאַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁמֹנָה דְבָרִים. ... הַמַּכִּיר אֶת מְקוֹמוֹ, ...וְהָאוֹמֵר דָּבָר בְּשֵׁם אוֹמְרוֹ, הָא לָמַדְתָּ שֶׁכָּל הָאוֹמֵר דָּבָר בְּשֵׁם אוֹמְרוֹ מֵבִיא גְאֻלָּה לָעוֹלָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (אסתר ב) וַתֹּאמֶר אֶסְתֵּר לַמֶּלֶךְ בְּשֵׁם מָרְדֳּכָי:
(6) Greater is learning Torah than the priesthood and than royalty, for royalty is acquired by thirty stages, and the priesthood by twenty-four, but the Torah by forty-eight things. ...
[Learning of Torah is also acquired by one] who ... And [by one] who says a thing in the name of him who said it. Thus you have learned: everyone who says a thing in the name of him who said it, brings deliverance into the world, as it is said: “And Esther told the king in Mordecai’s name” (Esther 2:22).
Upcoming Class
Session 3. Esther 4-5
- Chapter 4 - The First Decree
- “The Prayer of Queen Esther” from the Septuagint
- Chapter 5 - The First Feast