| In the modern world, we often feel that we are on | | | | rather than observe in history, she vowed to leave |
| the vanguard of the emerging role of women in | | | | the harem to approach the king. By law, anyone |
| business, economics, and politics. But powerful | | | | approaching the king without a specific invitation could |
| women have always been a part of history. In fact, | | | | be executed on the spot. However, Esther could not |
| the Bible tells the story of a woman who played | | | | wait in the harem until the king called for her again. |
| world politics and outfoxed a dangerous rival in the | | | | She had to take the risk. |
| Book of Esther. | | | | Mordecai suggested this was her destiny, saying that |
| Esther became a queen by a series of unexpected | | | | she was called to the kingdom "for such a time as |
| events. Theologians will tell you that the book of | | | | this." |
| Esther was written in part to demonstrate the fact | | | | Esther resolved to risk perfunctory execution with |
| that there are no coincidences, because a divine hand | | | | her very famous line. Saying she would go to the |
| guides all events. | | | | king, she told Mordecai, "And if I perish, I perish!" |
| Here, Esther was a orphaned Jewish girl who was | | | | The story is a lot more complicated than it first |
| growing up in the care of her older cousin and | | | | appears. The law in Persia at that time expressly |
| guardian, Mordecai, who despite his Jewish faith held | | | | forbade a royal edict from being reversed, even by |
| a prominent position at the king's court. These were | | | | the king himself. In a clever series of moves involving |
| the days of the Jewish exile when Jews had been | | | | a couple of banquets and an appeal to her enemy's |
| dispersed to different parts of the world. Persia was | | | | enormous ego and personal pride, Esther exposed |
| a rich and powerful nation, but one that had its share | | | | the plot to her husband who then has Haman |
| of Antisemitism. | | | | executed. |
| There is no evidence that Esther and Mordecai were | | | | Esther revealed that she was Jewish. Most important |
| particularly devout Jews. In fact, when Esther was | | | | of all, Queen Esther had worked out a very clever |
| selected to be placed in the king's harem, her cousin | | | | way that the edict could stand and yet the Jewish |
| advised her to conceal the fact that she was Jew. | | | | nation would survive. She dispatched her enemy and |
| She must have been very successful at it because | | | | won the admiration of her husband, the king, all while |
| no one guessed her ancestry or faith. | | | | saving her people. |
| Esther was part of a large round-up of pretty young | | | | The great beauty of the book of Esther is that she |
| girls for the king's harem. The harem at the palace in | | | | progresses from a terrified teenager to a world |
| Susa was a special sumptuous area of the palace | | | | political figure in a series of carefully executed moves. |
| where the women at court resided. Young virginal | | | | Like many other historical figures (men and women), |
| girls lived in the first harem, where they were | | | | Esther always capitalized on the fact that her |
| groomed (literally) for many months in preparation for | | | | enemies underestimated her. |
| their night with the king. | | | | But far from being a fiendish mastermind, Esther was |
| Once a woman had been with the king, she was | | | | actually a gracious woman. She was kind to her |
| moved into the second harem. After that, she was | | | | husband, even when he acted like a dolt. She was an |
| only brought out again if she was summoned to the | | | | astute observer of human nature, which is why she |
| king by name. With hundreds of women in the | | | | knew how effective flattery would be on her |
| harem, many women lived out long, lonely lives in the | | | | enemy, Haman. She also studied life at court, which is |
| isolation of the second haremwith no real husband, | | | | why her banquets were the perfect backdrop for |
| no children, and no companionship apart from the | | | | her plan. |
| other females. | | | | Most of all, Esther was brave, even more courageous |
| After six months of preparation, Esther had her turn | | | | than her husband who led the Persian army on many |
| with the king. He was so taken with her, he married | | | | battlefields. After having dutifully concealed her |
| her (elevating her from a concubine to queen). But | | | | Jewish heritage for years, Esther chose to reveal it |
| after a while, he forgot about Esther and did not | | | | to her husband and enemy at the very moment |
| summon her very often. | | | | when it was most dangerous to her personally but |
| By the way, the king in the Bible story is Xerxes, a | | | | most effective to help the Jewish people. |
| figure well known to ancient historians. The book of | | | | In Esther, we see how an ordinary girl, propelled by |
| Esther is set around the time that King Xerxes | | | | God and fate into extraordinary circumstances, |
| planned an invasion of Greece (which failed | | | | emerged victorious by taking a series of difficult |
| miserably). | | | | steps. |
| According to the book of Esther, an ambitious | | | | Some theologians have trouble with the book of |
| Antisemite at court got mad at her cousin Mordecai | | | | Esther because it is the only book of the Bible that |
| and tricked the king into signing an edict to kill of the | | | | fails to mention God. There is no direct mention of |
| Jews. Although troubled by the genocidal edict, it | | | | Him, not even once. Yet commentators argue that |
| seems Esther at first did not really know what to do. | | | | the genius of the book of Esther is that God does |
| Some theologians wonder if she might have thought | | | | not have to be mentioned to be evident and obvious. |
| she could escape, since no one knew she was Jewish | | | | In a stunning series of coincidences and chance |
| in the first place. However, her cousin Mordecai urged | | | | encounters, God's plan and intervention are clear. |
| her to go to the king (which could have gotten her | | | | The story of Esther is celebrated by Jewish people in |
| into terrible trouble, even had her executed) and | | | | the holiday known as Purim, which occurs in the |
| arrange a way to save the Jews. | | | | spring. |
| When Esther finally made the tough decision to act | | | | |