Yes, I know Purim is over, and our focus is shifting toward another holiday beginning with P (which shall here be nameless, at least for now). But here are a few peeves of mine about the way the book of Esther is taught and interpreted. 1. I dont think Esther was wimping out when she told Mordechai about the rule that anyone who came before the king uninvited was automatically subject to the death penalty unless the king intervened. I think she was giving Mordechai useful information, telling him, in effect: Look, I can go before the king uninvited, but you need to know that I may be struck down before I can say a word to him. When Mordechai tells her, in effect, that there is no Plan B and she is the Jews only hope, she agrees to do it in the full knowledge that she will be risking her life. 2. The idea that Esther kept kosher in the harem. Maybe she did, maybe she didnt. My guess is that she came from a fairly assimilated family -- proud of their Jewishness, but blended into the surrounding society well enough to pass, as Mordechai told Esther to do in the harem. And to survive there, at least before becoming queen, Esther had to make herself liked -- which usually involves being agreeable, keeping a low profile and avoiding being high-maintenance. Were told that the keeper of the harem took a liking to her and gave her the best accommodations. But even then, would a woman in that situation have dared to call attention to herself by insisting on eating different food from everyone else? Its also possible that allowances were made in the harem for different cultures and preferences -- this was the palace of the Persian Empire, after all, and the king could afford it. But the text doesnt tell us. It might have been a different story once Esther became queen. There was a good deal of superstition in ancient times, and I could see her -- for example -- using that superstition to have every item in the queens kitchen replaced, since it had come into contact with the unlucky Vashti. As the chief wife of the emperor of the Persian Empire, it might even have been expected. She didnt have to pinch pennies. She was an empress, in status if not in terms of power, and she could do whatever she wanted. If she wanted meat from a certain butcher or group of butchers in the market who happened to be Jewish, no one who wanted to keep his head on his shoulders would dare to question her.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 11:27:32 +0000
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