0
Purim
Purim is one of the most celebrated Jewish holidays. It commemorates the victory of the Jews against the annihilation plan of Hamman the Agagite, as recounted in the Biblical Book of Esther.
204 Questions
Was Mordecai Esther's cousin or uncle?
The Scripture does not mention his name. It only mentions her older cousin Mordecai and her father Abihail in Esther 2:15:
New King James Version (NKJV)
7AndMordecaihad brought up Hadassah, thatis,Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young womanwaslovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.
The Book of Esther tells of Esther, the cousin and adopted daughter of Mordecai the Jew, becoming the new wife of King Ahasuerus of Persia.
There was no King Ahasuerus of Persia, but many Bible commentaries observe that Ahasuerus is likely the Hebraicised version of King Xerxes, the Achaemenid leader who ruled from 486 to 465 BCE.
Esther is unlikely to have been Xerxes' wife, because his only known wife, Amestris, continued in her role well beyond his third year as king (the date the text suggests Vashti was deposed). Other problems in the story call into question the story's reliability, for example Mordecai is identified as having been sent into exile by Nebuchadnezzar - an event that must have place over a century before Xerxes assumed power.
In the book of Esther what is Esther other name?
Hadassah is her Jewish name, she was re-named Esther, while her previous generation was taken, into captivity. Just like In Babylon, Daniel, he was re-named Belteshazzar. Daniel & three Jews, after being taken to Babylon, were given Babylonian names, also. Hananaih was re-named Shadrach, Mishael was re-named
Meshach & Azariah was re-named Abednego.
Purim is the 14th of Adar. Shushan Purim (Purim celebrated in walled cities from the time of Joshua) is on the 15th day of Adar. This is when Purim is celebrated today in Jerusalem. Note, that depending when these dates fall out with respect to the Shabbat, the observation of the day's mitzvot may be moved up so as not to conflict with the Shabbat.
In 478 B.C., Esther became the queen of Persia. Previously, she was a member of the harem of the Persian king Ahasuerus, who was also known as King Xerxes. But when the former queen, Vashti, fell into disfavor with her husband, Ahasuerus, the king chose Esther to be his wife and queen.
Who was queen esthers's husband name?
Esther's husband was Ahasuerus king of Persia-supposed to be the Xerxes of history and dwelt at "Shushan the Capital" (ancient Susa).
When was Queen Esther from the Book of Esther born?
The book says that she is young it does not say which age but I think she is a young teenager.
Answer:The book implies that she was young but does not say so.There is NO reference in the book of Esther that Esther loved the King of Persia - Xerxes, but because of her beauty Esther had a strong influence on King Xerxes that is why her story is in the Bible.
What years did Esther in the Bible live?
Esther became queen during the reign of Ahasuerus, also known as Xerxes I, who reigned 486-465BC. It is not possible to exactly know her birth and death dates, but this does place her in this time period.
What does the Jewish feast of Purim celebrate?
Purim is a festival that commemorates the supposed deliverance of the Jewish people of the ancient Persian Empire from a plot by Haman the Agagite to annihilate them, as described in the Book of Esther. However, biblical scholars say that the Book of Esther is not really historical and that there is unlikely to have been any plot to annihilate the Jewish people, so this festival is not really the celebration of any historical event.
Who did Esther replace as queen?
Esther replaced Queen Vashti as queen after Queen Vashti refused to come to the King's banquet.
The oldest mention of Purim is from the first century historian Josephus, who mentions the origins of Purim in his book: "Antiquities of the Jews." He follows the Hebrew Book of Esther but shows awareness of some of the additional material found in the Greek version in that he too identifies Ahasuerus as Artaxerxes and provides the text of the king's letter.
What was going on during the time that Esther was queen in the Bible?
Esther was the heroine and central figure in the Biblical book of Esther, which is the source of the Jewish festival of Purim.
The Jews were in the Babylonian exile.
When Esther became orphaned, she was adopted by her cousin Mordecai.
Later, when Queen Vashti refused to appear before Ahasuerus (in Esther ch.1), Memuchan, a Persian royal adviser, advised King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) to remove Vashti from being Queen of Persia, and King Ahasuerus agreed to his advice.
In Esther Chapter 2, royal eunuchs advised Ahasuerus to look for a new queen. Esther was the best-looking woman, and Ahasuerus picked her to replace Vashti as Queen.
Esther and her cousin Mordecai (who had once saved the king's life) later persuaded the king to cancel an order for the extermination of the Jews in his vast realm, which had been plotted by the king's chief minister, Haman. Instead, Haman was hanged on the gallows he had built for Mordecai, and the Jews were given permission to destroy their enemies. The Jewish festival of Purim celebrates this event.
Purim dates back to the Biblical Queen Esther. The royal vizier, Haman, had set a plot into motion to wipe out all of the Jews. Esther became aware of the plot and went to King Xerxes at great risk to her own life. Haman's plot was put to a stop and the Jewish people were liberated from Persia. Purim celebrates this.
You can find more information in the book of Esther. There is also a movie titled, 'One Night with the King' that tells the story.
Purim is celebrated on Adar 14. It is to thank Esther for saving the Jews when the evil Haman was trying to get everybody to get against the Jews and fight them on Adar the 14th.
How many wives did Xerxes I have?
Queen Amestris is accepted by historians as Xerxes' only wife for at least the first several years of his reign. There is no record of either Vashti or Esther in Persian history.
How do Jews dress for the festival Purim?
Costumes are mainly worn by children, the most common traditional costumes are kings, queens, and Haman. Today, many people will wear any costume they want.
Esther was the heroine and central figure in the Biblical book of Esther, which is the source of the Jewish festival of Purim. She was crowned about 55 years after the destruction of the First Temple, and fifteen years before the Second Temple was built. The Jews were in the Babylonian exile. A few of them, such as Nehemiah, Mordecai and Daniel, rose to positions of prominence under the Babylonian kings.
The last of the Prophets of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) were still living.
King Cyrus had recently made his famous proclamation (2 Chronicles 36:22-23) allowing the Jews to resettle Judea (Israel), and some had gone up with Zerubavel, but the enemies of the Jews had then slandered them (Ezra ch.4), causing the Babylonian king to put a stop to the rebuilding and resettlement of Judea. This last event was around the same time that Esther became Queen.
When she became orphaned, she was adopted by her cousin Mordecai. Later, when Queen Vashti refused to appear before Ahasuerus (in Esther ch.1), Memuchan, a Persian royal adviser, advised King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) to remove Vashti from being Queen of Persia, and King Ahasuerus agreed to his advice. In Esther Chapter 2, royal eunuchs advised Ahasuerus to look for a new queen. Esther was the best-looking woman, and Ahasuerus picked her to replace Vashti as Queen.
Esther and her cousin Mordecai (who had once saved the king's life) later persuaded the king to cancel an order for the extermination of the Jews in his vast realm, which had been plotted by the king's chief minister, Haman. Instead, Haman was hanged on the gallows he had built for Mordecai, and the Jews were given permission to destroy their enemies. The Jewish festival of Purim celebrates this event.
According to tradition, the book of Esther was written in the mid-4th century BCE, and was made part of the Hebrew Bible canon which was sealed a couple of decades after.
Esther was queen for about 11 years.
The name of Mordecai is the Judaised pronunciation of Marduka, which is attested in the Persepolis Texts as the name of officials in the Persian court during the period of Xerxes I. One of these officials was the biblical Mordecai. The grave of Mordecai and Esther still stands in Hamadan; and the Jews of Iran, to this day, are referred to as "the children of Esther."
For the name of Esther, a number of etymologies are possible.
1) Esther comes from the Persian "setareh," meaning "star".
2) Esther comes from the Aramaic "istahar," meaning "moon." Beautiful as the moon (Talmud, Megillah 13a).
3) Esther comes from the Semitic root ath-tar, "morning star." There is support for this too in the Talmud (Yoma 29a).
4) Esther comes from the Median "astra," meaning "myrtle." The book of Esther (2:7) states that she had both names, Esther and Myrtle (Hadassah in Hebrew).
How did God protect Esther in the book of Esther?
What year did Purim take place?
Purim is celebrated annually on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar, which occurs on a different day in March each year.
What was the miracle of Purim?
The miracle of Purim is described in the Book of Esther. It's a fascinating story in which the evil Amalekite Haman, devised a scheme to annihilate the Jews on one day, the 14th day of Adar.
The story describes how the Jews were saved by the intervention of Queen Esther, herself a Jew, who had 'coincidentally' become the queen. The many coincidences and turns to the plot is viewed as G-d's hidden hand throughout the story.
In the end, the tables were turned and the Jews defended themselves and defeated the enemy. Thus, the 14th day of Adar became a holiday celebration each year and is commemorated by the reading of the Book of Esther in the synagogue, sending meals to one another, giving charity, and a festive meal.
A real question could be asked as to whether a true "miracle" occurred or whether one had to be read into the story in order to justify its inclusion or canonization as scripture.
the text itself undermines the idea that any miracle would occur, particularly if we define miracle as something that could not be foreseen. Mordechai's "positive fatalism" assures that the Jews will be saved -
14 For if thou altogether holds thy peace at this time, then will relief and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place, but thou and thy father's house will perish; and who knows whether thou art not come to royal estate for such a time as this?'
Rabbinic interpretation had to read a miracle into the Megillah in order to justify its place in holy scripture; however, that interpretation of what was a folk story that was too popular to omit, leaves more questions than answers. It may have tainted the Jewish conception of miracle.
How do Jewish people celebrate Purim?
Purim is the most festive of all the Jewish holidays. It occurs on the 14th and 15th days of Adar.
Purim is like Mardi Gras for the Jews. Children and adults dress up in costumes, give baskets of food and drink alcohol (depending on local law) .
The Book of Esther is read in the synagogue, and each time the villain Haman's name is mentioned, children use noisemakers to "drown out" the name.
On the Sunday before Purim, many congregations hold a carnival as well. Adult "Persian" masquerade parties are also becoming increasingly popular.
You are supposed to drink enough to not tell the difference between Blessed be Mordecai and Cursed be Haman. Mordecai and Haman are two character in the Book of Esther which we read on Prum.
