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| מגילת אסתר - Esther Scroll (my private collection) |
The fast of Esther started Thursday, and the feast of Purim will begin
on Saturday night. Thus, I am thinking
about the Book of Esther.
Esther Scroll, as we call it in Hebrew, is the only book in the bible
that does not mention God in all of its ten chapters. We know that God's
miracle saved the Jews at the end of the book, but it is implied, not written.
I often wondered about that.
So here is the short version of the story:
"Now
it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned,
from India even unto Ethiopia…) " that
the king had a party and when he got drunk he demanded that Vashti the queen will
come to him so he can show her off.
To the
best of my knowledge this is the first recorded feminist action … Vashti
decided that she does not want to parade as a marketable
object, nor to humiliate her human value and satisfy men
lust, so she refused to come.
In a Totalitarian
system freedom is not tolerated. Individualism is opposed. The angry king asked
his advisor how to react and they, fearing that their wives will follow the
queen behavior, advised him to put Vashti away.
In time
he recalled that Vashti was forbidden to come before him and decided to replace
her. Beautiful virgins from all over the kingdom were summoned to the palace
and Esther was chosen as his next queen.
The
kingdom's 127 provinces retained their unique cultures and languages. Mordechai
from the tribe of Benjamin kept his Jewishness and he raised Esther, his uncle
daughter, as a Jewess as well. He refused to bow down to the totalitarian
system and to give up his freedom. Yet, he advised Ester to keep her background
secret.
About the
same time, Haman was advanced above all the princes by the king and expected
total submission from everyone. Mordechai refused to bow to him. Haman, knowing
that Mordechai was a Jew, schemed how to kill all the Jews in the 127
provinces. Mordechai refused to give up
his freedom to worship his own way and calls out against the decree.
Esther,
meanwhile, was terrified of the king and of the system which can put her to
death. She knew that it was her job to convince the king to change the decree
against her people, and she gathered courage as her leadership abilities rose
to the surface. She chose a wise course of action and the Jews were saved from
extinction.
When we
celebrate this holiday, we give presents to the poor among us. We also ware
customs that remind us of the principal players of the story. Purim is a
celebration of a miracle. It also is a celebration of a victory; a victory of
freedom and caring for one another over a system of selfishness and cruelty.
It is the system of the Kingdom of
Heaven, a system of freedom and love of one to another, which won the victory.
It is a clear indication that the world system will fall with its selfishness
and lust no matter how strong or how vast it rules. The world system is but a
temporal, the system of God is eternal.
73rd Day of Praise -
I thank you God for Purim and for reminding me that the temporal system
of the world will pass and the kingdom of God will replace it forever. I thank
you God for the miracle of freedom.
Looking forward to a celebration
Orith
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