Gili Zivan
Purim is the festival of “opposites” – A festival of Transformation.
The heroine of her megillah (scroll), Esther, undergoes a dramatic transformation: the Esther at the beginning of the story is a passive, obedient Esther, a marionette doll whose strings are pulled by a variety of men. “Be beautiful and keep quiet” is the message she is given and she understands the message well. In the second part of the story, we discover a completely different Esther: an assertive Esther who initiates and maneuvers and attains the position of leader not only in the eyes of Ahashverosh but also in the eyes of her people.
How does the change take place? What explains Esther’s transformation from an obedient, submissive young girl into an assertive woman, capable of displaying presence of mind when all others fail.
We first encounter Esther by way of her uncle Mordechai: “Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordechai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite…And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter: for she had neither father nor mother and the maid was fair and beautiful: whom Mordechai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter” (Book of Esther, 2, 5-7).
Esther is described as “fair and beautiful” (Esther, 2, 7) but no mention is made of any other attributes. She was taken into the care of Mordecahi when her parents died and we know nothing about her wishes. Even in the following verses which describe how Esther was brought to the king’s palace, we are not told how she felt: we do not know if she was happy? If she was frightened? If she had considered refusing to do so? She is completely passive – “ and Esther was brought unto the king’s house,” “and Esther was taken unto King Ahashverosh” (Esther 2, 16) [the emphases are the author’s]. We do not hear a squeak from her throughout the chapter… she is brought like an object to the palace (or to be more exact to the harem) and there she undergoes a series of cosmetic treatments. She pleases Hegai, the custodian of the women, and everyone who looks upon her, not only because of her beauty but also because of her obedient nature.
We see her obedient nature in Chapter 2, verses 10 and 20: “Esther had not shewed her people nor her kindred for Mordechai had charged her that she should not shew it…. for Esther did the commandment of Mordechai, like as when she was brought up with him.” But Esther not only shows obedience towards Mordechai, she also shows obedience towards the custodian of the women: “And when the turn of Esther….was come to go in unto the king, she asked for nothing but what Hegai, the king’s chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed” (2, 15). Esther has no control over anything. She is like an object that is moved from place to place, and has no say in anything. Mordechai watches over her from afar in order to know “what should become of her” (2, 11), meaning, others use her as they please and she just goes along. When, finally, we hear Esther speak, she continues to speak in the name of Mordechai: “And Esther reported it to the King in the name of Mordechai” (2, 22).
In Chapter 3, which describes the tragedy that is about to befall the Jews of Shushan, there is not a single reference to Esther. It is as though she is tucked away somewhere far from the city of Shushan which was “perplexed” (3, 15). Nor is Esther cited among the Jewish mourners at the beginning of Chapter 4. She sits in the palace, completely cut off from the masses. The Jews of Shushan fast, weep, wail, put on sackcloth and mourn – but Esther remains unaware of what is happening.
When, we finally see Esther initiate something, her reaction is absurd, given the great calamity that is unfurling: “So Esther’s maids…. told it to her. Then was the queen exceedingly grieved and she sent raiment to clothe Mordechai and to take away his sackcloth from him.” She still believes that what’s important is how you look. Instead of asking Mordechai why he is in mourning and what calamity occurred, she sends him clothes for him to put on. He refuses and sends her details of the impending calamity and instructs her to act.
But, despite her former obedient self, Esther refuses. Without an invitation to appear before the king, she does not dare go before him. Mordechai asks the obedient, beautiful, submissive woman to break these conventions: “Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews: For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this” (4, 13-14).
It was these words which brought about Esther’s dramatic transformation. They succeeded in bringing to the surface the courage and leadership qualities that were hidden in the personality of this submissive, obedient woman. From this moment on, the “second Esther” reveals herself as an assertive, resourceful woman, in short, a leader.
Following Mordechai’s request, we read: “Then Esther bade them return Mordechai this answer. Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan and fast ye for me and neither eat or drink three days, night and day. I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish” (4, 15-16). Henceforth, Esther is the one who gives the orders to Mordechai, not the opposite. She orders him to gather together all the Jews of Shushan and asks them to “fast for her.” In other words, she tells her people: “I need your support. Alone, I can do nothing but if you stand behind me, perhaps I will find the strength to go before the king who has not called for me.”
The transformation that took place in Esther’s personality is nothing but amazing.
First, from a woman used to taking orders, she becomes a woman who gives others orders and incites them to act. The text stresses this: “So Mordechai went his way and did according to all that Esther had commanded him” (4, 17).
Secondly, from a beautiful young girl who had only herself to worry about and who was isolated from the troubles of her people, safely ensconced in her palace, Esther becomes a leader behind whom all her people stand: she is now involved and not cut off from the fate of her people: “I also and my maidens will fast.” Furthermore, she puts her life in danger for the sake of her people – “if I perish, I perish.”
In Midrash Massekhet Megillah, Rabbi Hanina and Rabbi Eliezer note the transformation which Esther’s personality underwent: “‘And it came to pass on the third day that Esther put on royalty.’ The meaning is royal clothes? [it should have been written that she put on royal clothes – G.Z.], said Rabbi Eliezer; said Rabbi Hanina: this teaches us that she put on the divine spirit” (Massekhet Megillah, page 15A).
The transformation which Esther underwent was indeed extraordinary. She drew her strength and her wisdom from the ruah hakadosh (the divine spirit) which is called malkhut (royalty).
From chapter 5 onwards, Esther continues to pull the strings overtly and covertly, she appoints Mordechai, hosts banquets, is responsible for cancelling Haman’s decree, receives direct communications from King Ahashverosh, and, finally inscribes the event forever in the collective memory of the Jewish people: “Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordechai the Jew, wrote with all authority to confirm this second letter of Purim” (9, 29) and “the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim and it was written in the book” (9, 32).
The story of Esther serves as an example to readers at the beginning of the 21st century for it testifies to the ability of human beings to change when historic circumstances present them with an unforeseen challenge.
In the words of Rabbi Solovechik, the story of Esther is the story of someone who transformed a regular existence into a meaningful existence, “a willful existence, full of lofty ideals and resourcefulness.”
The story of Esther is also the story of female empowerment. It encourages women to believe in their own strength, even if the surrounding culture does not yet acknowledge it. We all possess the potential of the “second Esther” – the one that was hidden inside the submissive, beautiful woman.
Dr. Gili Zivan is a member of Kibbutz Sa'ad and the Director of the Yaakov Herzog Center. She lectures on Bible studies, the middrashim and Jewish Philosophy and is active on behalf of the advancement of the status of women. She helped initiate the women’s prayer group on Kibbutz Sa'ad and previously worked as a teacher for the Kibbutz high school.