It was not her beauty that saved the day.She had a few drawbacks as a beauty queen. But eventually, as we know the villainous Haman was promoted in rank, plotted against the jews calling for their annihilation on a global basis, and eventually found his natural habitat on the gallows pole. Its a dramatic event; one that can can be taken as a simplistic, if compelling narrative of Queen Esther or one with more profound and hidden meaning. This last aspect, masked meaning, is reflected in the symbolism of wearing costumes on Purim that reflect in part, the contradictions and anomalies that are part of the enigma of the holiday in which 2500 years later continue to be studied.
One aspect, in this mini guide to the perplexed, is Esthers greenish tint to her complexion which has been looked at from several angles from the metaphoric to the fact she may have been a sickly lady, which is near absurd that the King would choose her as a wife; a wife who was unbeknown to him, Jewish, and a sort of first in Jewish history of marriage into a royal throne.
—This magnificent compositional study, which came to light in the late 1980s, stands out in Claude’s graphic oeuvre for its high degree of finish and detail. The biblical subject is set in an invented landscape animated by a diffuse naturalistic light. It was presumably made as a presentation drawing for François Bosquet, bishop of Montpellier, who had commissioned from the artist a pendant to his “Sermon on the Mount” (Frick Collection, New York). The resulting painting, considered by Claude to be his most beautiful, was later largely destroyed by fire (a fragment survives at Holkham Hall, England).
Claude here depicts the Old Testament story of Queen Esther, who went to the king’s palace to implore his mercy for her condemned people. As uninvited appearances before the king were forbidden under penalty of death, Esther collapsed in fear as she neared his throne, a scene commonly depicted by Baroque artists. —click image for source…
Much of the story is of course, about guarding secrets. Even the name Esther is related to the word “hester” which means hidden. When we read the story of Esther, the Megillah, there is the remarkable fact of how Esther guarded the secret of her ancestry. Apparently all the Jews of the kingdom knew, but word never leaked out. Her ostensible uncle, Mordechai, who was actually her husband, evidently perceived there was something of divine providence in Esther becoming queen of a non-Jewish monarch and that Esther would have an instrumental role. He was aware of the calamity that would befall the Jews. Much like America, where Jews are overly represented in government and positions of responsibility, the Babylon of Mordechai can be described equally as a well connected community…
—An Ultra-Orthodox boy smokes a cigarette on the Jewish holiday of Purim in Mea Shearim, Jerusalem, March 1, 2010. Purim is the celebration of the salvation of the Jews from genocide in ancient Persia as told in the book of Esther. UPI/Debbie Hill
Read more: http://www.upi.com/News_Photos/Features/Purim-in-Jerusalem/3023/#ixzz2LRtxbeV8
Mordechai himself was anelite member of society, a member of a panel of seventy judges representing the highest court in the land, a court of an empire that encompassed 127 nations, effectively the entire world.Unlike more contemporary tragedies like the Holocaust, there was literally no place to run and hide; Haman’s edict covered the entire globe. Plus, Esther was hardly a perfect “ten” on the pageant scale, all the more remarkable since the king, Achashverosh was known to be superficial and hardly Ivy League material. Esther may not have been lizard green, a space alien, but hardly a paragon of beauty….
—Queen Esther before. King Ahasuerus (c. 1815) by the Slovenian painter Francesco Caucig (1755-1828).
Although Caucig is a lesser known artist his painting is a good example of the neoclassical style which dominated art at from the end of the 18th century. Interesting is also that Caucig didn’t use an entire classical scenery but rather something more oriental, that’s probably a result of the influence of historical studies.—click image for source…
ADDENDUM:
(see link at end)…Also aware of Jeremiah’s prophecy, Achashverosh calculated the 70 year period, but as with Belshazzar, he erred. Unaware of his miscalculation, in 3394 Achashverosh commenced a 180-day banquet, also using the stolen Temple vessels. This is the point at which Megillas Esther begins, with the initial chapter noting a marital conflict between Achashverosh and Vashti, with Vashti losing the argument (as, well as her life in the third year of his reign). Achashverosh remained a widow for four subsequent years and needing a new soul mate, he instituted an international beauty contest, with the most favorable contestant destined to be his queen . In the seventh year of his reign, in Teves, 3399, Esther married Achashverosh and one year later, she gave birth to Darius II .
Mordechai and, thereafter, Esther, are first introduced in the second chapter of the Megillah. Esther is an enigma, with much disagreement among the commentators on various aspects of her life. To my knowledge, the only agreed upon facts are that Esther was a righteous woman, a prophetess, and of medium height . The controversies commence with her birth name and continue until the birth of her son, Darius II. Esther’s father died after her conception and her mother died in childbirth; she was reared by Mordechai, who was either her uncle or her cousin and presumably was the one who named her.
—Title: ‘Esther Preparing to Intercede with Assuerus
Painter
Year: c.1633
Incident shown: Will she, or won’t she go unbidden into the King’s presence? Rembrandt shows the moment of decision as Esther weighs up the danger she is facing if she goes, and her own future and that of the Jewish people if she does not. She has fasted and prayed, and is now dressed in her most beautiful clothing, ready to act.
Bible reference: Book of Esther, 5:1—
…According to the other thought, Mordechai and Esther did marry, but in private. As this marriage was unknown to the public, it appeared to the outside world that “Mordechai adopted her as his daughter.” Although aware of her eventual abduction, Mordechai did not divorce Esther, as this would have publicized their marriage .
There is some controversy regarding Esther’s birth name . According to R’ Meir her birth name was Esther, but she was called Hadassah, as righteous people are designated as hadas , i.e., the myrtle. Regarding the name Hadassah, Ben Azzai conjectured that Esther was neither tall nor short in stature, but was of average height, like the myrtle tree. R’ Yehoshua ben Korchah suggested that Esther’s skin complexion was similar to that of a myrtle leaf, greenish in hue. However, there is also a thought that Esther’s skin complexion may have resembled a myrtle leaf that was dried by the sun. When a leaf ages, the dominant green pigment, chlorophyll, is degraded, to reveal the hidden orange-yellow carotenoid pigments, previously masked by the chlorophyll. According to this theory, Esther’s skin complexion was yellow-orange, like the yolk of an egg . Esther may have had neonatal jaundice, characterized by a yellowing of the skin and other tissues of newborn infant. Neonatal jaundice results either from the degradation of fetal hemoglobin as it is replaced by adult hemoglobin or by immature liver metabolic processes which are unable to conjugate and excrete bilirubin as quickly as in an adult. … Neonatal jaundice may have foreshadowed Esther’s condition of chlorosis, manifested when she was taken into the king’s harem (Hoenig, 2006).
Later in life, Esther wins the international beauty contest. The obvious question is how could King Achashverosh be so attracted to a woman with a greenish or yellow-orange skin complexion? Anticipating this question, the Talmud noted that Esther was “endowed with a touch of grace,” in that HaShem created an illusion, so that she appeared beautiful both to King Achashverosh and to the peoples of the 127 nations over which he ruled.
—Title: ‘Esther and Mordecai’
Painter: Aert de Gelder
Year: 1685
Incident shown: Mordecai advises Esther that she and all the Jewish people are in mortal danger. He urges her to act. She alone can save them. But Esther is in a predicament, since she has not been summoned into the King’s presence for thirty days, and to go unsummoned into his presence will leave her open to a sentence of death. The doubt she feels is clearly written on her face.—click image for source…
Apparently, green was the perfect color for Esther’s complexion. Specific colors induce distinct psychological behaviors and green is a color that appeals to most people. Green, the color seen most in the natural world, soothes, alleviates depression, nervousness, and anxiety, relaxes physically and mentally, and evokes a feeling of harmony . … Rebbetzein Tziporah Heller ) noted that green is a combination of the two primary colors, blue and yellow, with blue symbolizing coolness and yellow symbolizing warmth . Esther’s inner strength was a composite of a fiery sun-like passion with the cooling characteristic of water, allowing her to connect with all peoples. “Her ‘greenness’ was the spiritual symbol of humility, responsiveness, and sensitivity.”
…Rav Yehudah noted that the Hebrew word for concealment is hastir, which is similar to Esther, who concealed her Jewish origins from King Achashverosh. Rav Nechemiah suggested that the name Esther was derived from the Aramaic istahar, or “moon,” as she was as beautiful as the moon or from the Greek Estera, for the planet Venus . In the Talmud a baraisa made note of four women of exceptional beauty, which included Sorah, Rachav, Avigayil, and Esther. However, according to the opinion that Esther’s complexion was green, Esther was replaced with Vashti.
Esther is abducted and taken to the king’s harem . Although the king’s officers searched for beautiful, never-married, young women, Esther was included in this round up of beauty pageant contestants. In addition to possibly being of green complexion and married, her age at this point was estimated at either 40 years (according to Rav), 75 years (the view of the Rabbis), or 80 years (opinion of Shmuel) (Yalkut Shimoni). Obviously, her abduction and final selection as the winner of the pageant clearly is indicative of the “Hand of HaShem.”
Once in the king’s palace, Esther immediately found favor with Hegai, the guardian of the harem. “…and the girl pleased him and she obtained his kindness; he hurriedly prepared her cosmetics and her allowance of delicacies to present her” . Three thoughts are presented regarding her diet . Rav suggested that Hegai gave Esther kosher food. However, if, as yet, Esther did not reveal her religion, why was she provided with a kosher diet? Ben Yehoyada explained that it was well known that Esther, a foundling of unknown origin, was raised in Mordechai’s home. As such, it was natural for Esther to request kosher food, as that was what she was accustomed to eat. Hegai hesitated to alter her diet, as he reasoned that suddenly altering Esther’s dietary regimen would adversely affect her beauty. Or, as further suggested by Ben Yehoyada, is was known that kosher meat was more nutritious than non-kosher meat and Esther simply requested the healthier diet.
—An Ultra Orthodox Jewish boy dressed as a Palestinian smokes a cigarette while celebrating the Purim holiday in Mea Shearim in Jerusalem, March 21, 2011. The Jewish holiday of Purim celebrates the salvation of the Jews from genocide in ancient Persia as told in the book of Esther. UPI/Debbie Hill—
…Esther’s physiological symptoms parallel the pathology, chlorosis, or green sickness disease, which is common in young women, virgins or unmarried, and, at times in childless women. Chlorosis is characterized by a facial complexion of green, greenish yellow, sallow, or light green skin, accompanied by a mental state of depression, weakness, decreased appetite, and reduced food intake, possibly leading to anorexia. Such females avoid consuming red meat, exhibit lowered blood concentrations of hemoglobin, and are anemic. …Yet, despite her physical and mental health issues, “Esther would captivate all who saw her” , again, indicating the touch of grace bestowed upon her by HaShem. Esther was compared to a beautiful statue, upon which if a thousand people gaze and all admire equally. If Median and Persian women were placed on either side of Esther, her beauty was greater than all . According to Yalkut Shimoni, everyone identified Esther as belonging to their nation. Achashverosh ruled over 127 provinces, from India to Ethiopia – i.e., peoples of differing colors, cultures, and psychological mindsets – yet, each province identified Esther as one of their own. This testifies to the extent of the illusion that HaShem created to endear Esther to all that saw her….
…Achashverosh died and was succeeded by Darius II, the son of Esther. Most commentators state that Achashverosh was the father of Darius II; however, Tosfos HaRosh suggested that Mordechai was the father. In any event, Darius II – a child of six years – assumed the leadership of the Persian Empire . Although raised as a Persian, but undoubtedly influenced by his mother, in 3408 Darius II ordered the construction of the Second Beis HaMikdosh, 70 years after the destruction of the First Beis HaMikdosh, as prophesized by Jeremiah .Read More:http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/755548
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