Response Paper Purim Purim is the Jewish holiday commemorating how the Jews of Persia escaped total annihilation thanks to the bravery of Queen Ester. Purim occurs on the 14th of Adar, (or in certain walled cities like Jerusalem, the 15th of Adar.) which this year falls on the 21st of March. The story of Purim is recounted in the Book of Esther, found in the Hebrew Bible. Set in Persia roughly 2,300 years ago, the story tells of how a series of events came together to save the Jewish people from
Elie Wiesel’s the Trial of God represents the age-old question: how can a righteous God allow evil and suffering? Written as a play based on a real event, Wiesel tries to capture the myriad of emotions and theological arguments that were present. Though the trial, in Wiesel’s play, takes place during the seventeenth-century many cultural aspects overlap with twentieth-century Europe and World War II. Similarities between Wiesel’s fictional world and his life experience involve events such as violent
Queen Esther is an iconic, intelligent woman who left a huge impact on the Jewish religion. Being an ordinary woman coming from Jewish descent and marrying a King of the Persian Empire is not something that happens everyday. Esther means ‘hidden’ which represents her having to hide her true identity of being Jewish for many years. Because of her hidden secret, marrying Xerxes was okay, but some believe this was unlikely. Many people believe that the Esther story is fictional because of a few reasons
Importance of Costumes in As You Like It, Twelfth Night, and Henry IV, Part One The Jewish holiday Purim celebrates the rescue of the ancient Jews of Persia from certain destruction at the hands of Haman. The fair queen Ester tricks the villain, and Haman betrays himself before the king. Each year the story is read aloud amidst great celebration. The children, and even the adults, dress up as their favorite character in the story. Each time Haman’s name is uttered, everyone makes as much noise
keep alive the Feast of Purim’s celebratory tradition of their forefathers, and to give a historical background for the reason and celebration of Purim. Esther exhorts its audiences that God is in control even if the situation seems impossible. The text reveals that God is above fate, coincidences and situations. Esther is read during the Feast of Purim by the Jewish populace to honour and remember the joy of the victory of their forefathers over their oppressors. The story of Esther is a historical
The seven Jews celebrate seven important holidays throughout the year. These holidays represent occasions where God steered the Jews down the right path. These holidays include Shabbat, Purim, Passover, Yom Kippur, Hanukkah, Rosh Hashana, and Shavuot. These holidays come around every year. They all involve their own ceremonies and customs. Jews all around the world take part in the festivities. More importantly, these holidays depict how and why people of Jewish value these celebrations. First,
a Jewish queen of Persia who exposed a plot to destroy her people and thus saved all the Jews in that country from destruction (Esther 3:11). The purpose of The Book of Esther is to display the work of God. The Book of Esther records the feast of Purim and it commemorates the great deliverance of the Jewish nation. In the process of analyzing The Book of Esther, the journey into the three worlds will be used. Overall this paper will discuss the fall and rise of the Jewish nation, the use of chiasm
tells of the inauguration of a feast (Purim), which has endured over 2,000 years because of one woman, whose name the book is titled, said, “If I perish… I perish.” Moreover, Esther is a story of courage and communication displayed in the life of two people: Esther and Mordecai. Author and Date The author of this book remains unknown. However, the author was probably a Jew, both from the purpose of the book in accounting for the origin of the Jewish festival Purim and from the Jewish nationalism,
heroism and bravery of a woman heroine. The story of Esther accomplishes two profound things, the first: “To demonstrate God’s providential care of his people, even those outside the land of Israel, and 2) to commend the observance of the feast of Purim by relating how it originated” (Breneman 289).Unlike the rest of the Bible the story of Esther does not directly state or talk about God, but instead shows God’s plans for all of our lives and how in all frightening moments of life, He remains faithful
know that excess is the rule rather than the exception. As far as we know,... ... middle of paper ... ...ngs in the palace, the Kings signet ring and written edicts exemplifying power, feasting and more feasting. However, it is the Feast of the Purim that symbolizes the purpose of the story. Ironic that the story opens with feasting of the Persians for reasons unknown and close with the Jews feasting celebrating their rescue from annihilation. The plot works with or without a theological inference
receive within the empire. However, Gottwald cites the violence as support for the book taking place during the Maccabean time period (261). Some scholars think that the main purpose for the book was to establish the Jewish festival of freedom, or Purim. The Jews celebrate this as a time they were scattered all over the earth, but were respected and able to defend themselves. Others have said that it’s a comedy because of the exaggerated characters and events. The 180 day party and the elaborate
The book of Esther is a narrative history. However, its author remains anonymous; many believe Mordecai, (Esther’s cousin and guardian), wrote it. The book was written around 470 B.C. in Persia. In 479 B.C., Esther became queen. The key characters in the book of Esther are Esther, Mordecai, King Ahasuerus (or Xerxes), and Haman. The purpose of the narrative is to demonstrate God’s love and sovereignty at all times and in all circumstances. It is a post-exile story about Jews who remained in Persia
History is timeless. The events of the distant past have a rippling influence throughout generations. As people look back at wars, decisions, and alliances that they gain a new understanding of the world around them and their own story. Thanks to new technology, people of all ages have a way of connecting themselves to the distant past that wasn’t always available before. Many movies and films have been released with many recreating events from various periods of history. These films present events
The three things that I would take would be a bible, a purse of pictures, and my phone. The first thing I would show the local people would be my bible. I would tell the native people about how my mom would read bible stories to us instead of bedtime stories. Next I would read them my favorite book of the bible, Esther because it is the story of how one girl gathered enough courage to change the fate of her people. I would tell the local people of how I would let my imagination run wild every
Torah (the Law) "…means "teaching" or "instruction"…(Harris, 3) for mankind. The Torah includes both the Oral Law and the Written Law. In addition, the Law is an extension of sacred oral tradition, thus broadening the meaning of Torah to designate the entire body of Jewish laws, customs, and ceremonies. Nevi'im( the Prophets) "…consists of narratives relating to Israel's …" (Harris, 3) history as a nation on its land and a "…collections of oracles" (Harris, 6) . Supporters of God's covenant do
King Xerxes was a ruler of over 170 providences stretching from India to Cush. As a great king over a vast empire, he showed his wealth by throwing long and large parties [1:4]. His display of wealth is the first thing that we see within Esther’s story [1:3-5]. This is important because it emphasizes how many people Xerxes was humiliated in front of when Vashti refused to come to him [1:12]. Due to the fact that his deposed wife Vashti disobeyed a command, he was counseled by advisers and then forced
Tatyana Barlow Ms. Roth/Period 1 Bible as Literature 10 March 2016 Esther Courage, irony and hypocrisy are traits that are each expressed in the book of Esther. In fact, it is partially what makes the book so interesting to its readers. People like Mordecai and Haman have brought irony and courage to the book through their various actions. There were also individuals like Xerxes who exhibited hypocrisy in the story. However, Esther expressed courage as well. The people in the book of Esther each
If the book of Esther could turn into a modern day movie the title could be called “Providence of Connection”. Why? Because it is shed’s light of how God’s chosen people were given retribution through Him by His divine protection from their enemies. The leading topic of Esther is deliverance of the Jews by Queen Esther. To describe Queen Esther let’s begin with her roots. She is a Jewish descendent whose cousin Mordecai raised her as his very own daughter. Her Jewish name was Hadassah. She was a
The book of Esther tells of a courageous young woman who uses her mind to please God. She becomes the wife of a great king and allows for protection of her own people, the Jews. Esther is a great role model for women of modern day times because of her strength, nobility, and honesty. She portrays a woman with power that most women of that day did not have. The story of Esther has empowered women of all backgrounds and will continue to do so well into the future. This story originates in the country
At the time of our Bat Mitzvah, we as Jewish women are encouraged to look to influential and inspirational Jewish women, such as Esther, for guidance and strength. A Bat Mitzvah is a Jewish ritual in which a female immediately upon the age of 12 becomes an adult or a “daughter of the mitzvah” (Cahabad.org, 2016) (Pelaia, 2014). This ritual marks the beginning of a lifetime of devotion to the Jewish religion and with this comes the exploration of your own personal purpose that was given to you by