ESTHER
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. The essay suggests that the real story of Esther is a palace coup and a civil war which were thwarted by Mordecai. This seems more believable than the farce the story appears to be. Do you agree, or do you see yet another story here?

2. This story is often cited as a warning about the dangers that Jews are exposed to when they are living in exile. Yet, it seems to be the opposite since a Jew, Mordecai, is in a position of power in the palace. If the times were dangerous to Jews, how could a Jew rise to such an important position? It had to be known that Esther was a Jew, if the atmosphere was so dangerous for Jews, how could a Jew become queen?

3. What became of Vashti? The story removes her in an odd way. Why not simply have Ahasuerus divorce her and marry Esther? Why did Vashti refuse Ahasuerus’s request? Even if the request required her to appear naked, she had to know that a refusal would have dire consequences, ,maybe even death Was she a liberated woman, or did she have a physical infirmity (such as an ugly rash) that she was ashamed of, or maybe it was some other reason.

4. After the story ends, what became of Esther?

5. Do you think the Biblical audience enjoyed the story of Esther or was frightened by it?

6. Why do you think the authors of the story of Esther chose to omit God from the story? In every other story, God is the creator, redeemer, warrior and fortress of refuge. Even though God is missing, evil remains. The Jews are depicted as succeeding in this story even without the presence of God. What do you think this means? What are the implications? Where do you think this leads? Do we need God now? On the other hand, could the absence of an explicit reference to God imply that even if we are not consciously aware of God’s presence, He is nevertheless “there”? Or even if God does not overtly manipulate events, He can do so through other means, such as in co-ordination with human efforts (the king did not sleep because he was worried about events because of the actions of Esther and Mordecai, but it appears to be an unusual and fortuitous event that he was unable to sleep that could be attributed to the hand of God). Still further, could this story be read (as suggested in the “observation” section) as showing that God needs our help regarding human and/or earthly matters, in the manner of a partner in charge of certain aspects of a grand experiment?

7. Why couldn’t Ahasuerus simply have Haman murdered and thus remove the threat? The essay suggests that this couldn’t happen because Haman had a large following. Haman did not appear to be a friend of the Jews. If Haman would have succeeded in his plot, he may have ordered all Jews eliminated. Could this be the part of the story that was frightening to the Jews in the audience – how close they are at all times to falling from being in the good graces of those in power to falling to exile and possible death if those in power are replaced? Isn’t this a theme that is repeated many times in history: the Jews are well taken care of when one entity is in power, but fall into disgrace when that entity is replaced?

8.Why do you think the Jews were still living in Persia instead of in Israel? Does it appear that the Jews of this story had assimilated?

9.What is the difference between a farce, a parody, a burlesque and a comedy? What is the difference between a history and a cautionary tale?
10. The story of Esther is often cited as an example of anti-Semitism. Could the story also raise issues of gender identity and sexism for the way Vashti is treated (as an object, a subordinate object at that) and the way women in general are treated (a year-long preparation so the women can be presented to the king as objects to see which one pleases him and is thus worthy of being or good looking enough to be queen? As well as the exclusion of women from the king’s parties (compare verse 5 to verse 9)). Could the treatment of women in this story be considered treating women as “other”? If so, could this “othering” of women be related to the “othering” of Jews in anti-Semitism? Do you think this “othering” (gender “othering” and/or ethnic “othering”) affects the national politics in Esther (see, e.g., Memucan’s translation in 1:16 of Vashti’s refusal of the King’s request into a national crisis (see, e.g., 1:22 where the King’s decree should declare that “every man should wield authority in his own home…”))?
11. The story of Esther seems to be so far removed from what we know to be historically accurate (for example, the months-long party, as well as the stated extent of the Persian Empire being far in excess of what we know it to have been). Why do you think the authors strayed so far from reality for the events in this story?
12. The essay suggests that Ahasuerus’s treatment of Vashti is a subterfuge for eliminating her so he can substitute Esther as a conduit to Mordecai. However, can you think of any other reason for Ahasuerus’s treatment of Vashti? Perhaps he was trying to demonstrate his power over his household to the gathered guests and her refusal was an affront to this and a public humiliation, so he reacted accordingly.
13. What do you think the women were doing and talking about at Vashti’s party? The men were drinking and cavorting, do you think the women were doing the same? Do you think the men worried about what the women were doing outside of their control?
14. Do you think that Vashti’s refusal undermined the power men were wielding over women and exposed the fragile nature of this patriarchal order? Do you think her refusal reinforced any insecurities the men might have had? Maybe that is what the women were discussing at their party.
15. In 2:5-6, Mordecai is identified as a Benjaminite and is also associated with Judah. Which is it? Is it important?
16. Why do you think Esther is introduced as being an orphan? What difference does it make whether she has parents or not? She is alone and on her own in a strong patriarchal society and she will enter right into the heart of this society. Could there be more to Esther than we are being told in 2:7?
17. Verse 2:15 introduces Esther’s father’s name as Abihail (Mordecai’s uncle). This name is translated to “my father is might” or “strength”. What do you think the significance of this name and its introduction here is?
18. A common interpretation of this story is one of Haman’s anti-Semitism. If this is so, do you think Haman was anti-Semitic before Mordecai refused to bow down to him, or after (3:2-7)? If it is before, then Haman may have simply been using Mordecai’s refusal as further evidence supporting his conclusion that Jews were hateful and Mordecai’s refusal merely intensified his hatred; whereas, if it was after Mordecai’s refusal, then Haman was an exaggerated reaction to an individual conflict.
19. We are told that Haman was an Agagite and Mordecai was a Benjamin. As we know, Agagites were enemies of the Jews. We also know that Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin and fought a war with the Amalekites. Do you think the conflict described in this story could be related to the conflict described in 1 Samuel?
20. In 3:7, we are informed that the events related in the story occur “In the first month, that is, the month of Nisan…” Nisan is the month of Passover. In Passover, God is front and center; yet, in this story God seems to be absent. God helped the Jews in Passover, but forced the Jews of Persia to help themselves. Do you think the author’s selection of the month of Nisan had any significance in the meaning of this story?
21. In 3:7, lots were cast and gave Haman the floor and a chance to unleash his anti-Semitic rhetoric in 3:8. Since the casting of lots is controlled by chance, do you think God had any hand in the casting of lots so that Haman would be selected? Recall that the name of the holiday associated with this story is Purim, which includes the word Pur meaning “the lot.” Why would Jews name their holiday after the lot if it were not important?
22. In 3:11, Ahasuerus accepts Haman’s proposal to annihilate all Jews, but refuses to accept the astronomical bribe (“And the King said, ‘The money and the people are yours to do with as you se fit.’”). Why would Ahasuerus react in this way – accept the proposal for genocide but refuse to take the bribe?
23. Do you see any parallel between the King’s (via the Memucan order) treatment of Vashti (and hence, by extension, all women) and his treatment (via Haman’s order) of the Jews? Could he be considering both women and Jews as “others” who were to be eliminated because they opposed the King, and hence certain classes of people were a threat to national stability because of their sex or identity)? Could this be an incident of sexual identity politics in one case and ethnic identity politics in the other (“woman-as-other” in the Vashti case or “Jew-as-other” in the Haman case)?
24. Could Esther be considered as being simultaneously “other (Jew and woman)” and “us (queen)”? Perhaps Esther resolved this tension within herself by never being “us” but instead only posing as “us” so she could assist Mordecai in thwarting Haman’s coup.
25. Why do you think Haman overlooked Esther as his adversary? Do you think he ever connected Esther and Mordecai?
26. Why do you think Ahasuerus “promoted Haman and seated him higher than any of his fellow officials” (3:1)? Perhaps to better keep an eye on him? Or to lull him into a sense of false security?
27. In 6:1, when Ahasuerus can’t sleep, he orders a book of records to be brought to him. Records and annals are not the usual bedtime reading material one would normally use if he can’t sleep. Why do you think the king ordered such reading material?
28. Throughout the story, it appears that the eunuchs have access to a great deal of knowledge and intelligence for all three of the main characters. Why do you suppose that they do not share that knowledge? What do you think would have happened had they shared their knowledge of Mordecai/Esther’s plans with Haman, or shared anything about the king’s plans with Haman?
29. In 6:10, Ahasuerus refers to Mordecai as “the Jew” when discussing the planned royal parade with Haman (when informing Haman that it will be Mordecai who is being honored and not Haman). Why do you suppose the king chose to refer to Mordecai as “the Jew” in this context?
30. What do you think the spectators of the parade thought when they saw Mordecai in the place they might have expected to see the king, or perhaps Haman?
31. In 6:13, Haman is told by his wife and advisors that “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish stock, you will not overcome him; you will fall before him to your ruin.” What special powers are they attributing to “Jewish stock”?
32. Based on the advice given to him by his wife and his advisors in 6:13, as well as his own analysis of the situation, one would think that Haman would fear for his life. Why did he go with the eunuchs to Esther’s banquet instead of fleeing for his life? Does he think that he has a better chance of surviving if he can persuade Esther to save him (see 7:7) than he does by fleeing? If so, what does that tell you about Haman’s attitude toward women in general and Esther in particular?
33. The original decree written by Haman stated that it could not be overridden (in 8:8, it is stated that an edict written in the king’s name and has the king’s seal cannot be revoked); therefore, Esther and Mordecai have to devise an edict which does not countermand that initial order, but does avoid its damage. Thus, they devise an edict which permits the Jews to assemble and fight for their lives and take revenge on their enemies (8:10). Why do you think this round-about order had to be devised? Kings have often sent out countermanding orders, especially when so much damage can be done to the kingdom by the initial order. The essay suggests that this second order was a cover for the resistance to the coup. Do you agree?
34. The second decree appears to remove the Jews from the status of “other” and place them in the status of “us.” Furthermore, in 8:17, it is stated that “many of the people of the land professed to be Jews.” Given the tone of race politics and gender politics, do you think this sudden and total reversal of status makes sense?
35. Based on the new decree, the story reports that the Jews killed tens of thousands of people 75,810 to be exact) yet gives no indication that the Jews met with any opposition. Could this be blaming the Jews for the massacre? Why do you think the text goes to such lengths to present exact details and death tolls for so many victims and locations?
36. In 9:15 and again in 9:16, it is reported that the Jews “did not lay hands on the spoil” with no further comment. What do you think this means and why is it stuck into the story?
37. Given the details of the story, why does it instruct Jews celebrate Purim as a festival of deliverance rather than one of overpowering an enemy (9:21)? Also, given the details of the story, why has the festival of Purim also been observed by giving presents to the poor (9:19)? What do deliverance and charity have to do with the events related in this story?
38. 10:1-2 focus on Ahasuerus and Mordecai, what happened to Esther? She was instrumental in the story and without her the story probably would have ended quite differently. Why is she absent from the summary? Do you think 10:1-3 is a good and accurate conclusion to the story?
39. Do you see any commonality between the name Esther and the name Ishtar (the Mesopotamian goddess of love and war)? Or between Hadassah and the Assyrian title of Ishtar meaning “Queen”? What about “Mortdecai” and “Marduk” (a Babylonian God)?
40. Does it disturb you that Esther marries a non-Jew yet is given canonical status in the Bible?
41, How does Esther’s character develop over the course of the story? Does she grow in moral stature? She appears to be a different person at the end of the story from the beginning, she seems to have changed from a silent, passive, anonymous girl into a bold, brave. decisive and strong woman capable of leading people and outwitting enemies. Do you think this development was some sort of message to Diaspora Jews?
42. The story of Daniel is somewhat similar to the story of Esther in that the story of Daniel is the story of Jews in a foreign court. Do you see similarities, and what are the differences (Daniel’s king dreams whereas sleep evades Esther’s king; Daniel’s messengers are angelic whereas Esther’s messengers are human, etc.), and what can you take away from these differences and similarities?
43. Do you see the Book of Esther as a source for discussing problems related to gender, marginalization, ethnicity, even gender identity (after all, Esther did “come out” when she moved to the court)?
44. Do you think Haman has anything in common with Hitler? Is there a comparison between the Jews living in Persia and the Jews living in Germany? (see question 49 below) Haman cites the Jews’ refusal to comply with the nation’s statutes and their refusal to assimilate as a reason for exterminating them. He encourages the king to enlist the other citizens in this action. It seems that Haman counts on the existence of a widespread hostility toward Jews which only waits for official encouragement and sanction to break out in violence against the Jews. Does this story illustrate the precariousness of Jews in countries where even a benevolent ruler can be persuaded to give in to hostile attitudes of an advisor or a popular movement? Philo of Alexandria also writes of the precarious position of Jews in Alexandria (see “Against Flaccus”) in ways that are quite reminiscent of the Jews of Shushan.
45. Should Jews seek protection from high-ranking officials (such as Ahasuerus) or from popular allies? Perhaps this analogy could be extended to Israel seeking assistance from the President of the United States versus establishing close ties with members of Congress. See The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951) by Hannah Arendt where she traces the fatal weakness of twentieth-century European Jewry back to the ancient habit of seeking high-ranking protectors rather than popular allies.
46. Do you see a parallel between the story of Esther and the story of Exodus? In both stories, the Jews in Diaspora were protected by a high-ranking official, but were persecuted when that high-ranking official either lost power or changed his mind or disappeared.
47. Compare Mordacai to Joseph. Both rose to power in a court that was otherwise hostile to Jews. Compare Mordacai to Daniel.
48. Compare Esther to Moses (they went opposte ways in court. Esther rose in court, Moses left it and fled). What traits, strengths and weaknesses did they share? Which ones were opposite?
49. In Esther 4, after Mordecai learned of Hamen’s plot against the Jews, he “went through the city, crying out loudly and bitterly…” He took his protest all the way to the palace gate. On the other hand, when Pharoah ordered the murder of the Jews’ first born, nobody protested (with the exception of the midwives who, in secret, refused to carry out the order), the outrage was met with silence. Compare the two reactions. Compare the reactions to the way German antisemitism was met by Jews prior to and during the Holocaust. Compare the results of the cases. Compare the strength of the Jews relative to the State in each case. Do you think the following statement captures the differences: “a claim lodged in silence, an appeal made in silence, an interest defended in silence, is one that is not lodged, not made, and not defended”? Do you think a Mordecai-type protest would have done any good in Pharaoh’s Egypt or Hitler’s Germany? It is the fear of confronting a ruler, the certitude that reservations voiced will result only in punishment, that is the hallmark of the thought of a slave.
50. Compare Mordecai to Moses.
51, Compare Esther to Joseph. Joseph was afraid to confront Pharoah, Esther confronted Ahasuerus.
52. Compare Esther to Nehemia. To Daniel. To Miriam.
53. In the essay “God’s Rules,” it is suggested that God does not interfere with juman events (with the exception of a possible destruction of the entire Jewish Nation). Is the story of Esther an example of this non-inteference? God could very easily have intervened and ended the entire plot by Hamen, but He didn’t. On the other hand, can you find the hand of God in the events of the story, especially the series of conincidences or chance events? For example, the king’s inability to sleep at that particular time and his request to review the records concerning the attempt on his life; or Haman’s early morning vist to the king to ask for Mordecai’s life. Could we attribute these “unusual” actions or events in the story to God’s intervention, or possibly simultaneously to both human cause and to God (for example, in the Joseph story, it could be viewed as a simultaneous action of God enslaving the descendents of Jacob in order to forge a nation open to receiving the commandments, while at the same time the enslavement was a result of the human actions of Joseph’s brothers, Joseph, and the Pharoahs)? If we see the natural world (i.e., chance and probablility) as itself an expression of God’s actions, could we see God’s involvement hovering over everything that happens in the Esther story despite the fact that God is never mentioned by name?
54. In 4:13-14, Mordecai tells Esther: “Do not imagine that you, of all the Jews, will escape with your life by being in the king’s palace. On the contrary, if you keep silent in this crisis, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another quarter, while you and your father’s house will perish.” Why do you think Mordecai phrased his challenge to Esther this way? What was he getting at?
55. In 4:16 – 5:1, it is reported that there is a two day lapse of time. What do you think Esther was doing during those two days (other than merely fasting)? What do you thik Mordecai was doing?
56. After fasting for three days, Esther had to look haggard, even in royal apparel. She most likely was not the beauty she had been. Why do you think the King was so immediately taken by her (5:2 “As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won his favor.”)?
57. In 7:9, after Mordecai is discredited, a eunuch, Harbonah, suddenly appears and gives the king advice regarding the disposition of Haman. Where did this eunuch come from and how did he get sufficient power to give the king advice, which the king took? Compare Harbonah to Pharoah’s cupbearer in the Joseph story (courtiers all know which way the wind is blowing and attach themselves to those who can do them the most good).
58. How do you think Mordecai went about leading a counter-revolution? What steps did he take to that end? After all, Haman had had a long time to organize the revolution and apparently had many followers. What did Mordecai do to turn this around?
59. In 8:10, a letter was written over the king’s seal permitting “the Jews of everycity to assemble and fight for their lives; if any people or province attacks the, they may destroy, massacre, and exterminate it armed force together with women and children, and plunder their possessions…” Do you think an order like this to the Jews of Germany prior to Hitler’s obtaining power would have made any difference? This letter seems to allow the Jews to act pro-actively and thus be aggressive rather than passive. It is much more difficult for a bully to attack someone who is aggressive than to attack a passive victim.
60. Compare Ashuerus’s attitude toward Esther and the Jews to Darius’s response to Daniel.
61. Why did Mordecai and Esther insist on a festival commemorating the victory? Viewing the story through a lens of anti-semitism as is often done, this festival (would be the only one not pre-set in the Bible) could it be in response to the assimilation and subsequent disappearance of the Ten Lost Tribes over a century earlier when they were sent to Assyria? Could Mordecai and Esther have instituted this holiday to remind the Jews to remain un-assimilated? In the face of the pressures of anti-semitism and persecution, as well as the advantages of hiding one’s Jewishness (remember that Esther had to hide her Jewishness), it would be an easy step to discard one’s Jewishness in favor of assimilation. A holiday such as this might serve to remind Jews of the advantages of remaining Jewish, that it is worth fighting to be a Jew, even in the face of exile into a society that is hostile to remaining Jewish.
62. Compare the acceptance of the Jewish religion by the people at Mt. Sinai to the acceptance of the Jewish religion by the people in exile in Babylonia. Compare these two instances of acceptance to the acceptance of the Jewish religion by the people of today.
63. In 4:14, Mordecai tells Esther, “…relief and deliverance will come to the Jew from another quarter…” what do you think this means? God? If God, then why is Mordecai using it as an alternative, fall back, position if Esther does not act? One would think that God would be the first choice. Do you think Esther was Mordecais’s first choice? Do you think Mordecai knew of any other source, or even potential source, of “deliverance”? If so, what do you think it was? If Esther had failed, do you think Mordecai could have found another source of “delieverance” in time? Or at all? What do you think would have happened had Esther fallen into the wrong hands?
64. Compare Mordecai to Mattathias ben Joanan and his sons during the Maccabean Revolt revolt against the Selecid Greeks.
65. Compare Haman to Machiavelli.
66. Compare Mordecai to Machiavelli, the differences as well as the similarities.
67. Do you think a Mordecai-type person could have defeated Hitler prior to his rise to power?
68. Do you think Mordecai’s warning to Esther in 4:14 that she and her father’s house will perish if she remains silent is pertinent to today that remaining silent in the face of threats, especially existential threats, will not save you but will result in your perishing? Esther heeded the warning; do you think you would, or could, take action as bold and fraught with danger as Esther did?
69. The essay views the story of Esther through a lens of a coup d’état. Do you think the story could also be understood in terms of the usual format of annihilation of the Jews, but using conventional political analysis to understand Mordecai’s and Esther’s moves as well as the events of the story?
70. Do you think it is possible to read God into the story of Esther? If so, how? Do we need to re-define what is meant by “God’s action”?