Although not explicit in Megillas Esther, the events of Purim center between the destruction of the First Beis HaMikdosh and the building of the Second Beis HaMikdosh, 70 years later. Nebuchadnezzar founded the Babylonian Empire in 3318 and one year thereafter made Judah a vassal state of Babylon. In 3327, he exiled Yekhoniah, king of Judah, along with 10,000 leading Jewish scholars, many of whom settled in Babylon. A positive aspect was that these exiled scholars, which included Mordechai, built a Jewish infrastructure of yeshivas in Babylon. The year 3338 was pivotal in Jewish history, as the armies of Nebuchadnezzar marched on, and destroyed, the First Beis HaMikdosh, exiling the remaining Jews. Jeremiah previously prophesized, “And this whole land [of Israel] shall be a ruin, and a waste, and these nations [i.e., the tribes of Israel] shall serve the king of Babylon 70 years. And it will come to pass, when the 70 years are fulfilled, that I will punish the king of Babylon”(Jeremiah 25:11-12). Another of his prophesies, “For thus said HaShem: After 70 years for Babylonia have been completed, I will attend to you and I will fulfill for you My favorable promise - to return you to this place” (Jeremiah 26:10). “In the polytheistic world, the G-d of Israel had a reputation. He had to be reckoned with and, therefore the rulers kept up with Jewish beliefs and took Jewish prophets and their prophesies seriously” (Spiro, 2010). The issue faced by the non-Jewish rulers was from what point to calculate the 70 years.

After a reign of 45 years, Nebuchadnezzar was succeeded by Evil Merodach, who reigned for 23 years, to be followed by Belshazzar. Cognizant of Jeremiah’s prophecy, Belshazzar calculated (albeit, incorrectly) the passage of time since the destruction of the First Beis HaMikdosh. Not seeing the redemption of the Jewish people and assuming that HaShem reneged on His promise, Belshazzar made a fatal celebration, using the stolen Temple vessels at his banquet. That night he died, co-murdered by Cyrus the Persian and Darius I, the Mede. The death of Belshazzar marked the end of the Babylonian empire; Vashti, Evil Merodach’s daughter (Talmud Megillah 10b), survived the invasion. To seal their allegiance, Cyrus married the daughter of Darius I, producing a son, Achashverosh. Darius I had taken Vashti to Persia and eventually gave her as an 18 year old bride to his grandson Achashverosh, son of Cyrus. Darius I died after a brief rule and Cyrus assumed the leadership both of Medea and Persia, establishing the new Persian Empire. Being somewhat sympathetic to the Jewish plight, in 3390 he allowed the rebuilding of the Second Beis HaMikdosh and permitted the Jews to return to Jerusalem. Only 42,000 return, leaving millions in Babylon. Cyrus moved the Persian capital to Shushan, taking Mordechai with him. Within two years, because of intervention by the Samaritans, Cyrus halted Jewish migration to Jerusalem but still allowed the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdosh (MeAm Lo’ez).

Achashverosh succeeded his father Cyrus and assumed rulership of Persia in 3392; his wife, Vashti, was the granddaughter of Nebuchadnezzar. An early edict was the cessation of the rebuilding of the Second Beis HaMikdosh. 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 (beginning of chapter 2). In the seventh year of his reign, in Teves, 3399, Esther married Achashverosh and one year later, she gave birth to Darius II (MeAm Lo’ez).

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 (Talmud Megillah 13a, 14a). 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 (Ibn Ezra to Esther 8:1) or her cousin (Esther 2:7) and presumably was the one who named her.   

“He (i.e., Mordechai) had raised Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter; she had neither father nor mother and she was of beautiful form and fair appearance. When her father and mother died, Mordechai adopted her as his daughter” (Esther 2:7). There are two distinct opinions concerning the actual relationship between Mordechai and Esther (Talmud Megillah 13a). According to one opinion, Esther, an orphan, remain a ward of Mordechai - he raised her, sustained her, and taught her Torah. Either, because of her beauty (Ibn Ezra, Esther 2:7) or her righteousness (Rav A.Y. Sorotzkin in Renas Yitzchak), Mordechai desired to marry her. This marriage, however, never took place either because she was abducted by the king’s officiers prior to their marriage or because Mordechai refrained from marrying Esther as he had knowledge that HaShem would bring a miracle through Esther, requiring her marriage to king Achashverosh (MeAm Lo’ez). 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 (Rav Dovid Cohen in Ohel Dovid, volume 3).   

There is some controversy regarding Esther’s birth name (Talmud Megillah 13a). According to R’ Meir her birth name was Esther, but she was called Hadassah, as righteous people are designated as hadas (Zechariah 1:8), 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 (Likutei HaMaR’ick; Deutsch, 2002). 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. The result is an accumulation of bilirubin in the blood, leading to the yellowing of the skin; a bilirubin level of more than 5 mg/dL manifests clinical neonatal jaundice (Wikipedia). 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 (Megillah 13a, 15a) 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.

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 (Smith, 2010). It is not surprising that in most educational institutions, the traditional blackboard was replaced with the green board. Rebbetzein Tziporah Heller (2009) 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.”

There is another opinion that her birth name was Hadassah and Esther was added later.

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 (Talmud Megillah 13a) or from the Greek Estera, for the planet Venus (Yalkut Shimoni). In the Talmud (Megillah 15a) 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 (Esther 2:8). 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” (Esther 2:9). Three thoughts are presented regarding her diet (Talmud Megillah 13a). 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. The second opinion, that of Rav Yochanan, was that Esther claimed to be a vegetarian (MeAm Lo’ez), requesting a diet of seeds, beans, and nuts, similar to the diet requested by Daniel, Chananiah, Michael, and Azariah, when held captive in Nebuchadnezzar palace (Daniel 1:16). In contrast to meat, no one specific vegetable, bean, seed, or nut contains all the essential amino acids or fatty acids needed for good health. Thus, Esther needed to mix and match her vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds to maintain proper nutrition. Despite her non-meat diet, Esther maintained both her health and beauty (Megillas Sesarim).

The third opinion, the most radical, was that of Shmuel, who suggested that Hegai feed Esther fatty hog bacon, a delicacy (Talmud Chullin, 17a). Rashi, coming to the defense of Esther, noted that as Esther was forced to consume this non-kosher food, she was not liable for sinning. Tosafos (Talmud Megillah 13a), however, strongly noted that it was unthinkable that Esther ate treif. Coming to Esther’s rescue, Ben Yehoyada suggested that Esther ate shibuta, i.e., a kosher fish, the brains of which have a taste similar to that of pork meat. Megillas Sesarim, amongst others (Rav Sorotzkin), explained that Mordechai and Esther, applying their knowledge of kaballah, fashioned a female android - an Esther look-alike - who substituted for Esther when pork was the main dish. According to the Aruch, the correct reading of the Talmud is not “fatty pork” but rather the “tops of lettuce,” thus, the problem of eating treif was non-existent.   

“Every day Mordechai walked in front of the court of the harem to find out about Esther’s well-being and to learn what would become of her” (Esther 2:11). Not to publicize a specific interest in Esther, Mordechai took daily strolls through the harem’s courtyard. Apparently, he understood that Esther’s predicament was a Divine tool to ultimately serve the Jewish people, although at this point, the game plan was unknown to Mordechai. Mordechai’s concern for Esther’s well-being was two-fold. Firstly, because of Esther’s beauty, he was concerned that the other women in the harem would physically harm her. Secondly, Mordechai was concerned over Esther’s mental health, as she was distraught and had fallen into a deep depression, causing her complexion to change to a greenish hue (Vilna Gaon, cited by Rav Sorotzkin).

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. Although there is a normal expectation for a female to recover from chlorosis, there is a tendency for a relapse in later life (Loudon, 1980, 1984). Esther’s depression and vegetarian diet may have been factors inducing chlorosis. Yet, despite her physical and mental health issues, “Esther would captivate all who saw her” (Esther 2:15), 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 (Midrash Esther Rabbah 6:9). 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.

In the third chapter of the Megillah mention is made of Haman’s promotion in rank and his plot against the Jews, as well as Mordechai’s refusal to bow to him. In chapter 4, Mordechai rented his clothes, put on a sack cloth and ashes, and sat in the midst of Shusan, crying bitterly. News of Mordechai’s unusual actions was brought to the attention of Esther, who was unaware of political events as she was involved in biyur chametz (Rav Sorotzkin). Upon hearing the reason for Mordechai’s mourning, Esther  terrified (literally, “she became full of hollows”) (Esther 4:4). Several explanations were put forth to explain this unusual expression. Rav Yirmiya suggested that Esther’s bowels loosened (Talmud Megillah 15a). Diarrhea can stem from many causative agents, such as.viral or bacterial infections, medications, sugar-free foods containing sorbitol, fats substitutes (i.e., Olestra), and irritable bowel syndrome. However, with Esther, the cause of the diarrhea may have been linked to increased stress or anxiety.  In the world of today, stressors that induce diarrhea include drastic life changes, e.g., death of a loved one or divorce, pressures at work, or travel (Lewis, 2010). Stress can also lead to irritable bowel syndrome (Zender and Olshansky, 2009).

Rav, presented a different explanation, stating that Esther became a menstruant (Talmud Megillah 15a). One cause of dysfunctional uterine bleeding, defined as abnormal uterine bleeding in the absence of organic disease, is stress. Excessive stress, exercise, and weight loss may cause hypothalamic suppression, leading to abnormal uterine bleeding resulting from the disruption of the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian pathway (Estephan and Sinert, 2010). Others have correlated mental health problems with abnormal menstruation (Sheinfeild et al., 2007). For example, a higher incidence of abnormal menstruation was noted in women with phobic anxiety, diet and sleep disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (Liu et al., 2010).   

Another opinion, presented in Midrash Esther Rabbah (8:3), was that Esther was pregnant and now miscarried. There are many risk factors for early miscarriage, ranging from a woman’s age, her hormonal levels (progesterone, in particular), and perceived  higher levels of stress/demands, which correlated with higher concentrations of corticotrophin-releasing hormones and reduced levels of progesterone-induced blocking factor (Arck et al., 2008).  

Mordechai and Esther devised a plan to counteract Haman’s evil decree against the Jewish people. Mordechai sent to Esther a copy of the decree and ordered her to beseech the king and plead with him to save the Jewish people. To approach the king without being summoned was a death sentence and Esther was hesitant. Mordechai stressed that Esther would not be excluded from the evil decree and stated, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and rescue will come from elsewhere and you and your father’s household will perish (Esther 4:13-14). Esther requested the Jews in Shushan to undertake a 3-day fast on her behalf. She uttered her famous statement, “I will go to the king contrary to the law and if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16). Approaching the king without being summoned (Esther 5:1) had ramifications on her future relationships with Mordechai. According to the opinion that Mordechai and Esther were husband and wife, her willingness to approach the king without being summoned now made her forbidden to Mordechai (Talmud Megillah 15a). Interesting, there is an opinion that prior to this point (i.e., Esther 5:1), all of Esther’s personal relations with Achashverosh were performed through her look-alike android (Megillas Sesarim, 2:9; Rav Sorotzkin).

The 3-day fast started on the 14th of Nissan, lasted through the 15th (i.e., the first day of Pesach) to the end of the 16th day when Haman was hanged. Esther guarded the secret of her Jewish origins for nine years, until when she pleaded for her people, which resulted in Haman’s downfall in the twelfth year of the reign of Achashverosh (MeAm Lo’ez). The Purim victory occurred in 3405 and in the following year, 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 (MeAm Lo’ez). 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 (Spiro, 2010).

References

Arck, P.C., Rucke, M., Rose, M., Szekeres-Bartho, J., Douglas, A.J., Pritsch, M., Blois,

S.M., Pincus, M.K., Barenstrauch, M., Dudenhausen, J.W., Nakamura, K., Sheps, K., and Klapp, B.F., 2008, Early risk factors for miscarriages: a prospective cohort study in pregnant women, Reprod. Biomed. Online. 17:101-113.

Deutsch, Y., 2002, Let My Nation Live, Mesorah Publ., Ltd., Brooklyn, NY

Estephan, A. and Sinert, D.O., 2010, Dysfunctional uterine bleeding, http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/795587-overview

Heller, T., 2009, Exploring the Meaning of Life’s Moments. Here You Are, Targum Press, Southfield, MI 

Hoenig, L.J., 2006, Queen Esther: strong as steel but iron deficient, Florida Jewish News  (Adar10-16, 5766).

Lewis, R., 2010, Can stress cause diarrhea? http://www.ehow.com/about_50p63158_can-stress-cause-diarrhrea.html

Liu, X., Yang, Y., Yuan, P., Zhang, X., Han, Y., Cao, Y., and Xiong, G., 2010, A study of the relationship between mental health and menstrual abnormalities in female middle school students from postearthquake Wenchuan, Biosci. Trends, 4:4-8.

Loudon, I.S.L., 1980, Chlorosis, anaemia, and anorexia nervosa, Br. Med. J., 281:20-27.

Loudon, I., 1984, The disease called chlorosis, Psychol. Med., 14:27-36.

Sheinfield, H., Gal, M., Bunzel, M.E., and Vishne, T., 2007, The etiology of some menstrual disorders: a gynecological and psychiatric issue, Health Care Women Int., 28:817-827.

Smith, K., 2010 (retrieved 9/27), Sensational color. All about the color green,  http://www.sensationalcolor.com/color-meassages-meanings/color.

Spiro, K., 2010, Crash Course in Jewish History, Targum Press, Southfield, MI.

Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neonatal_jaundicep (retrieved 12/15/2010)

Zender, R. and Olshansky, E., 2009, Women’s mental health: depression and anxiety, Nurs. Clin. North Amer., 44:355-364.

 Translations used:

-The Book of Esther, MeAm Lo’ez, 1978, Maznaim Publ. Co., NY, NY

-The Megillah. The Book of Esther. 1991, Mesorah Publ., Ltd., Brooklyn, NY

-The Five Megilloth, vol. 1, Esther, Song of Songs, Ruth, 1992, The Judaica Press. NY, NY

-Tractate Megillah, 1991, Mesorah Publ., Ltd., Brooklyn, NY