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March 9, 2020

Does the Book of Esther Portray Diaspora Heroism or Its Opposite?

A new exegesis and its flaws.

In a recently published work, Seymour Epstein offers a radical reinterpretation of Esther—the biblical scroll (megillah) read in synagogues tonight to mark the holiday of Purim. The book, he suggests, is in fact a critique of its ostensible heroes. In Epstein’s understanding, Mordechai and Esther, having passed up the opportunity to return to the Land of Israel with other Jewish exiles, are portrayed as representing the confusion and vulnerability of life in the Diaspora. In her review, Sarah Rindner summarizes his case:

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March 9, 2020

  1. U.S. Pressure on Iran Is Curbing the Mullahs’ Ability to Shed Blood

    The way to moderate Tehran’s behavior does not involve “strengthening the moderates.”

  2. Israel’s Supreme Court May Have Sown the Seeds of Its Own Disempowerment

    Its edict crippling lame-duck governments has led voters to rally around Prime Minister Netanyahu.

  3. A “Cash-for-Quiet” Deal with Qatar Is Likely to Harm Israel

    Jerusalem can learn a lesson from Riyadh.

  4. Does the Book of Esther Portray Diaspora Heroism or Its Opposite?

    A new exegesis and its flaws.

  5. Dvorah Drechler, the Pioneering Jewish Soldier Who Died in Battle a Century Ago

    Tel Hai’s other hero.