A clear and decisive answer will be given - for no one who wanted to lose and destroy the Jewish people in the kingdom of Persia and Media. A clear and decisive answer? We will examine this later
Once upon a time in our youth we used to set fire to Lag Ba'omer dolls of Israel haters, just like a primitive-voodoo ritual. Dolls as the figure of Haman, Hitler and Nasser, which expressed the street's abhorrence of the besiegers of the people. Haman, by the way, was constantly "earned" revival and refreshment by various figures such as Ahmadinejad and other threats to Iranian nuclear power. This is what the people say along the lines of simple-form-and-wear-form.
And in our case, if we go around with a roving microphone in the streets of every city and cover our places and ask the people a simple, seemingly rhetorical question: "For what and why were Haman and his household hanged?" The answer that will be given is clear and decisive - because he wanted to lose and destroy the Jewish people in the kingdom of Persia and Media. A clear and decisive answer? We will examine this later.
Before I present my position, the sequence of events is very concise below. Esther, the Jewish girl, is chosen/appointed after a tough competition (a kind of beauty queen competition) to be the wife of Ahasuerus with the intervention of her cousin Mordechai, and she keeps the concealment of her religion a complete secret. Thanks to the family connection, Mordechai was appointed an official in the king's court. Haman, one of the king's advisers and one of his senior ministers, is annoyed with Mordecai (Esther's patron) who refuses to bow before him and therefore demands from Ahasuerus to destroy all his people and confiscate their property. Ahasuerus acceded to Haman's demand and even set a date for the execution of the decree - BJ Bader.
Esther turns to the king and asks that he hold a feast in her presence and in the presence of Haman. And at that banquet, Esther pleads with the king to hold another banquet in the presence of the three - Ahasuerus, Haman and Esther.
That night the king fell asleep and he ordered that a number of the annals of the kingdom be read to him. Or then it will be revealed to him that Mordechai prevented the assassination attempt on the king's life, and in return the king promises to reward Mordechai for his resourcefulness. He turns to one of his ministers, in this case Lehman, who advises him to reward the revealer of the assassination attempt with a royal hand. Haman did not know that it was Mordecai, and when this was revealed to him, he did not know his soul because of shame and humiliation.
As mentioned, Haman is invited to the additional feast initiated by Esther, and there the king promises Esther that he will save her people, the Jews, from destruction. Esther portrays Haman in the king's presence as "a narrow man and an enemy".
The end of the story is known - the Jews were spared and all their enemies - Haman and his household were hanged on a tree and the city of Shushan rejoiced and rejoiced.
And now I will present to you some comments, perhaps somewhat provocative.
First - how Mordecai agreed to put Esther, who was, as the story goes, stunningly beautiful, but still a girl, at risk of being swallowed up in the king's harem (the reservoir of girls, maidens and women belonging to the king, where only eunuch slaves could enter) for a whole year, what else did he order her to hide her Jewishness At all costs.
Second - isn't it far from assuming that Mordecai made use of Esther to plant himself in the king's court.
Third - how the king was not told about the assassination attempt and the fact that Mordechai exposed the conspiracy and saved the king in real time.
Fourth - why does Esther initiate/plan another feast? What did she plan to achieve? And maybe it will connect to the next section, which is the crux of the matter.
Fifth - and here I get to the heart of the matter: was Haman punished for not being "a narrow man and an enemy". No and no, and maybe-maybe partially yes, but what brought the king to sentence Haman and his house to such a heavy punishment?
Let's look again at the book of Esther as written and in its language: "And King Ahasuerus said, and he said to Queen Esther: Who is this and who is it that has filled his heart to do so (to harm the Jews) (and Ahasuerus himself consented to the fulfillment of the expected decree of Haman. Did his memory betray him? Or Maybe the king was drunk and drunk and therefore not responsible for his reactions?)? And Esther said: A narrow man and an enemy of this evil manna. And the manna flowed from before the king and queen. (and after a very short time) and the king arose in his anger (for Haman) from the wine feast to the garden of the Tabernacle, and Haman was about to ask for his life from Esther the queen, because he saw that she had been married to him by the king. And the king returned from the garden of the tabernacle to the house of feasting, and the wine and manna fell on the bed on which I hid..." (Book of Esther 8:5-XNUMX).
So far it seems that Haman was about to beg for his life in the presence of Queen Esther, but the intimate position, seemingly of course, we were in Esther's bed, is puzzling if not more than that.
The sequel will immediately be explained: "And the king said: Even to conquer the queen in my house, the word came out of the king's mouth, and the face of Haman fell flat" (ibid. 8). The king's words undoubtedly indicate "capture of Ham" the spoiling of Haman in a purely sexual context, when he, the king, actually uses "the conquest of the queen", and not in any other sense.
Wow!!
And ... right after that, Haman was sentenced to be hanged. So I ask myself: Is there a connection between and? And the answer is absolutely positive.
and why? After all, Esther apparently did not need to seduce Haman after she had already reported to the king who the "bad man in the story" was. Perhaps she wanted to make sure that he would indeed pay with his life for his erotic schemes, after being seduced by her. And not only that, but his family will also pay and his assets will be seized in favor of Esther as we will see later.
And if she had already revealed to the king who the "bad man in the story" was, why was Haman forced to beg for his life in front of Esther, who must have expected that Haman would be punished for his demands to fulfill the deadly decree against the people of Israel, and even Ahasuerus left the banquet room upset and upset to the depths of his soul in view of Esther's statement/confession Before him ("a narrow man and the enemy of this evil man")? Perhaps he expected to soften the evil of the decree that might fall on his head, while taking advantage of Esther's close ties with the king. And she, Esther, who probably read his thoughts and expectations, decided to put the final nail in Haman's coffin by the temptation tactic. And from this we will understand why the lady initiated the production and execution of another banquet room.
I therefore find it difficult to believe under the circumstances that between Haman and Esther there was a somewhat conditioned mutual erotic attraction. Also, I don't tend to see Bahman as a sexually harassing species or with malicious intentions, mercifully. It seems to me more, in light of the combination of events and the repeated emphasis on Esther's stunning beauty, that the lady, la femme fatale, managed to seduce him under the circumstances to ensure his downfall and his end in the king's eyes. And since Haman did not resemble Joseph in Egypt in the case of Potiphar's wife, he paid for his actions with his life. And perhaps the abortion in the trash was initiated by Mordechai, Esther's family patron also in order to promote his political leanings. And maybe-perhaps this is also why the Purim tractate was not found in the Sage literature, nor in the Qumran scrolls, and in general the opinions of the Amorites regarding the figure of Esther are controversial.
And one more word about Esther - Esther's demand from the king to hang the ten sons of Haman as well is a bit disturbing and infuriating. It is true that we are not in a democratic and liberal era at that time, but I would have expected a little more mercy from Esther the Jew, what's more the children of Haman neither sinned nor committed any crime. And it's hard not to remember the condescension towards God that repeats itself again and again, how he punishes the iniquity of fathers on sons. Moreover, Esther won after Haman's erotic behavior was revealed in his luxurious field in practice. And again, a bad smell emanates from here.
And another word about Mordecai, who, following the temptation, greatly upgraded his position in the Persian royal court, holding in his hand, literally, the king's ring. And not only that, but he got to wear fancy and expensive royal clothes and adorn his head with a gold crown. Where is the modesty?!
And another word about the people of Israel. Ahasuerus allowed the Jews of his kingdom to take physical revenge ("And they smote ... with the stroke of the sword and killing and loss..." Megilet Esther 5:500) for every malicious thought that they harbored against them, and in Shushan, the capital, according to the sources, 2 people were killed by them, and all over the kingdom Jews smote those who sought their harm "and no one He stood in front of them, because their fear fell on all the nations" (Book of Esther 3:XNUMX), and immediately afterwards - "And all the ministers of the states and the poor and the lesser ones and the workers who belong to the king carry the Jews (=upgrade their status) because the fear of Mordecai fell on them" (ibid. XNUMX).
And all this as a result of the success of Esther's seduction.
And we will return to the matter of the temptation, and without raising a demand for a state investigative committee: why did they hide this from us for hundreds of years and are they still burying and burying it? And that there will be no hesitations and doubts here. It is precisely the event in question, and not its deadly sequel, that explains and clarifies that we were normal and even in immoral circumstances. We were as one person!!!
(*) I would like to thank here, as I did in one of my previous articles regarding the elephant and Jonathan ("Who knocked down the elephant") Roy Shermeister, a colleague and friend who drew my attention to the erotic context in the story of Esther and Haman, for which he will receive the blessing)
15 תגובות
Apart from what the commenters added about the author's amazing lack of familiarity with Zahal sources, there are two more mistakes in Pashto:
1. It is impossible to say that Achshurosh did not know about his rescue from the assassination, after all it is written explicitly "and Esther said to the king in the name of Mordecai".
2. The main thing that Israel did was defense for its own sake or, in the best case, a preemptive strike.
Even to the knowledge of those who believe that there is such a thing as "Jewish studies", in no field is every initial piece of thought untested and sifted that a writer with a degree should publish...
Dear Dr
Blessed are you who in large part aimed at the interpretations of the elders of Israel..Indeed this is how Queen Esther deliberately caused King Ahasuerus to suspect that she had a connection with Haman already at the first feast. That's why his sleep wandered at night.. It's a shame. If she had read the interpretations of the Sages, she would have found out that they were much ahead of you.. And you are not renovating anything.. Of course you have some mistakes.. But kudos to you for intending to know great things.
As a traditional person who believes in the Creator, but agree with your article here (Dr. Yachiam. I don't always agree with you) I also agree that you are touching exposed dental nerves.
I tend to agree with Dr. Yachiam's article. The Bible has an agenda with any historical roots.
Mordecai is the name of the god Merodach and Esther of the goddess Ishtar = Ashtoreth. Ahasuerus is identified with King Xerxes who tried to invade Greece after Darius.
Arya Argaman, everything you write is true, but how do you want the leftist agenda to succeed in brainwashing the readers if you bring things here that are true? really. Enough with the facts. Don't let the leftist bloat spoil the atmosphere of the site. I at least try not to disturb this atmosphere, but for some reason I feel the need to keep visiting the place... like a toilet.
As someone who studies law, I would like to express my opinion regarding quantum mechanics, and especially regarding its basis which stands in complete contradiction to establish for us that the law is determined according to the tradition of the ruling in courts, except for the proof which constitutes a fundamental change in the ruling and does not affect only a single case...
I don't know the honorable doctor, but it would be better if he sent his articles for review by someone who deals with the matter the article is about...
So for Dodge:
"First - how Mordecai agreed to put Esther, who was, as the story goes, stunningly beautiful, but still a girl, at risk of being swallowed up in the king's harem" etc., most commentators of the scroll interpret the verse "and Esther was taken to the king's house" - out of necessity.
"Second - isn't it far from assuming that Mordecai made use of Esther to plant himself in the king's court"
If "there is no Esther betraying her people and her homeland" how will Mordecai be made a man of status thanks to his connections with her.
Besides indeed as a patron, he wanted to be around her.
"Third - how the king was not told about the assassination attempt and the fact that Mordechai exposed the conspiracy and saved the king in real time."
The verse is interpreted because Esther told King Ahasuerus about this in the name of Mordecai.
"Fourth - why does Esther initiate/plan another feast? What did she plan to achieve?”
This is said in the Babylonian Gemara without some explanation, and the commenter brought before me the interpretation of Ribek, that she wanted to make the king jealous and suspect her of Haman, by inviting him twice to a feast with her.
"Fifth - and here I get to the heart of the matter: was Haman punished for not being a "narrow man and an enemy". No, no, and maybe-maybe partially yes, but what brought the king to sentence Haman and his house to such a heavy punishment?"
A. As said, Esther did make the king jealous of Haman.
B. They are not like these days, and indeed if a man fell from his position, his whole family fell with him (see the entry of the Duke of Norfolk and the Howard family, etc.)
"And one more word about Esther - Esther's demand from the king to hang the ten sons of Haman as well is a bit disturbing and infuriating. It is true that we are not in a democratic and liberal era at that time, but I would have expected a little more mercy from Esther the Jew" etc.
- As told in the scroll, the sons of Haman were killed on the first day, and were hanged on display (dead) at Esther's request on the second day.
But from the vanity scroll written here we can indeed learn:
A. A little humility before talking about a topic unfamiliar to the desert.
B. More expressive ability besides "me and me". (when even the casting of doubt is said in a condescending tone of certainty).
third. A basic understanding that one can never judge another's culture in the eyes of your culture, certainly not to understand the mindsets that prevailed in the past hidden from our eyes by the present.
post Scriptum. I bet that the doctor studied at Bar Ilan College.
The ultimate seduction scene from Phantom of the Opera (miracles?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFZrM38mf7Y
Who here is seducing whom?
The response of Dr. Yehiam Sorek:
Hello David. I thank you for your response, although it is mixed here and there with sarcasm. And below is my response:
Indeed, as I argued, there is no tractate that deals with Purim, as well as Hanukkah, although here and there there are Sage references to the above events.
Indeed, the Megillah tractate in the literature of the Sages treats with seriousness the subject of the Megillah of Esther, but May? Toriya and its lines do not deal with the essence but only with the technical aspects, and this is what we read in the Mishnah - such as when to read the scroll, where to read it, the language of the scroll, exact reading times, whether it is read while standing or sitting, whether or not it is recited, accompanying blessings, Zika for Yom Tov and Shabbat, etc. in these
In vain we will look for a covert mention in the coverts, implicit in the allusions, about the story of the scroll and the characters that star in it. We will look for and put up pottery in our hands. So in the mishna and so in the addendum. And in general there is the silence of the sources regarding the erotic aspects of the scroll. By the way, Mordechai's unclehood may point to the issue of incest, and even if the context is not erotic, the term "David" in the Bible means lover, and refer to this in the Song of Songs.
And by the way, at the end of the tractate Megillah in the Mishnah there is a reference to incest, the story of David and Amnon, and in the Tosefta there is an addition of the story of Yehuda and Tamar, Reuben sleeping with Belha and the story of the concubine in Gibeah and more. And if those aren't hints, I don't know any hints from them.
We will turn to the Jerusalem Talmud and maybe we will be saved from it, but in vain. The Jerusalem Talmud mentions phrases such as "And he planted a plantation on Purim", "And Mordechai and Esther installed on what Ezra helped to install", "Purim feast" regarding its delay or earlyness, "Aot Purim" as a custom, "The wicked Haman will weigh his money on Israel" and that's it! And even here you will not find even a hint about the heroes of the scroll and the reference to them, and in general about the salvation experienced by the people of Israel.
And what's more, everything is null and void in the face of the flurry of regulations in the context of the Mishnah instructions and in the face of many hundreds of mentions in the Jerusalem Talmud without any connection to the story of the scroll.
In the Babylonian Talmud the situation is different. Perhaps due to the legendary and midrashic nature of this Talmud, unlike his predecessors, he does not always put inhibitions in his language and perhaps due to the geographical connection between Babylon and Persia.
In the Babylonian Talmud we find a number of references such as "(the scroll) Esther was spoken by the Holy Spirit" (Megillah XNUMX p. XNUMX), and this is to state the known fact that God does not appear in the scroll. Or "Esther the righteousness called Hadassah" (ibid. XNUMX p. XNUMX), the wicked Ahasuerus, "Haman a narrow man and an enemy" (ibid. XNUMX p. XNUMX), "and two convictions" (ibid. p. XNUMX).
David, you cite as an aid the article of Yehoshua ben Korcha, as if the matter of Esther's seduction of Haman was nothing more than a "face explanation" (Megillah XNUMX, p. XNUMX).
First - I would reason this as the next interpretation to wash away Esther's actions.
Second - what is more important is to look at all the references of the Megillah treatise in the Babylonian Talmud to the story of the temptation and its connections, such as the information that Ahasuerus coveted Esther's body mainly in the month of Tebat in connection perhaps with the climatic atmosphere and its consequences, and it is said by many that "(the king) asked to taste the taste of a virgin, Taam baulah taam" (ibid. XNUMX p. XNUMX). And from Mordechai it is said there in a sarcastic tone "No woman is jealous except at the hip of her friend" (ibid), as a paraphrase of the phrase "No knife is sharpened but at the hip of her friend".
And from Rabba: "Said Rabba Bar Lima from his name (on behalf of) Darev: that she (Esther) was standing from Ahasuerus' lap and dipping and sitting on Mordecai's lap" (ibid. XNUMX). Was there a passionate orgy and perhaps also incest? who knows?
And if this is not enough, Rabbi Elazar clarifies in connection with the expression "And Haman falls on the bed" - "he teaches that an angel came and fell on her" (ibid. XNUMX p. XNUMX), as if to sweeten the severity of Haman's actions, who was not responsible for his actions and immediately appears in the Talmud the biblical text of Tokhet Ahasuerus towards Haman: Is it even to conquer the queen Ami at home?! That is, there is a relationship between
And it's enough to be wise in allusion... and by the way, it's a complete waste!
I want to disagree with the words of the learned doctor, who claims that "no Purim treatise was found in the literature of the Sages".
The Megillah tractate in Seder Moed is the tractate that deals with all matters of Purim, including the matter of Haman's seduction by Esther. And so the Sages say (Tract Megillah XNUMX:XNUMX):
What did Esther see when she summoned the manna? …. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha says: I will face him so that he and she will be killed
explanation:
The Talmud discusses the question of why it was important for Esther to also invite Haman to the feast with Ahasuerus.
Among the multitude of explanations given there, the explanation of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha is also given, who says that her intention was to seduce him ("to pretend to him") in order to reach a situation where Ahasuerus would want to kill him (Haman) and her (Esther), and thus the decree would be annulled.
incidentally,
Dr. Achiam Sorek, doctor why?
Only half a link came out..
And Moshe is right.
Moses will seduce her with roses.
Delusional, where do you see temptation? Haman comes to Esther to beg for his life.. Moed.. and is in a position that can be interpreted as an attempt to get Esther to lie down.
"Dr"
Mordechai and Esther.
https://www.google.com/search?sclient=tablet-gws&hl=iw&site=webhp&source=hp&q=%D7%94%D7%99%D7%94%D7%95%D7%93%D7%99%D7%9D+%D7%91%D7%90%D7%99%D7%9D&oq=%D7%94%D7%99%D7%94&gs_l=tablet-gws.1.1.35i39j0l2.5566.6803.0.9180.4.4.0.0.0.0.108.375.3j1.4.0….0…1c.1.64.tablet-gws..0.3.279.0.RxlmtHphxeE#hl=iw&q=%D7%94%D7%99%D7%94%D7%95%D7%93%D7%99%D7%9D+%D7%91%D7%90%D7%99%D7%9D+%D7%90%D7%A1%D7%AA%D7%A8+%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%93%D7%9B%D7%99
Question: The story of the scroll - history, historiography, or myth?
Question: The story of the scroll - history, historiography, or myth?