At the beginning of Megillat Esther, we might well wonder why Esther was given naming rights for the work at all. If anything, it seems to be the book of Mordecai, who shapes his own destiny and that of his people. Or perhaps the book of Haman, villain that he is.
But Esther? Who is she? Even her name is obscure. The MeAm Lo’ez says that is comes from the root “satar” meaning “to conceal”—”almost as if [Mordecai] had named her ‘Anonymous.’” Wendy Amsellem also notes in her article “The Mirror Has Two Faces” that when we are first introduced to Esther she is passive and submissive. Not only is her name anonymous, her character seems merely a foil for her more charismatic relative. She is constantly being “taken,” not moving under her own power. And we do not even hear her voice when we are told in Chapter 2, verses 19, 20:
״אין אסתר מגדת מולדתה ועת עמה כאשר צוה עליה מרדכי…״
Esther did as Mordecai instructed.
But Megillat Esther is the story of one woman’s transformation and how it brought about a nation’s salvation. In Chapter 4, we encounter the beginning of a more visible Esther. When she hears from her servant girls and attendants that Mordecai is in the courtyard dressed in sackcloth, she sends clothes for Mordecai to put on but “he would not accept them.” (4:4) Again we hear her voice as she summons Hatach, one of the king’s attendants and she instructs him to go to Mordecai and investigate. What was happening? And for what reason? When the attendant returns, he brings back Mordecai’s instructions. But they are received now by a changed Esther, a queen, who gives orders of her own. She tells Mordecai to “go and gather all the Jews in Shushan; and all of you fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, day and night; and I and my girls will similarly fast. With that I will go to the king in violation of the law, and if I perish, I perish.” (4:15,16) In verse 17:
״ויעבר מרדכי ויעש ככל אשר צותה עליו אסתר.״
We come full circle as Mordecai leaves the courtyard to do all that this brave, new Esther has instructed him to do
Like Esther, women have also been “satar”—concealed. Not out of any master plan but because for years women’s roles have centered around the private sphere. Increasingly, though, women are taking on more public roles as well. We have Talmud scholars, Talmud and Bible teachers, yoatzot and toanot. We have women who have served as presidents of their synagogues and principals of their schools. And these new public roles have, in turn, influenced our private lives. Women in the home also have a new visibility. Many have chosen to bless their children on Friday nights along with their husbands. Many share the mitzvot of kiddush and motzi. What incredible change and growth I have witnessed in my lifetime! But there is still so much more to be done. The story of Purim provides a powerful example of how women can take a more active role. At the end of Megillat Esther, after all the instructions are given, we see something new and quite extraordinary: Mordecai and Esther work together, as equals, to create the holiday of Purim. “Queen Esther, daughter of Avihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority confirming this second letter of Purim.” (9:29) So along with the many lessons we can take from the Megillah, perhaps there is yet another: Great things can happen when Jewish women and men have the courage to change, to grow and to do it together.
Happy Purim!