5784/2024

No Father or Mother

The following Talmudic teaching (Megillah 13a) is well-known. Esther’s father died right after conception, and her mother died in childbirth. The Gemara derives this information from Esther 2:7, which after mentioning her parents’ death, notes that she did not have a father and mother. As Rashi explains, the second mention of her orphanage teaches that she did not have a parent even for one day. While an interesting biographical tidbit, why must we know about Esther’s tragic beginning? 

Approach #1 - No Excuses

One lesson is that we are capable of overcoming even an extreme disadvantage. Rav Yisrael Meir Lau (Out of the Depths, page 323) reports that when he met Cuban leader Fidel Castro, the latter was intrigued about overcoming his tragic beginnings.   

“Here in Cuba, a child of eight who grows up without his parents, and especially without knowing the language, will turn into a juvenile delinquent. He’ll become the terror of his neighborhood and community, or else the victim of criminals, who will abuse him. But you came to Israel barefoot and penniless, and today you are like the Jews’ pope. Who raised you, chief rabbi? Who educated you? How did a boy from the streets, who started out with nothing, get chosen to be the senior religious representative of the country?”

Rav Lau explained to Castro how his loving adoptive aunt and uncle and warm and welcoming Rebbeim helped him develop his full potential. But, most importantly, Rav Lau sets a poignant example of overcoming an overwhelming disadvantage. Castro thought it impossible, but Rav Lau proves the impossible is possible!  

The same applies no less to Esther. People like Esther and Rav Lau also obligate others in similar situations since they set an example. Yoma 35b starkly states that Hillel, who emerged from being a pauper and rose to be the Nasi, head of the Sanhedrin, obligates the poor to study Torah. The Gemara continues Yosef requires those with handsome features not to succumb to their Yetzer Hara. Finally, Rebbe Eliezer ben Charsom obligates the wealthy to study Torah since he became a great Torah scholar and did not permit his wealth to distract him. 

Esther overcoming her handicap continues to inspire. For example, I witnessed Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, in his old age, make superhuman efforts to deliver his Shiurim at Yeshiva University despite suffering from a debilitating illness. His younger brother Rav Ahron set a similar example a few years later. Likewise, Rav Ephraim Greenblatt told me that his Rebbe, Rav Moshe Feinstein, made extraordinary efforts to attend his Talmidim’s weddings even when he was in his mid-eighties. Rav Moshe remarked, “As long as one has strength, he must do.”   

Approach #2 – A Jew is Never Alone

Congregation Shaarei Orah’s Shalom Shushan noted that Esther exemplifies the Pasuk “Ki Avi V’imi Ya’azvuni VaHashem Ya’asfeini,” “For my father and mother left me, and Hashem embraces me”  (Tehillim 27:10). Although she never enjoyed a day with her parents, Esther was never alone. Instead, she relied and leaned on Hashem, who strengthens the orphan (Tehillim 146:9), for support and courage. 

An elderly widow once cried to the Lubavitcher Rebbe that she was alone. The Rebbe responded that a Jew is never alone. Esther never felt alone. Tehillim 22, which Chazal (Megillah 15b and Midrash Tehillim) teach, refers to Esther, the Ayelet HaShachar, captures the emotions of relying on Hashem to surmount a devastating sense of abandonment.  

Approach # 3– Esther Reflects Our Story 

Esther, who went from being an “extreme orphan” to queen over 127 countries, reflects Am Yisrael, a people of extremes. At one extreme, Hashem helped our people with unparalleled and extraordinary nationwide miracles. Yet, on the other hand, Hashem’s accountability is severe when we sin nationally.

The Gemara in Megillah 16a articulates this idea as follows: (Megillah 16a) 

“״כִּי נָפוֹל תִּפּוֹל לְפָנָיו״. דָּרֵשׁ רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בַּר אִלְעַאי: שְׁתֵּי נְפִילוֹת הַלָּלוּ, לָמָּה? אָמְרוּ לוֹ: אוּמָּה זוֹ, מְשׁוּלָה לְעָפָר וּמְשׁוּלָה לְכוֹכָבִים. כְּשֶׁהֵן יוֹרְדִין — יוֹרְדִין עַד עָפָר, וּכְשֶׁהֵן עוֹלִין — עוֹלִין עַד לַכּוֹכָבִים.

The wise men continued: “But you shall fall (nafol tippol) before him,” (Esther 6:13). Rabbi Yehuda bar Ilai interpreted a verse homiletically: Why are these two fallings, “nafol” and “tippol,” mentioned here? The wise men said to Haman: This Jewish nation is compared in the Bible to the dust of the earth and it is also compared to the stars in heaven. This teaches you that when they descend, they descend to the dust and when they rise, they rise to the stars. Accordingly, when Mordechai is on the rise, you will be utterly incapable of prevailing over him.”

As the Gemara is expressing, the Jewish people are a people of extremes. When we fall, it is a dramatically steep drop. When we rise, we ascend to dramatic heights. These extremes reflect divine influence, for our path is most atypical and irregular. 

The history of the Jews of the past 90 years manifests Am Yisrael’s extremes. During the Shoah, we reached a terrible low. In dramatic contrast—not even three years after the Holocaust—our fledgling nation fended off invaders from three sides and increased its territory by approximately 50% in Israel’s War of Independence. With Hashem’s influence, Israel continues to be an ongoing spiritual, military, scientific, and economic miracle.

Megillat Esther reflects these extremes. In its third and fourth perakim, everything falls perfectly into place for the smooth execution of Haman’s evil plan. However, as soon as all turns around in Perek five, all fits seamlessly to our benefit. In the third and fourth Perakim, the Jews are helpless and hapless. In the eighth and ninth Perakim, many are clamoring to become Jewish, for they are “riding high.”

Esther thus reflects the extremes of the Jewish People and Megillat Esther. I suggest this is one reason for referring to the Megillah as Megillat Esther. Esther’s personal story reflects our people’s journey in the Megillah.  

Conclusion 

Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik is fond of noting that we are aware of precious little detail of the biographies of our great heroes. For example, he remarked that we know more particulars about Socrates’ life story than we do about the Vilna Gaon.  

This observation is especially true regarding Esther. We are left wondering what happened to Esther after the end of the story told in the Megillah. How did she manage all those years being married to Achashverosh? But our tradition has decided it is not important to record.  

On the other hand, if our tradition does tell us of Esther’s extreme tragedy at her life’s beginning, manifold lessons must surely emerge. No wonder why Chazal taught (see Rambam Hilchot Megillah 2:18) that the lessons of Megillat Esther are forever enduring, even in the days after the arrival of Mashiach!