1. The most important event in Jewish history
In terms of importance, the events described in the book of Esther are equal to the events of the acceptance of the Torah by the Jews on Mount Sinai, i.e. they are very important events. The Talmud expresses the opinion that if all the books of the prophets and the Holy Scriptures are forgotten, the book of Esther will not be forgotten and the holiday of Purim will not lose its importance.
2. The holiday based on the events of the book of Esther is called Purim
The word “Purim” means “lots” because this was the method used by the wicked Haman to determine the day of the destruction of the Jewish people in the Persian regions. “Purim” refers to how a very bad situation is changed into something completely different by God’s great will (Esther 9:1).
On this day, everyone is given “Haaman’s ears”, triangular cookies with a sweet filling (usually poppy seeds or jam) called homentashn (Yiddish המנטאשן). Purim is a time of joy and celebration for Jews all over the world – a time of giving gifts to those in need and a time to be cheerful. Traditionally, people wear fancy costumes – lehithapessi (להתפשפש) in Hebrew. This Hebrew word is related to the idea of hiding—disguising yourself so that others cannot find you.
3. During the Purim you must read the entire book of Esther
The main part of the consecration is the public reading of the book of Esther (from the scroll) during the evening and morning prayers in the synagogue.
This is a good reason to read the whole book of Esther, it is not very long and takes up to 30 minutes to read. This way you get a complete picture of the story. The book contains only 167 verses, which is less than the longest Psalm 119, which contains 176 verses.
4. An unwanted name
When the Torah Scroll is read during the Purim holidays and when the reader mentions Haman’s name, those present stomp their feet, whistle, specially rattle, etc. noise, thus expressing anger and contempt for evil. The prototype of this form of expression of contempt is the custom introduced by the French and German Jews in the 13th century of striking two stones together, on which the name of Haman was written, until the name was erased (in accordance with the Biblical injunction to “you shall blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven!” (Deuteronomy 25:19). Playing with rattles has long been accepted in Russia, but rabbis in synagogues have repeatedly protested against such indecent behavior.
5. The book of Esther does not mention the key words of the Bible – “God” and “prayer”
We find no quotations from the book of Esther in the New Testament. Nor does it mention the Mosaic Law or sacrifices. All of this is consistent with the view that the Jews who settled in the Persian Empire renounced the law. They also shirked their duty to return to the Promised Land and restore the worship of Yahweh in the Temple.
No copies of it have been found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. Possible explanation: The main character is a woman who married a pagan and was not an inspiration to the male hermits of the Qumran community. The book of Esther does not mention prayer, although fasting is mentioned.
6. The Reformation fathers did not particularly like the book of Esther
Luther doubted in this book and did not include it in his German translation of the Bible. Nor did Calvin write a commentary on this book or preach a single sermon on the subject. But other clergymen saw value in it: Matthew Henry writes, “Though God’s name be not seen, yet His hand is seen.” “The Book of Esther – A Story of Providence,” as Dr. Pearson called it.
7. More copies of the Hebrew text of the book of Esther have survived than “of any other part of the Old Testament.”
The reverence for the book of Esther was so great among the Jews that each family tried to preserve its own handwritten text for the reading prescribed in the Talmud during the Purim holidays; this led to the publication of a huge number of individual manuscripts of the book, many of which were richly illustrated with miniatures and housed in special boxes made of gold and silver.
8. Jewish interpreters still find God’s name in this book
The Tetragrammaton YHWH, from which the name Jehovah or Yahweh comes, appears 4 times in 4 verses in this book – if you read the texts in the form of an acrostic. It is these verses that mark the turning points of the entire book, showing that God’s providence was behind it all.
1:20 “all the women will respect their husbands” – God prepares a place for Esther
5:4 “let the king, together with Haman, come today” – Esther’s decisive action
5:13 “But all this gives me no satisfaction” – Haman’s bitterness and his cunning plan
7:7 “evil was determined against him.” – Haman’s End
9. The main character of the book is a fragile young girl
The usual image of the public defender is a man. But in this book, the main defender of the entire nation is a young girl from a humble family who grew up without a father or a mother. The name Esther is of Persian origin meaning star. Her Hebrew name was Hadassah, the myrtle tree. Obedient, Esther (or Hadassah) kept her origin a secret and only revealed it to her husband the king at the most critical moment in order to save all her people.
10. Artaxerxes is a famous historical person
In Greek, his name is Xerxes – historians write about him as a person who was easily influenced. He is famous in history for ordering the sea to be scourged (300 lashes) because of a storm that destroyed the Hellespont bridge and his army could not cross the strait.
11. Haman is the hereditary enemy of the Jews
This villain, who planned the destruction of the entire nation, was driven not only by anger, but by an ancient enmity that lived in the blood of his ancestors. Haman was an Amalek by origin and a descendant of King Agag, who was not destroyed by King Saul. And although the prophet Samuel defeated this evil king, his descendants survived. Mordecai is a descendant of King Saul. King Saul disobeyed God’s instructions and killed King Agag, so God would repeat this situation later in Persia. Amalek’s spirit of anti-Semitism rears its ugly head in Haman, and the Spirit of God fills another descendant of Kish to complete the circle and finish him off. Haman is presented as the first person to plan genocide based on ethnicity.
12. The events in the book completely change the attitude towards Jews
The book begins with the representatives of the people of Israel being in a “semi-partisan position” and hiding their origins (Esther 2:20). But the book ends with everyone wanting to join God’s people and become Jews (Esther 8:17).
Author – Roman Kalashnikov.
Source: https://ieshua.org/12-faktov-o-knige-esfir-o-kotoryh-vy-ne-slyshali.htm