#megilat ester

[jincorrectquotes]

Achashvarosh: did you have to stab him?

Esther: you weren’t there. You didn’t hear what he said to me.

Achashvarosh: what did he say?

Esther: “what are you gonna do, stab me?”

Achashvarosh, nodding: that’s fair.

[bookriot]

Purim is a Jewish holiday based on the events in the biblical Book of Esther, which tells the story of how the Jewish woman Esther saved her people from extinction in the ancient Persian Empire. The exact age of this particular holiday is not known, but Purim has been celebrated since at least the second century C.E.

Esther scroll in ivory pull case. 17th century. (BL MS 11831)

The Book of Esther is also known as Megilat Ester, which is Hebrew for the Scroll of Esther. Because of the importance of Esther’s story in the celebrations of Purim, the Book of Esther is written on a separate scroll, which is read out loud as part of the Purim celebrations. The tradition to write the Book of Esther on a scroll dates back to c. 500 C.E.

The historical background of the events in the Book of Esther has been debated over the years. In the text, the Persian king who Esther convinces to spare her people is called Ahasuerus.

Image of Xerxes I on his tomb at Naqsh-e Rustam, Iran. (Wikipedia)

Historians have identified Ahasuerus as any of these three Persian rulers: Xerxes I (r. 485–465 B.C.E.), Artaxerxes I (r. 465–424 B.C.E.), or Artaxerxes III (r. 359–338 B.C.E.). However, some scholars claim that there is no historical background to the story of Esther at all. Instead, it is believed that Esther and her cousin Mordechai were based on the Babylonian deities of Ishtar and Marduk. Alternately, that the Book of Esther was written to boost morale during the Maccabean Revolt, which took place between 167 and 160 B.C.E. Incidentally, the Maccabean Revolt is commemorated every year during Hanukkah.

Since Megilat Ester simply means Scroll of Esther, there are several old manuscripts that this name can be applied to. Here, I would like to introduce you to one particular Esther scroll, which in the collections of the British Library is simply known as Megilat Ester (BL Or. 1047).

Here are ten things you need to know about Megilat Ester (BL Or. 1047).

https://bookriot.com/2018/02/26/megilat-ester/

[he-harim]

also, literally 5 mins after “”"rebuking””” that person about making me feel unwanted/unwelcome in judaism, or whatever, i wandered into a conversation about possibly having a women’s megilla reading in my uni city (this has never happened before), and got asked to start thinking about learning perek gimmel :) :) :) :) 

(before that though i got so angry i almost cried because they didn’t take the torah to the women’s side of the shul. it’s. a big change from a masorti shul. i really keep thinking that i’m fine with orthodoxy, and in theory i really am, just, in practice, i do not have access to the torah within it. literally and metaphorically. yea h.)

[jincorrectquotes]

Achashvarosh: do you know why koalas aren’t classified as bears?

Esther: because they’re marsupials.

Achashvarosh:

Esther:

Achashvarosh: [starts to leave]

Achashvarosh, mumbling under his breath: because they’re marsupials-NO, IT’S BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE THE KOALAFICATION.

[conscienciacoletiva]

[conscienciacoletiva]

[conscienciacoletiva]

[paulinedorchester]

17th-century Queen Esther scroll on show this Purim

National Library of Israel loans parchment to National Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah, in Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna