Esther's Relations with Achashverosh/2

Esther's Relations with Achashverosh

Exegetical Approaches

This topic is still being developed and updated

Overview

Commentators differ in both their evaluation and defense of Esther's marrying and having relations with the idolatrous Achashverosh. The majority of sources view the public marriage to an idolater as a very serious crime, but justify Esther's actions since she was taken under duress and was a passive victim of Achashverosh's desires. Ralbag instead asserts that the ends justified the means. The benefits gained by being in position to save the nation by far outweighed the negatives incurred by the misdeed.  Finally, a minority opinion condemns Esther for her actions, claiming that she did not behave according to Jewish law and should not have acted as she did.

Under Duress

Esther was not culpable since the relations were coerced by Achashverosh, and she was neither a willing nor an active participant.

Sources:Bavli Megillah15a15bAbout the Bavli, Bavli Sanhedrin74a-bAbout the Bavli, Second Targum of Megillat Esther2:84:11About Second Targum of Megillat Esther, R. Saadia GaonEsther 2:8Esther 2:16Esther 2:20About R. Saadia Gaon, RashiEsther 2:7Esther 2:10Esther 2:11Esther 4:16About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki,¹ Ibn EzraEsther Version A 2:7Esther Version A 2:10Esther Version A 2:15Esther Version B 2:8Esther Version B 2:10Esther Version B 2:15Esther Version B 2:16About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, R. Avraham SabaEshkol HaKopher 2:8About R. Avraham Saba, Akeidat YitzchakEsther 2:10Esther 2:15About R. Yitzchak Arama, R. Meir AramaEsther Part 1About R. Meir Arama

How severe was the prohibition? According to all these sources the sin was such that Esther should have forfeited her life rather than transgress.  R. Saadia and R. Meir Arama assume that relations with an idolater are considered "גילוי עריות", while Ramban² and R. YItzchak Arama assume that the public nature of the offense intensified its severity.³

What prohibition was being transgressed?

• Adultery (ביאת אשת איש) – According to Bavli MegillahMegillah 13aMegillah 13bMegillah 15aAbout the Bavli,⁴ Esther was married to Mordechai.⁵ If so, sleeping with Achashevrosh would constitute adultery, and falls into the category of illicit relations for which one is obligated to forfeit one's life rather than transgress.
• Relations with an Idolater (ביאת עכו"ם) – Most of these sources assume that Esther was unmarried, and was thus only transgressing the prohibition of having relations with an idolater.⁶
• Bavli Sanhedrin suggests that under normal circumstances this action would not obligate one to forfeit one's life,⁷ but when done publicly, it does.⁸ 
• R. Saadia appears to maintain that even had the marriage not been public, such relations nonetheless fall under the category of prohibitions for which one must be killed rather than transgress ("יהרג ואל יעבור").

Why is "duress" a sufficient excuse?

• Abayye asserts that the obligation to give one's life rather than transgress only applies if one does an action.⁹  Since Esther was totally passive ("קרקע עולם") she was not required to forfeit her life, despite the public nature of the marriage.
• Rava maintains, instead, that one need not give one's life when the prohibition is being violated solely for the pleasure of the Gentile.¹⁰

Was Esther forced - "וַתִּלָּקַח" – Ibn Ezra and R. Meir Arama assert that the word "וַתִּלָּקַח", in both 2:8 and 2:16, implies Esther's being taken by force and against her will.

"לֹא הִגִּידָה אֶסְתֵּר אֶת עַמָּהּ וְאֶת מוֹלַדְתָּהּ" – According to Rashi, the Akeidat Yitzchak, and R. Meir Arama, in not revealing her identity, Esther was trying to avoid being forced into a situation of prohibited relations.¹¹

• Rashi and R. Meir Arama claim that Esther hoped to avoid becoming queen altogether.  She thought that if Achashverosh knew of her royal lineage,¹² he would find her an appealing candidate,¹³ and thus she tried to conceal her family status.
• The Akeidat Yitzchak maintains that Esther concealed her nationality to make sure that Achashverosh would be forcing her to have relations only for reasons of his personal pleasure, rather than to intentionally cause her to violate her religion publicly.¹⁴  If he did the latter, she would have been forced to forfeit her life rather than transgress.¹⁵  For elaboration and other explanations, see Why Conceal Esther's Nationality.

"לֹא בִקְשָׁה דָּבָר" – The Akeidat Yitzchak and R. Meir Arama¹⁶ suggest that the emphasis on the fact that Esther did not request any jewelry or fragrances is further evidence that she was forced to go before Achashverosh, and did not do anything of her own will before being taken..

"וַאֲנִי לֹא נִקְרֵאתִי לָבוֹא אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ זֶה שְׁלוֹשִׁים יוֹם" – The Second Targum understands the word "לָבוֹא" (to come) in its sexual sense, and reads the verse to mean that Esther had been praying for thirty days that Achashverosh would not ask for her to have relations again.

Mordechai's obligations – These commentators disagree regarding the level of Mordechai's obligation to prevent Esther from being taken.  If he handed her to the officers, would she still be considered "under duress"?

• Active participation allowed – The Second Targum maintains that Mordechai actively took Esther out of hiding once they were threatened with death.  This suggests that this was allowed and did not affect Esther's status as "forced."
• No need for active resistance – According to R. Saadia, it seems that Mordechai would not have been allowed to actively hand Esther over, but once she was taken by force, he was not obligated to actively resist either.
• Resist at all costs – R. Avraham Saba implies that Mordechai should have even killed Esther (if nothing else would have availed) so as to prevent her from being given to an idolater.  He compares the episode to events in his own time, during the forced conversion of Portuguese Jewry, when many of the Jews preferred to die and even kill their own children rather than have them baptized.¹⁷

Did Mordechai resist? In line with their positions above, the exegetes differ in their understanding of what Mordechai actually did or did not do to protect Esther:

• Resistance – R. Saadia raises the possibility that Mordechai did indeed actively resist the taking of Esther, but was simply overpowered and failed.  Nonetheless, he prefers to say that his resistance was passive in nature since otherwise Esther's Jewish identity would have become apparent.
• Hiding – According to Seder Olam Rabbah29About Seder Olam Rabbah, the Second Targum, and the commentary attributed to Rambam, Esther had gone into hiding, but was eventually found out.
• No opportunity to save – According to R. Avraham Saba,¹⁸ in contrast, since Esther and Mordechai lived in or near the palace, she was immediately seized and Mordechai never had opportunity hide or protect her.¹⁹  Otherwise, he would have even risked his life to prevent her being taken.
• Looked to save even afterwards – See also R. Avigdor Kohen TzedekEsther 2:10About R. Avigdor Kohen Tzedek who proposes that the reason that Mordechai was "יֹשֵׁב בְּשַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ", was that he was looking for a way to steal Esther from the palace.  His daily walks by the women's courtyard "לָדַעַת אֶת שְׁלוֹם אֶסְתֵּר" might be explained in the same manner.

"וּבְכֵן אָבוֹא אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר לֹא כַדָּת וְכַאֲשֶׁר אָבַדְתִּי אָבָדְתִּי"

• R. Abba in Bavli Megillah²⁰ understands the word "אָבוֹא" to have sexual connotations, suggesting that Esther intended to seduce Achashverosh into saving the Jews. Though until that point she had been under duress, from this point on she went willingly, and as such, violated the Torah's prohibitions on improper sexual relations.  Thus, she says that she is coming "אֲשֶׁר לֹא כַדָּת", against Torah laws (and not the Persian law against entering the King's throne room). Similarly, when Esther laments "וְכַאֲשֶׁר אָבַדְתִּי אָבָדְתִּי", she refers not to her potential death but to the Torah requirement that she leave her husband, Mordechai, after having relations with another man.²¹
• The commentary attributed to Rambam also seems to understand that Esther intended to seduce Achashverosh, but according to him, this was not a sin, as she was going not to satisfy her own desires but to save Israel.

Mordechai and Esther's religious identity – According to this approach, Esther and Mordechai were fully observant Jews.

Ends Justify the Means

Esther was permitted to act as she did since her transgression was necessary to save the Jewish people.

Sources:Mekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelBeshalach Amalek 2About Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, Others say in Ibn EzraEsther Version A 2:10About R. Avraham ibn Ezra,  Commentary attributed to RambamEsther 2:8Esther 5:1, RalbagEsther 2:10Esther Toelet 15About R. Levi b. Gershom, R. Yosef ChayyunEsther 2:8Esther 2:10About R. Yosef Chayyun

What prohibition was being transgressed? These sources maintain that Esther was not married, and as such limit the transgression to that of having relations with an idolater.  It is not clear, however, how severely they view this act. 

• Though Ralbag believes that this is a Torah level prohibition,²² from his description of it as a  "גנות מועט" (small disgrace), he does not appear to consider it one of the cardinal sins for which one would have to forfeit one's life.²³
• This position might also maintain that relations with an idolater is only a rabbinic prohibition, as nowhere does the Torah explicitly prohibit relations with an idolater.

Why do the ends justify the means? R. Yosef Chayyun compares Esther's actions to the law that one is allowed to violate Shabbat once in order to enable a person to observe many Shabbatot.²⁴  Thus, too, Esther was allowed to violate one prohibition to ensure that the nation as a whole would be able to keep their religion intact, and observe many Torah laws.  Ralbag similarly expresses that the benefits that the nation would gain from Esther's misdeed by far outweighed any of the negatives of the act.

Mordechai's precognition – These sources disagree regarding whether Mordechai acted knowing that the nation was in danger:

• Knew via prophecy – According to the opinion cited in Ibn Ezra, Mordechai knew via prophecy that Esther was to save the Jews.
• Did not know – According to Ralbag and R. Yosef Chayyun, in contrast, Mordechai was not aware of any specific threat, and was only hoping to maneuver Esther into a useful position since life under foreign rule is always uncertain.²⁵  According to them, even the chance of Esther's bringing salvation sufficed to permit the relations with Achashverosh.

"וַתִּלָּקַח" – R. Chayyun asserts that not only was Esther not taken by force, but Mordechai actively placed her in in the public eye, hoping that she would be taken.²⁶  He might explain that the passive language of "וַתִּלָּקַח" simply means that she, like all candidates, was taken to the palace by the king's officers, but not necessarily against her will.

"לֹא הִגִּידָה אֶסְתֵּר אֶת עַמָּהּ וְאֶת מוֹלַדְתָּהּ" – These sources assert that Esther concealed her nationality to increase her chances of being chosen as queen.  If Achashverosh had known her lowly origins, he might have rejected her out of hand.  See Why Conceal Esther's Nationality for more.

"לֹא בִקְשָׁה דָּבָר" – Ralbag might suggest²⁷ that this was part of Esther's strategy to be picked as queen.  Esther asked for nothing on her own, instead putting her trust in Hegai's recommendations, assuming that he would know best what the king desired.

Mordechai and Esther's religious identity – These commentators understand that Esther and Mordechai were observant Jews who put the interests of the nation above their own personal good.

Improper Conduct

Esther did not behave in a halakhic manner, and it was prohibited and inappropriate for her to marry Achashverosh.

Sources:Opinion cited by Ibn EzraEsther Version A 2:10About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, R. Y"S ReggioIntroduction to EstherAbout R. Yitzchak Shemuel Reggio

What prohibition was being transgressed? These sources do not think that Esther was married, and thus adultery was not an issue.  However, since according to them, Esther was not under duress, nor acting on behalf of her nation, they see no justification even for the less severe sin of marrying a heathen.

Willingness to become queen – According to R. Y"S Reggio, Mordechai's main concern throughout the story was that Esther be chosen as queen, not for the good that her position could provide for her nation, but for her own prestige and that of her family.²⁸  Thus, not only did he not try to prevent her being taken, but he even thought of strategies which would aid her being chosen. R. Reggio criticizes Mordechai for being so power hungry that it blinded him to the problems of his relative marrying a polytheist who prayed to the sun.

Mordechai and Esther's religious identity – R. Y"S Reggio portrays Esther and Mordechai as ordinary Jews who were not particularly knowledgeable in Jewish law.²⁹   If so, this position could suggest that it was a mixture of ignorance and desire for honor that distorted Mordechai's priorities.

"לֹא הִגִּידָה אֶסְתֵּר אֶת עַמָּהּ וְאֶת מוֹלַדְתָּהּ" – According to R. Reggio, Mordechai thought that revealing Esther's lowly origins would hinder her chances of becoming queen. R. Reggio points out the additional problem that if becoming queen required hiding Esther's faith, it would make observance of other commandments more difficult as well.³⁰

"וּבְכׇל יוֹם וָיוֹם מׇרְדֳּכַי מִתְהַלֵּךְ לִפְנֵי חֲצַר בֵּית הַנָּשִׁים" – R. Reggio asserts that Mordechai would check daily on Esther to see whether his hopes for her attaining the position were making headway.

¹ Rashi also points out, like the position below, that Esther was put into the position so that she could save the nation.  However, he does not use this as a reason to justify her actions, but rather to explain why Hashem had a righteous woman meet such a fate.

² This would seem to be the simple reading of Bavli Sanhedrin as well.

³ Bavli Megillah, and Rashi in its wake, assume that Esther was married and thus that the sin was one of גילוי עריות.

⁴ See also Rashi in its wake.

⁵ On the verse, "לְקָחָהּ מׇרְדֳּכַי לוֹ לְבַת", R. Meir remarks, "אל תקרי לבת אלא לבית" (do not read 'as a daughter' but as a 'house').  As support, he notes the parallel between Mordechai "taking Esther as a daughter" and the description in Shemuel II 12:3 of the poor man of Natan's parable viewing his lamb as a "daughter".  Just as in the parable, the lamb-daughter (analogous to Batsheva) is really wife of the poor man (Uriah), so too Esther was not a daughter but a wife.
R. Nachmiash points out that the text's description of Achashverosh's officers gathering "virgin" women specifically would seem to argue against this reading. These sources would likely suggest that the officers did not limit themselves to virgins, but gathered other women as well.  See Rashi on 2:17, that the phrase "וַיֶּאֱהַב הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת אֶסְתֵּר מִכׇּל הַנָּשִׁים וַתִּשָּׂא חֵן וָחֶסֶד לְפָנָיו מִכׇּל הַבְּתוּלוֹת" suggests that Esther was favored above both the virgins and the wives who were gathered.

⁶ R. Saadia points to Devarim 7 as the source for this prohibition.  Though this verse only mentions marrying members of the seven nations of Canaan, he assumes that the prohibition applies to all idolaters. Since the reason given for the prohibition is lest the marriage sway one to idolatry, it is easy to apply it to other idolaters as well.

⁷ The Bavli assumes that only the illicit relations mentioned in Vayikra 18 are considered "גילוי עריות" for which one would have to be killed rather than transgress, while marriage to an idolator might not even be a capital crime.

⁸ Normally the concept of ייהרג ובל יעבור (be killed rather than transgress) is limited to the three cardinal sins of murder, idolatry and illicit relations (as listed in Vayikra 18).  However, in cases where the transgression is public in nature, the law is expanded to include all prohibitions.  In the case of Esther, even though no one would have been witness to the actual sexual act, the fact that it was public knowledge that Esther and Achashverosh were living together as man and wife, is considered sufficient to view the act as a "public" one.

⁹ See R. Yitzchak b. Mordechai Sanhedrin 74bAbout Ba'alei HaTosafotwho explains that one can extrapolate from the laws of murder to illicit relations.  Just as one is not expected to forfeit his life unless he is told to actively kill another (thus, if he is thrown on a baby and suffocates it there would be no such requirement), so too a passive woman who is forced into illicit relations may transgress rather than be killed. 

¹⁰ The ZoharRa'aya Meheimna Ki Tetze 276aTikkunei Zohar 57bAbout the Zohar perhaps goes the furthest in defending Esther's spiritual integrity, suggesting that Mordechai used his mystical knowledge to replace Esther with a female spirit when approached by Achashverosh, so that Esther never actually had carnal relations with him.

¹¹ Ibn Ezra, instead, claims that Esther hoped that it would be easier to observe commandments in general if no one knew her religion.

¹² According to Rashi, Esther was a descendant of King Shaul. 

¹³ Cf. Ibn Ezra who questions whether Achashverosh would really be impressed by such lineage, claiming that "all Jews were contemptible in the eyes of the throne."

¹⁴ See also R. Saadia who does not present this as the reason for the silence, but does point out that as a consequence it was clear that Achashverosh was acting only for his own pleasure.

¹⁵ See above point that when someone asks another to transgress a prohibition in public, but solely for their personal pleasure, then one is not obligated to forfeit one's life.  However, if the person's request is for the intention of making the Jew violate his religion, then one is required to die rather than act.

¹⁶ See also the commentary found in MS Munich 5MS Munich 5 Esther 2:15About Ba'alei HaTosafot.

¹⁷ R. Saba speaks from personal experience and anguish; his own two sons were forcibly taken from him and baptized during the decree.  See B. Walfish, Esther in Medieval Garb, (New York, 1993): 122-123, who elaborates on the biographical motivations for R. Saba's reading of the story.

¹⁸ See Ibn Ezra as well.

¹⁹ Here, too, R. Saba might be speaking somewhat autobiographically, wishing that he could have saved his own children from being taken. 

²⁰ See also the Second Targum and Rashi who follow his understanding.

²¹ R. Abba agrees with the opinion that Esther was married to Mordechai, and says that Esther was sacrificing her relationship with Mordechai, since a married woman who willingly sleeps with another man is prohibited to her husband. See also the Second Targum which says this explicitly.

²² In his comments to Devarim 7:1-4 he claims that the prohibition there includes marriage to idolaters. 

²³ Though the Bavli maintains that if one is asked to transgress any sin in public, one should forfeit their life rather than transgress, it is possible that Ralbag does not consider Esther and Achashverosh's relations to be "public" as the actual act was not not on display.

²⁴ See Yoma 85b, and the discussion there about violating Shabbat in order to save a life.

²⁵ Although Ralbag maintains that Mordechia "saw" that Esther was to be chosen as queen, R. Chayyun presents Mordechai as not knowing even that for certain and simply hoping for the best.

²⁶ Cf. Radak, who claims that the word "וַתִּלָּקַח" implies going willingly and not by force.

²⁷ See similarly, Y. Hazony, The Dawn, (Jerusalem, 1995): 36-38.

²⁸ He even posits that when Mordechai told Esther to plead with Achashverosh for salvation, his real worry was not for the nation, who would be saved regardless ("רֶוַח וְהַצָּלָה יַעֲמוֹד לַיְּהוּדִים מִמָּקוֹם אַחֵר"), but for her potential loss of personal status ("וְאַתְּ וּבֵית אָבִיךְ תֹּאבֵדוּ").

²⁹ See his reading of Mordechai's Refusal to Bow,  and the discussions in Esther's Religious Identity and Mordechai's Religious Identity.

³⁰ He assumes that had Esther requested certain foods or treatment because her faith so required, those requests would ave been granted.  By pretending not to be Jewish, however, there would then be no justification for asking for kosher foods, and she would be forced to transgress such prohibitions as well. Cf. Ibn Ezra who maintains the opposite, assuming that observance would be easier if her faith was unknown.