How Did Esther Conceal Her Nationality/2

When and How Did Esther Conceal Her Nationality?

Exegetical Approaches

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Until the Banquet

Acahshverosh did not know Esther's nationality until she revealed it at the second party.

Sources:R. SaadiaEsther 2:8-11About R. Saadia Gaon, RashiEsther 2:10Esther 2:10Esther 2:20About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, R. Yosef KaraR. Yosef Kara About R. Yosef Kara, RashbamEsther 2:19-20About R. Shemuel b. Meir, Ibn EzraEstherEsther נוסח ב' ב':י'About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, Ralbag  RidEsther 2:10About R. Yeshayah of Trani,  R. Yosef NachmiasEsther 2:8About R. Yosef Nachmias, Akeidat Yitzchak #1Esther 2:10About R. Yitzchak Arama [majority]

Why conceal Esther's nationality? These sources offer an array of opinions.  For elaboration, see Why Conceal Esther's Nationality?

• Aid observance – Ibn Ezra asserts that Esther hid her religion so that she would be able to observe commandments in secret.¹ As such, concealing her religion was just as important after being coronated as before.
• Save the nation – According to the Lekach Tov, the Rokeach and Ralbag, Esther hid her religious identity so that she would be best positioned to save the nation, only revealing it when the opportune time arrived.²
• Avoid becoming queen – Rashi and the Rid claim that Esther wanted to hide her royal lineage so that Achashverosh would have no incentive to choose her as queen.  According to these commentators, however, it is not clear what purpose the secrecy served after Esther was chosen as queen.

Double mention of concealment – According to this position, the verses mention Esther's hiding of her identity twice to teach that both before and after her crowning Esther kept her identity secret.³

Achashverosh's shock at the party – These sources assume that Achashverosh first learned at the party that Esther was Jewish and thus included in the decree of Haman, leading to his anger that someone would dare try to annihilate the queen and her nation.

Connection to Mordechai – These sources offer various scenarios to explain how Mordechai and Esther's family ties did not expose her Jewish roots:

• Connection to Mordechai unknown – R. Yosef Nachmias suggests that perhaps Esther was taken, not from Mordechai's house, but from the street when she happened to stroll outside.  Thus, no one even knew that she was related to Mordechai. R. Elisha Gallico suggests instead that though Esther was taken from Mordechai's home, there was much confusion as so many women were being taken, that no one remembered the connection.⁴
• Connection to Mordechai known – In contrast to the above, the Akeidat Yitzchak suggests that the officers did know that Mordechai had raised Esther, but he told them that she was adopted and that he did not know who her parents were or from what nation she hailed. 

"מׇרְדֳּכַי מִתְהַלֵּךְ... לָדַעַת אֶת שְׁלוֹם אֶסְתֵּר" – According to the Akeidat Yitzchak, Mordechai's checking up on Esther would not have made anyone suspicious since everyone knew of their connection regardless.  The others might posit that Mordechai was "יֹשֵׁב בְּשַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ" and had a position in the royal palace from even before Esther became queen. As such, it was normal for him to walk in the courtyard and no one even noticed that he was watching out for Esther.

Observance in the Palace

• Ibn Ezra posits that if no one knew Esther's religion, it was possible that no one would pay attention to her actions and think to attribute them to her Judaism.  She could conceivably have kept kashrut by coming up with a excuse why she wanted to only eat vegetables.⁵ Similarly, with so many women serving her, she might rarely have had to do anything on her own and it might not have been very difficult not to transgress Shabbat.⁶ 
• Alternatively, it is possible that in the palace Esther might not have been able to observe commandments⁷ and thus there was nothing in her actions to  give her away.

Until She Became Queen

Esther only kept her identity a secret until she was chosen as queen.

Why conceal Esther's nationality? According to this position Esther concealed her royal lineage so that Achashverosh would not desire her as queen.  As such, once she was nonetheless chosen, there was no more reason to hide her origins and she took no pains to do so.

Double mention of concealment – This approach would suggest that the second mention of Esther's secrecy related not to the period of her rule, but specifically to the second gathering of virgins, when the competition was renewed.

Achashverosh's shock at the party – If Achashverosh knew of Esther's Judaism, what was revealed at the second party?

Never Concealed

Esther never hid that she was Jewish.

Sources:Akeidat Yitzchak #2Esther 2:10About R. Yitzchak Arama

¹ Mordechai assumed that were her Judaism known, Achashverosh would have forced her to transgress commandments, but if it were concealed there would be a chance that no one would pay attention.  See also R. Saadia and Akeidat Yitzchak who assert that had Esther's Judaism been public and then Achashverosh demanded of her to violate it, the laws of "יהרג ואל יעבר" (be killed rather than transgress) would have applied.  Since Achashverosh was unaware of her religion, it meant that when he had relations, he was doing so for his own enjoyment and not to force her to violate a commandment.  In such a case she was not obligated to forfeit her life.

² The Lekach Tov and Ralbag maintain that had Achashverosh known her "lowly" origins he would have rejected her and she would never have been chosen as queen, nor remained in the position, as to aid the people. The Rokeach adds that if she were believed to be a Gentile, she would privy to more information and might reveal any potential plot against the Jews.

³ R. Yosef Kara adds that the verse explicitly states that Esther continued to do as Mordechai taught her ("מַאֲמַר מׇרְדֳּכַי אֶסְתֵּר עֹשָׂה כַּאֲשֶׁר הָיְתָה בְאׇמְנָה אִתּוֹ") to teach that despite the marriage and the fact that she now had reason to listen to her husband, Achashverosh, rather than Mordechai, Esther nonetheless continued to do as Mordechai had advised.

⁴ There might be some support for this hypothesis from the text's emphasis on Esther being taken "וּבְהִקָּבֵץ נְעָרוֹת רַבּוֹת".

⁵ See B. Shpigel, "הכיצד לא ידעו אחשורוש והמן שאסתר יהודייה", Megadim 49 (5769):71-107 for other suggestions and sources, including the idea that Esther was aided by Hegay or her maidservants.

⁶ See Ravah in Bavli Megillah who assumes that Esther had a different maidservant each day and used them to keep track of the days of the week so she could remember when was Shabbat.  Others suggest that since each of them only saw her one day of the week they never noticed that she behaved differently on Shabbat.

⁷ See Shemuel in Bavli that she was served pig.  Rashi there explains that as she was forced, this was not punished.