Mordechai's Religious Identity/1

Mordechai's Religious Identity

Introduction

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Reading in Religiosity

Many readers of Tanakh tend to assume that its heroes and heroines are observant Jews.  Often, though, Tanakh does not actually share such facts, and in reality we know very little about any individual character's observance of specific commandments.  Tanakh's silence may be due to the fact that the issue is often irrelevant to a story's larger message, or because the observance is simply assumed.  Either way, though, it leaves room to question the religiosity of individual figures, especially when the story line might actually imply non-observance, as is the case in Megillat Esther.

Where is Hashem?

Religion is conspicuously absent from the Megillah. The lack of Hashem's name from the scroll is well known; neither the narrator nor any of the protagonists ever mention it or attribute any events to the hand of Hashem. There is also no indication that either Esther or Mordechai even pray to Hashem after hearing of Haman's edict.¹  In addition, nowhere do either Mordechai or Esther protest Esther's being taken to the king or express reservations about her sleeping with a non-Jew.² How should this lack of religiosity be explained? Esther's religious identity impacts on our understanding of various aspects of the Megillah:
Becoming queen and marrying Achashverosh – Did Esther willingly go to the palace and desire to become queen? Should she not have sacrificed herself rather than unlawfully sleep with the king? See Esther's Relations with Achashverosh for a full discussion.
Observance in the palace – Did Esther try to keep the Torah's commandments while in the palace? If so, how was this possible? See How Did Esther Conceal Her Nationality for elaboration.
Hiding her identity – What led Mordechai to instruct Esther to hide her identity? Was this going to help or hinder her observance? See Why Conceal Esther's Nationality for details.
Mordechai's Title –

¹ Even when the verses mention the nation fasting and crying, it never says that these actions are meant for Hashem to see and hear. This stands in contrast to the book of Yonah, where the people of Nineveh similarly attempt to ward off evil, and the verses explicitly state that they called out to Hashem as they fasted and donned sackcloth.  The absence is further highlighted when looking at the retelling of the story in the Second Targum and Septuagint which both add an account of Mordechai's prayer.

² This lack is emphasized by other accounts of the story, like that found in the Septuagint, which present Mordechai as warning Esther to remain loyal to her faith before going to the palace.  See also the Second Targum which has Mordechai attempt to hide Esther so that she would not be taken.