The Historical Context of Megillat Esther

The Historical Context of Megillat Esther

Determining when Megillat Esther took place is based largely on identifying King Ahashverosh, who plays a central role in the story. The explanation that Rashi brings in his commentary at the beginning of the megillah is based on the teaching of the Sages (TB Megillah 11b), which suggests that Ahashverosh ruled immediately after Cyrus, seventy years after the Jews were exiled. However, the veracity of this unique approach was previously questioned by early commentaries, since it seems irreconcilable with the simple reading of biblical passages. The widely accepted view identifies King Ahashverosh of the megillah with Xerxes, who ruled in Persia from 486-465 BCE. This suggestion is congruent with the passage in the Book of Ezra: “Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah, and frightened them from building, and hired counselors against them to frustrate their counsel all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. Now in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem, and in the days of Artaxerxes…” (Ezra 4:4-6). These verses indicate that Ahashverosh followed Darius.

According to this identification, the story of Megillat Esther takes place after the Second Temple was consecrated. At the time of the events described in the megillah, the Jewish community in Israel was also fighting for its existence. In the quote from the Book of Ezra above, the accusation is brought “against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem,” emphasizing the perspective of the community that had returned to the Land of Israel.

Various midrashim draw parallels between the description of Ahashverosh’s palace and the Temple. The utensils used in Ahashverosh’s party are identified as Temple vessels (TB Megillah 11b); the clothing worn by Ahashverosh were the holy garments of the High Priest (TB Megillah 12a), and so forth. These midrashim might be critiquing the Jews of Shushan who remained in Persia and enjoyed the pleasures of the king’s celebrations, rather than choosing to serve God in the Temple. This theme is mirrored in the description of Ahashverosh’s palace: the description uses terms with which we are familiar from the Temple (e.g., the inner chamber and the outer chamber). Similarly, anyone who dares to enter the inner chamber of the king will die, the same punishment that is meted out to the individual who enters the Temple precincts without proper preparations. Esther, who approaches the king after fasting can be seen as the High Priest who enters the inner sanctum on Yom Kippur.

These parallels may serve as criticisms of the people of Shushan, who were willing to replace the King of kings with a king of flesh-and-blood, whose rule is ridiculed throughout the megillah.