4. Queen Esther is the heroine of Purim.
The Scroll of Esther is one of the five Biblical scrolls, which are highlighted during Jewish holidays. Esther was Mordechai’s niece, and demonstrated the centrality of women in Judaism, as did Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah (the Matriarchs), Miriam (Moses’ older sister), Batyah (who saved Moses’ life), Deborah (the prophetess, judge, and military leader), Hannah (Samuel’s mother), and Yael (who killed Sisera, the Canaanite general).
Esther was one of the seven Biblical Jewish prophetesses: Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Huldah, and Esther (
Megillah tractate of the Mishnah, 14:71). The name Esther was a derivative of Ishtar, the Mesopotamian goddess of beauty and fertility, as well as Stara, the Persian morning star, which shifts darkness into light, thus becoming a symbol of deliverance. The Hebrew name of Esther was Hadassah, whose root is Hadass, which is the Hebrew word for the myrtle tree. The myrtle tree features
Huldah
Hamerkaz
Israel
Jerusalem
Israel-general
Yael
Hadarom
Greece
Ethiopia
Israeli
Greek
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