The book of Esther.

The book borrows its title from its main character named Esther,  which means Star. For her

beauty, a Jewish orphan by the name of Hadassah became the wife of the Persian king Artaxerxes

or, probably, Xerxes who reigned in 485-465 B.C. Her name was later changed to Esther. Esther

was raised by her uncle Mordecai who was a gatekeeper at the royal court. A few years earlier,

Mordecai saved the king.s life, when some of the king.s servants conspired to kill him. Morde-

cai.s service to the king was recorded in the Persian documents.

  Some time after Esther became the queen, the king.s powerful and proud minister named

Haman, who hated the Jews, decided to exterminate all of them within the borders of the Persian

Empire. For this purpose, he wrote an appropriate decree, as if on the king.s behalf, and began to

look  for  a  convenient  occasion  to have it signed by the king. By God.s Providence, Mordecai

learned about Haman.s plan. Being confident of success and hating Mordecai, Haman built gal-

lows on which to hang him. But Haman.s plan fell through. At a banquet, Esther boldly exposed

his conspiracy and rebuked him for his intention to hang her uncle who had saved the king.s life.

Having learned about the evil character of Haman, the angered king frustrated the plan of Haman

and ordered him to be hanged on the gallows prepared for Mordecai (as a Russian saying goes,

.do not dig a pit for someone else, for you will fall into it yourself.). To commemorate deliver-

ance of the Jews from Haman, the feast of Purim was established (Purim is Hebrew for casting

lots).