How Queen Esther Inspires Us Today

One of the main traditions of Purim is the reading of Megillat Esther - the Scroll of Esther - in synagogue. It retells the story of the Jewish queen of Persia, Esther, and how the Jewish people were saved from and fought back against an attempt to annihilate them.

Our heroine Esther was chosen as a bride to the Persian king, Achashverosh, but decides to hide her Jewish identity. Later, her relative Mordechai informs her of a plot by the government advisor Haman to kill all Jews in the empire, and urges her to use her position to save her people. Esther then delicately executes a dangerous plan to get the king's ear and sympathy, and convinces him to allow the Jews to fight back against Haman's decree, while also revealing her own Jewishness.

The Jews throughout the vast Persian empire are able to valiantly fight back and defeat Haman and his cronies, saving themselves from total genocide. The Jewish community's celebration of their victory became the holiday of Purim and continues to be festively memorialized to this day!

The Purim story is one of triumph of good over evil, and Queen Esther reminds us that with bravery and foresight, justice and righteousness will win at the end of the day, no matter the challenges. We learn that even something as preordained as a legal decree can be fought and overturned, and that when Jews look out for each other we will ultimately prevail, even if we have to temporarily hide who we are for our safety until the time comes to reveal ourselves.

Thanks to Esther’s smart and courageous behind-the-scenes machinations, the Jews of Persia were able to ultimately rise up and defend themselves - something we can take inspiration from today amidst our current challenges!

Queen Esther ultimately inspires us with her faith, courage, intelligence, and loyalty to her family and the Jewish people.

Celebrate the bravery of Queen Esther and the Jewish people with festive Purim gifts, Jewish pride shirts, and your very own Book of Esther!