Queen Esther

Queen Esther (Hebrew: אסתר המלכה), also known as Hadassah, was a Jewish heroine, who saved the Jewish people from Haman Haman HaRasha.

According to the Biblical story, Esther was a Jewish girl who became queen when she won a beauty contest designed by King Ahasuerus to find the new Queen of Persia.
She then went on to save the Jewish people from being massacred as part of a plot led by Haman, the king’s adviser and an anti-Semite.

Following the removal of Queen Vashti, King Ahasuerus decides to host a beauty contest that will allow him to select a bride from all the women in his kingdom.

Esther is one of the women brought before him and he chooses her without knowing that she is Jewish. Following the advice of her cousin and guardian, Mordecai, Esther kept both her people and her religion a secret.

Soon after Esther becomes queen a plot emerges where the king’s adviser, Haman, convinces Ahasuerus to murder all Jews in the kingdom. Mordecai learns of Haman’s plans and asks Esther to intercede with the king on behalf of her people. She agrees and hosts a banquet for Haman and her husband, during which she asks the king to spare her life. He is outraged to learn that anyone has threatened his queen, at which point Esther reveals that she is Jewish and condemned to die because of Haman’s plot.

Because Persian law prevented the king from annulling a decree that has already been issued, Ahasuerus gives Esther control of Haman’s estate and tells her to issue another edict. The new edict should give Jews permission to arm and defend themselves from attacks – which they do with resounding success.

Credit:
judaism.about.