What Is the Book of Esther?

The book of Esther is one of the five megillot (scrolls) read publicly on specific occasions; it is read on Purim and provides the explanation for the origin of that festival. The book is a burlesque comedy matching the tone of Purim; it is full of caricatures, exaggerations, improbabilities, comic misunderstandings, and sexual innuendos. King Ahasuerus is a buffoon, manipulated by his advisers. Haman is an egomaniac, seeking honor for himself but foiled at every turn by his nemesis Mordechai. The Persian court is portrayed in exaggerated terms (much as Greek literature portrayed it), heavily draped in luxury and bureaucracy, with ever-present wine parties, legal advisers, and the proclamation of decrees. But amid all the fun, there is a serious threat to the Jews of Persia, which is happily overcome by Esther and Mordecai. This is a diaspora story in which the Jews have a strong sense of their separate identity, even though religious observance goes unmentioned. The book shows that Jewish life in the diaspora may be precarious, but Jews can survive and even flourish.