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What did Esther eat in the king’s non-kosher palace?

by Rabbi Yossi Marcus

  

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In the Scroll of Esther1 we read that Hegai, the custodian of the women, did something special for Esther and her maids. The Talmud2 offers a number of opinions on what this special treatment was.

Rav says that he fed her Jewish food. (Although she did not say she was Jewish, it was known that she was raised in the home of Mordechai. People assumed that he had adopted her but that she was not Jewish. So Esther said that she wanted Kosher food because that’s what she was used to (Ben Yehoyada).)

Shmuel said that he fed her fatty hog bacon (oy gevald!). Don’t worry, there is an opinion that she didn’t eat it (Tosafot ibid.). But some say that she was forced to eat it (Rashi). The commentator Torah Temimah suggests that she was offered this bacon delicacy for her own good, but she did not have to accept it. According to Aruch’s reading of the text, it was not bacon but rather tops of lettuce.

Rabbi Yochonon said that he fed her legumes (beans, peas (Rashi), or rice (Ibn Ezra)). Esther went vegan for a while. (Hence the custom of some to eat legumes on Purim.)

Footnotes

  • 1. Esther 2:9
  • 2. Talmud tractate Megillah 13a
TAGS: esther

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Holidays » Purim » The Story
Torah
Torah is G–d’s teaching to man. In general terms, we refer to the Five Books of Moses as “The Torah.” But in truth, all Jewish beliefs and laws are part of the Torah.
Talmud
Usually referring to the Babylonian edition, it is a compilation of Rabbinic law, commentary and analysis compiled over a 600 year period (200 BCE - 427 CE). Talmudic verse serves as the bedrock of all classic and modern-day Torah-Jewish literature.
Kosher
Literally means "fit." Commonly used to describe foods which are permitted by Jewish dietary laws, but is also used to describe religious articles (such as a Torah scroll or Sukkah) which meet the requirements of Jewish law.
Purim
A one-day holiday celebrated in late winter commemorating the miraculous deliverance of the Jewish people from a decree of annihilation issued by Persian King Ahasuerus in the year 356 BCE.
Rashi
Acronym for Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (1040-1105). Legendary French scholar who authored the fundemental and widely accepted "Rashi commentary" on the entire Bible and Talmud.
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1. Jewish wife of Persian King Ahasuerus in the 4th century BCE. Foiled the plot of Haman, the prime minister, to exterminate all the Jews. The holiday of Purim commemorates this miraculous salvation. 2. One of the 24 Books of the Bible, which chronicles the abovementioned story.
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Cousin of Queen Esther, and Jewish leader in the 4th century BCE. Played a large role in saving the Jews after Haman, the Persian prime minister, plotted to exterminate them all. The holiday of Purim was established to commemorate this miracle.
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