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MIZRACHI EDUCATORS TORAT MIZRACHI

Rabbanit Shani Taragin

Repairing Rivalry & Jewish Brotherhood

egillat Esther, one of the last Esther stands before Achashverosh at (from the fallen kingdom of Judea), an
works of Ketuvim to be writ- her second banquet, pleading for the “Ish Yemini” (from tribe of Binyamin),
Mten and canonized, employs survival of her nation, she remembers who implores her to link her familial
numerous allusions to earlier stories in the sale of Yosef proposed by his brother and tribal affiliation to the survival of all
Tanach. Many of the analogies serve the Yehuda: “And Yehuda said unto his her Jewish brethren, she remembered
ideological purpose of ‘redeeming’ the brethren: ‘What profit is it if we slay our the repentance of Yehuda, who risked
lineage of Binyamin from the shortcom- brother and conceal his blood? Come, his life for his brother Binyamin and
ings of Shaul haMelech, particularly in and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, pledged himself as a slave in his stead.
fighting Amalek and not adhering to and let not our hand be upon him; for
the Divine commandment of complete he is our brother, our flesh’” (Bereishit Esther took advantage of the
annihilation. The Book of Esther high- 37:26–7). opportunity to “repay” Yehuda and
lights Esther’s “success in overcoming achieve lasting brotherhood as a
the drawbacks of a reticent personality Esther revisits his argument of betrayal descendant of Binyamin who could
[and] offsets the pivotal failure of Saul – “for we are sold, I and my people, to and would risk her life for her brothers
to do the same.” She does so not only be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. from Yehuda.
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by ‘fixing’ the faults of Shaul in properly But if we had been sold for bondmen
eradicating our enemies and declining and bondwomen, I had held my peace, Recognizing how fragile the balance of
to take the spoils even when permitted for the adversary is not worthy that the brotherhood is to maintain throughout
to do so (Esther 9:5–16), but in con- king be damaged” (7:4). history, Mordechai and Esther
trast to Shaul, who sought to kill his Haman is hanged as a result of her incorporated the mitzvot of mishloach
innocent young rival, David, at a sec- accusations, but the survival of the manot and matanot la’evyonim as
ond-day royal feast, Esther prepares Yehudim is still in severe jeopardy annual remedies for ‘sibling’ rivalry.
parallel feasts to bravely save her Jewish until Esther recalls not only the rift and Remembering the stories of Binyamin,
brethren, descendants of David. rivalry of Yehuda (children of Leah) vs. Yehuda and Esther, as we celebrate
In redeeming Shaul, Esther rises the children of Rachel, but his repair together and recall our mutual
above tribal affiliation and unifies the and repentance as well. She revisits how responsibilities to care for and defend
Binyaminites and Yehudim (Judeans) Yehuda risked his life for his brother one another, help assure a lasting legacy
who were exiled together in 597 Binyamin and pleaded for his salvation of Jewish brotherhood, solidarity and
BCE (2:6). How did she succeed in before the viceroy: “For how shall I go survival.
overcoming rifts and creating solidarity up to my father, if the lad be not with
between the descendants of Yehuda me? Lest I look upon the evil that shall
and Binyamin (without four rounds of come on my father (ת ֶ א א ָ צ ְ מִי ר ֶ ׁש ֲ א ע ָ ר ָ ב 1 Yitzchak Berger, “Esther and Benjamite
elections in two years)? י ִ ב ָ א)” (Bereishit 44:34). Royalty: A Study in Inner-Biblical Allusion”
(JBL, 2010).
The answer lies in Esther’s recollection And she echoes his anguish before the 2 Rabbi David Fohrman, “Family Feud: The
not only of the Shaul/David feud, but of king: “For how can I endure to see the Ominous Background to Esther’s Story”
the earliest story of rivalry between the evil that shall come unto my people (AlephBeta).
children of Leah and Rachel, manifested (י ִּ מ ַ ע ת ֶ א א ָ צ ְ מִי ר ֶ ׁש ֲ א ה ָ ע ָ ר ָּ ב)? Or how can
in the desire to kill and sell Yosef as a I endure to see the destruction of my Rabbanit Shani Taragin is Educational
slave. Though there are many allusions kindred?” (Esther 8:6). Director of Mizrachi and the Director of
and parallels between the monarchical the Mizrachi Matan Lapidot Educators'
success of Esther and Mordechai in Esther recalled the bitter animosity Program.
Persia to the rise of Yosef in Egypt, between siblings, the sale of a brother as
Rabbi David Fohrman notes another slave and the resentment that follows. A member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau
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phenomenon of intertextuality. As But inspired by Mordechai “HaYehudi” mizrachi.org/speakers

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