Who was in the King's Court For Such a Time as...

Comments: 14

Elizabeth R. Nov 7, 2009, 1:38am EST

Esther was an amazing woman and is celebrated annually in the Jewish community known as Purim. You can learn about Purim at Judaism 101: Purim. I am not attempting to convert anyone to the Jewish faith. It is just good to know the traditions of other faiths.

Monica C. Nov 7, 2009, 1:40am EST

Oh, I love learning about the Jewish faith Elizabeth. I love the Jewish people and would stand by the Jewish nation in a heart beat.

Thank you for that information. I just learned about that celebration recently.

Elizabeth R. Nov 7, 2009, 3:02am EST

I attended my first Purim several years ago and it was really great. The Cantor read one of the Queen Esther books. Not from the Bible or Torah. Every time Haman was mentioned we were to stomp our feet, hiss or make other noises.

This particular Purim happened on a Friday night so that made a difference. The Sabath is from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday.

Then there was wonderful food and we socialized. It was a wonderful experience.

Glad this was helpful. Judaism is so full of tradition and have so many more holidays to observe. Love the history.

Monica C. Nov 7, 2009, 3:16am EST

Yeah, I find that an awesome tradition. I also found it so cool that in this tradition, of Queen Esther, Haman is still seen as the one who was willingly going to kill all the Jews in the Shushan region. Haman deserved his fate no doubt.

Elizabeth R. Nov 7, 2009, 5:24am EST

Haman is the villian in the book of Esther and that is why she is celebrated. She saved all the Hebrew people in Sushan. She risked her life to do so. I have dedicated one page to A Woman of Valor and includes a section on Queen Esther.

I believe there is only one other book in the Old Testament about a woman and that is Ruth.

Monica C. Nov 8, 2009, 12:17am EST

Oh, the Book of Ruth. Ruth was an amazing woman for staying with Namoi and accepting her God as her God and never returning to her land. I can not imagine losing her husband, BIL and FIL,all at once. But, Ruth was not only acting noble, she was leaving her life behind to comfort Naomi in her time of need. It paid off for her, in the end.

I will look at that page you have A woman of Valor...

Thanks Elizabeth. Did you know, one of my twins, Abby has your name as her middle name?

I gave my twins Hebrew names...I love Hebrew names and did it because I love God's people and love God.

Elizabeth R. Nov 8, 2009, 1:14am EST

Ruth was an amazing woman. I should include her on the page about A Woman of Valor. She certainly meets that criteria.

I did not know that Abby's middle name is Elizabeth. The Hebrew names also have so much meaning when written in ancient Hebrew. Each letter has a numeric value as well. I planned to take some classes in Judaism but the local Rabbi is more Orthodox and not as accommodating as the people in the Reformed movement. It will happen in its proper time. That is what God told me many years ago.

The Hebrews are also known as The People of The Book. When you look at the meaning of Israel, we are all Israelites. Israel means "one who struggles with God." I believe that qualifies most of us.

Have a super Sunday, Monica, and thank you for this discussion.

Monica C. Nov 8, 2009, 1:40am EST

Yes, and my other twins name is Emma Suzanne. Emma meaning Emmanual and Suzanne, I can not remember. I wanted to name Abby Abigal, but my DH liked Abby instead.

I would love to learn the Hebrew language. I have found some courses online, but I am still looking for free courses I can download on my iPod.

You have a blessed Sunday too Elizabeth... :-)

Elizabeth R. Nov 8, 2009, 2:08am EST

Emmanual is beautiful for a beautiful little girle.

We were studying ancient Hebrew which is different from the current language. Ancient Hebrew does not have the vowel points which is one of the reasons that makes literal translation difficult. It is a beautiful language.

If the Jewish community in your area is Reformed they may have some classes. I found that the Reformed people are more accepting of others.

I attended an old Episcopalian church and the people who were not originally members were often blackslidden Baptists or Catholics. There were even a few from the Jewish community. Very liberal Episcopalian church. Loved it there.

Thanks again for this discussion.

Monica C. Nov 8, 2009, 2:22am EST

There is a temple in my city, a few blocks from my home. Maybe I can ask about courses. When you say Reformed, do you mean Completed Jews?

Elizabeth R. Nov 8, 2009, 3:12am EST

You have me with this one, Monica. I don't know what you mean by Completed Jews? Converted? That is a completely different subject and I just read some about it at Messianic: The Completed Jew which in an interesting concept.

As with the Christians there are different groups of Jews:

Orthodox
Conservative
Hasadic
Reformed

There is a lot of information at Judaism 101 if you want an overview.

Elizabeth R. Nov 8, 2009, 3:17am EST

There are more than I mentioned. This is just a quick list. Jerusalem, at the time of Christ, was just as much a political hotbed as it is today. That region has been under dispute since before the Roman occupation. Some of it goes back as far as Abraham and his sons. And it continues.

Monica C. Nov 9, 2009, 3:26am EST

Oh, I agree Elizabeth. With all you have said. I will read Judaism 101. Thanks so much...

Elizabeth R. Nov 9, 2009, 4:35am EST

You are so welcome, Monica. Enjoy.

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Who was in the King's Court For Such a Time as This?

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