Whose Hebrew Name Was Hadassah?
The name is of biblical origin, first cited in the Scroll/Megillat of Esther (2:7),
(מגילת אסתר Megillat Ester in Hebrew ).
Esther was a daughter of a man named Abihail, who was the uncle of Mordecai who raised her, she was his cousin. (Esther 2:7, 2:15, 9:29),
“And [Mordechai] had raised Hadassah, she is Esther . . .
HEB: אֹמֵ֜ן אֶת־ הֲדַסָּ֗ה הִ֤יא אֶסְתֵּר֙
NAS:He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther,
KJV: And he brought up Hadassah, that [is], Esther,
INT: become was bringing Hadassah that is Esther
Original Word: הֲדַסָּה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Feminine
Transliteration: Hadassah
Phonetic Spelling: (had-as-saw’)
Short Definition: Hadassah
(Reference below from Gesinius)
הֲדַסָּה Hadassah, Esther’s Jewish name comes from the Hebrew word הֲדַס hădaç Hadas which means ‘myrtle’.
It is a thick green bush/tree from the Myrtaceae family.
which grows on the high places of Israel,
Lower Mt Hermon, near Saar waterfall.
‘alongside the fir and the acacia, the myrtle, the olive..’
with
fragrant leaves and
flowers used for perfume.
A few facts About the Myrtle:
The aromatic common myrtle (M. communis) is native to the Mediterranean region and the Midddle East and is cultivated in southern England and the warmer regions of North America.
In Greco-Roman antiquity, the common myrtle was held to be sacred to Venus and was used as an emblem of love in wreaths and other decorations.
The plant may grow more than 5 m (about 16.5 feet) high. The opposite leaves are thick and lustrous, with many small, translucent, oil-bearing glands.
The solitary white flowers, about 1.8 cm (about 0.7 inch) long, are borne on short stalks. The fruit is a purplish black, many seeded berry.
Myrtol, a volatile oil found in most parts of the plant, was formerly used as an antiseptic and tonic.
Variegated, yellow-fruited, and white-fruited varieties of the common myrtle are cultivated for ornament. Other plants known as myrtles are wax myrtle, bog myrtle (or sweet gale), we are maybe more familiar with the common crepe myrtle which comes in the following colours
A Hebrew Teacher, (a Rabbi), explains that since “man is like a tree of the field, therefore the righteous are called myrtles, likened to a good tree with a pleasant smell.”
Why was she called Hadassah?
Because the righteous are called myrtles. As it states in Zechariah 1:8 “And he was standing among the myrtles [the righteous prophets Chananiah, Mishael and Azariah].”
The sages in the Midrash, (a Hebrew commentary) take this one step further:
Just as a myrtle has a sweet smell and a bitter taste, so too Esther was good and listened (“sweet”) to the righteous Mordechai, and was adverse (“bitter”) to the wicked Haman.
Esther listening to MordecaiEach of her names corresponds to a different spiritual level.
The name Hadassah represents righteousness. As such, it corresponds to a heavenly sphere representing God’s infinity.
Another attribute to the name Esther (Heb. אסתר) is derived from the Hebrew word hester (Heb. הסתר), which means “hiddenness,” and corresponds to spirituality representing hidden Godliness.
Interestingly, she is referred to by both names—seemingly opposites.
According to Hebrew philosophy, calling Queen Esther by both names represents the self-sacrifice she displayed in order to save the Jewish nation. A righteous woman, she brought Godliness down into the physical world, where Godliness is concealed. We too can rise spiritually to higher personal levels of Godliness when we choose to do something righteous instead of following our selfish desires.
Queen Esther, was the Israelite wife of the King of Persia (modern day Iran) who was not afraid to live among non-Jews and to show an example of how an Israelite must not be afraid of his or her inheritance, and to live everyday life in the same direction, with happiness and much success.
Mordecai’s words to Esther 4:14
In 4 Talmud, Megillah (Hebrew History), it explains that Esther was also likened to a myrtle because of her physical appearance. The myrtle is not particularly tall or short; Esther was of average height.
No matter what the season or circumstance, it’s always green, even growing in high places with little moisture.
Such a beautiful name for the woman we know as Esther.
She also was planted on a high place – the throne of Persia.
She who was instrumental in preventing and was able to avert and avenge the planned genocide of the Hebrews during the time of the Babylonian exile, (see the Book of Esther), and she was subsequently promoted to a position that was second only to the king. (Esther 10:3)
Her story plays between the two waves of return to Jerusalem. Her bravery is still celebrated every year during the feast of Purim (Esther 9:26).
Purim is celebrated as we remember God’s faithfulness to preserve His people.
She entered the king’s presence perfumed.
In the end, she didn’t let circumstance determine her life, but proved faithful to who she was in Israel and in God.
Jesus and Purim
Did Yeshua /Jesus celebrate Purim?
It is written in John chapter 5 that He was in Jerusalem for an unnamed feast, but scholars have questioned which feast this was. Some have rejected the idea that this was Purim because it is considered a “minor” feast and not one of the ‘shelosh regalim’, (three pilgrimage festivals).
However, we know that Jesus/Yeshua celebrated Chanukah (John 10:22) which is also another “minor” feast, so a priori that is not a worthy objection. According to research on this question, chronologically the only feast that John could be referring to is Purim, since it is said to have fallen on Shabbat (John 5:9), but the only feast that occurred on Shabbat between the years of 25-35 CE was in fact Purim (in the year 28 CE).
So why was it referred to as an unnamed feast? Perhaps the Spirit of God intentionally left out the name of the feast because the Name of the LORD was likewise deliberately left out of the Book of Esther?
In the book of Esther, where, although God is not mentioned by name, He is seen at every turn orchestrating events and placing people in the right places at the right time to accomplish His plans of rescue and redemption.
At Purim, as always, we also remember God’s ultimate plan of redemption for us as Jesus The Messiah, Yeshua ha Mashiach!
Etymology And Meanings Of The Name Esther ~ אסתר ~ Hadassah
Her name in other languages: אסתר
אֶסְתֵר (Hebrew),
Εσθηρ (Ancient Greek)
PRONOUNCED:
ES-tər (English, Dutch),
es-TER (French)
The name Esther is a common off-the-shelf Persian word, meaning Star.
The name Esther was probably given to Hadassah when she entered the court of the Persian king, (compare the story of Daniel and his friends), and as such she was known by the people.
Note that the name Esther is closely related to the name Ishtar, (or Ashtorah in Hebrew), which belonged to Babylon’s primary female deity.
But to a Hebrew audience the name Esther, the way it was written, had far more meaning than simply the word “star” in the language of their abductors.
The name of Esther’s uncle Mordecai is closely akin to Marduk, the patron god of the city of Babylon. The story of Esther has a double point; it suggests that the Hebrews figured that the Babylonian reality model greatly favored the world view of the Jews. Secondly, the Babylonian gods (or rather: the people who serve them) force their Babylonian subjects to accept and appreciate Hebrew theology, and weed out the elements who aggress it.
The name Esther may have reminded them of a compound of אסון (ason), meaning evil, harm, from the assumed root אסה (“sh), plus the word תר (tor) meaning a circle or plait or תר (tor) meaning dove; both from the verb תור (tur), to spy or search out.
In that way the foreign name Esther would have looked to a Hebrew audience to mean..
She Searches Out Evil!
~
Esther denouncing Haman
Then there is the word אסר (asar), meaning to tie, bind, gird, with among its derivatives אסור (esur) meaning bond, band, and אסר (issar), binding obligation.
And finally the root סתר (satar), hide or conceal, with among its derivatives סתר (seter) and סתרה (sitra) both meaning hiding place, and מסתר (mistar) hiding place.
In that way the name Esther would have sounded like:
I Am A Hiding Place or,
I Am Hidden.
In fact, five times the form אסתר occurs in the Bible with meanings that have to do with to hide: Genesis 4:14, Job 13:20, Psalm 55:12, Ezekiel 39:23 and 39:24.
Stars play a major role in the Bible. Many agree with the Bible that stars were created to serve as signs (Genesis 1:14), but nowhere does the Bible suggest that stars influence people beyond their signature nature.
God promises Abraham that his offspring would be like the stars (Genesis 15:5) and Daniel reports that those who lead the many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever (12:3)
A Brief History Of Purim – Feast Of Lots
It’s a time of Celebrating our Deliverance
Happy Purim
Purim is celebrated annually according to the Hebrew Calendar on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar (late winter/early spring, as in just last week); (and on Adar II in Hebrew leap years that take place every 2 to 3 years), the day after Haman’s roll of the dice indicated that the 13th of Adar was most “propitious” for the extermination of the Jews.
It is celebrated on the day after since it was on this day that the Jews successfully fended off their enemies and experienced the joy of deliverance. In cities that were protected by a surrounding wall at the time of the Biblical Joshua, Purim is instead celebrated on the 15th of the month of Adar on what is known as Shushan Purim since fighting in the walled city of Shushan continued through the 14th day of Adar. Today, only Jerusalem and a few other cities celebrate Purim on the 15th of Adar.
Purim – peuirm; Hebrew; Pûrîm ‘lots’ from the word פורpur, related to Akkadian; pūru ) as previously stated, is an Israelite Holiday that commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia from Haman’s plot “to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day,” as recorded in the Megillah (book of Esther).
From the above reference we may be more familiar with the word PUR as the logo from a water filtration system.
but the Hebrew word for PURE is Tahor which is very different.
So Why Is It Called Purim?
Purim means “lots” in ancient Persian. The holiday was so named because Haman had cast lots (purim) to determine the day on which to destroy the Jews.
You can pronounce this name many ways. In Eastern tradition, it is called poo-REEM. Among Westerners, it is often called PUH-rim. Some Central-European communities even call it PEE-rim.
Esther’s story is well known and is recorded in the book bearing her name, here it is in a nutshell.
The Iranian city of Hamadan, 200 miles west of Tehran, claims to be the Biblical city of Shushan, the capital of ancient Persia and the setting for the story of Purim.
In those days, when the king Achashveirosh (Ahasuerus) sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan, the castle. Esther 1:5
Here we read how Ahasuerus’ wife, Queen Vashti, refused the will of the king and was deposed; how Esther (Hadassah) was chosen to replace her; how evil Haman (said to have been an Amalekite), plotted to exterminate the Jews on account of his feral hatred of Esther’s pious cousin Mordecai; how Esther learned of Haman’s plot and called for a fast in order to make appeal to the king on behalf of the Jewish people,
and how the Jews were given permission by the king to defend themselves and thereby be delivered from their oppressors.
As for nasty Haman – all his schemes backfired on him – and he was hung on the very gallows originally built to hang his nemesis, Mordecai.
Much is made over the fact that the book of Esther is the only book of the Tanakh (Old Testament), that does not explicitly mention the Name of God. However, the idea of God’s sovereignty and hashgachah (divine providence) is clearly implied throughout the entire story.
In light of this nes nistar, or “hidden miracle” of the Jew’s deliverance, Esther and Mordecai ordained that Purim should be observed as a “day of feasting and merrymaking” and of sending gifts to the poor. (Esther 9:22,28).
Ironically, God demonstrates that He is Master over the outcome of ‘chance’ throughout the entire narrative
Even when He is not mentioned or seen or heard, He is always there.
שמה
YHWH-Shammah — “The Lord is present” (Ezekiel 48:35)
God is always present with us.
Phonetic Spelling:
(yeh-ho-vaw’ shawm’-maw)
read from right to left under each Hebrew letter
<maw shaw h-va-ho-yeh <
Pronounced Ya-wa or
Yod–Ha-Vav-Ha Sham-ma
Jehovah, Yhovah Shammah, omnipotent, omnipresent, invisible God.
Just because we don’t feel His presence with our five physical senses doesn’t mean He is not there.
He is the God who is ALWAYS THERE.
His presence is evident in every event and even though it sometimes appears that things are out of human control, they are not and when guided by His hand, everything works out exactly to His plans and purposes.
There are situations in our lives when we don’t feel assured of His presence or involvement in the events unfolding around us. Accepting that just because we don’t see or feel Him, is not indicative of His absence or His disinterest in our plight.
The Amplified Bible version of Hebrews 13:5 saying
I will never leave you or forsake you.
He says it five times, reassuring the reader that He is there and He has not and will never abandon us.
‘Let your [a]character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down relax My hold on you)! Assuredly not!]
Most miracles are loud and demonstrative as the accounts of Exodus and the Reed Sea crossing, the events of the Passover, the mountains that thunder, the whirlwind and the storm but He is also in the silence and it’s the only time you can hear that still small voice.
Invisible yet tangible, we also need to know Him as He was in the book of Esther. Even though He may seem absent in our moments of crises, He is there and present in every event performing miracles not evident to our natural senses.
Not by might or power but by His spirit. (Zechariah) And in knowing that He is there by faith in His words of promise, at those times when we don’t ‘feel’ His presence, we can always speak the words of scripture over ourselves and declare, my God will never leave me or forsake me.
So It’s also a time to remember that “God worketh all things together for good to them that love God for those who are called according to His purposes”. Romans 8:28, In this instance, commemorating the deliverance of the local community from a particular antisemitic ruler.
Purim is a time of celebration on account of God’s victory and deliverance for His people.
How Esther and Mordechai’s Tombs Defy Modern Iran’s Vow to Destroy Israel Today.
“For Mordechai the Yehudi was next unto king Achashveirosh, and great among the Yehudim, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren; seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his seed.” Esther 11:3 The Israel Bible.
The burial site of Purim heroes Mordechai and Esther, stands proudly in the heart of Iran, proclaiming the Jews’ Biblical victory from within their most prominent modern enemy.
Tucked away in a corner of Iran is a 500-year old building purported to be the burial site and the tomb of Esther and Mordechai, located in Hamadan, Iran. A previous structure is believed to have been destroyed in the 14th century by Mongol invaders.
She is remembered at this time every year for her courage 4:16 and in not taking account of her own life.
Why is it relevant to us today?
Because if she had not been willing to lay down her life for others, if she had been selfish or allowed fear to control her actions, the course of history would have been faulted to the point that all the children of Israel would have perished and there would have been no godly lineage for Messiah to be born into and therefore no redemption or salvation for anyone.
As believers we cannot disconnect ourselves from history, which is truly His story. However hard we try to think that we are a separate religion from Judaism, it is a fact that we are inexorably connected and we should thank the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Esther, that we are so joined or we would have no hope, being lost forever and eternally separated from the Father of Glory.
One brave woman risked everything and saved her people Israel and in that selfless act actually had a part in saving each and everyone of us.
We should remember Hadassah – Myrtle – Esther,
because her life was pivotal.
Each of us are to be a myrtle in the Lord and bear sweet fragrance all the days of our lives, not determined by circumstances, but by who we are in God and who He is in us.
Bear God’s fruits in season and out of season.
Dwell in the high places of God, filled with His presence and through Him, we’ll overcome the world and every problem and circumstance,
and as we don’t let a day go by without dwelling in His presence, our lives will be like the myrtle
and our walk evergreen and we will be called
Hadassah – Esther
