Esther's achievements

People are always suspicious of those who are difficult to understand in their neighbors. The isolation of Jewish settlements, the unanimous public curse of Jews on pagan gods and their willingness to keep company with their own people all make them unpopular among their neighbors, and fierce disputes occur from time to time.

One of the arguments took place in the early 5th century before the birth of Christ. The Jews in Persia suffered heavy losses that time and were almost in danger of genocide.

Jews call Xue Xisi Ahasuerus. He divorced his wife after a shameful quarrel. The king was drunk, and so was the queen. The two men swore at each other, and as a result, their wife Queen Vashti was deposed and forced to leave the palace.

Xue Xisi immediately chose a new queen all over the country, and he chose the young Jewish girl Esther. Esther was an orphan and adopted by her cousin Mordecai. Mordecai has great prestige in society and frequent contacts with the imperial court. After Esther entered the palace, Mordecai often visited her.

One day, in the front hall, Mordecai overheard two men plotting to kill the king and told Esther. Esther told the king that both of them were put to death, but Mordecai was forgotten because he saved the king's life without any reward.

Mordecai doesn't care. He lives a rich life and is not short of money. Besides, as the protector of the queen, he has won many honors and is very satisfied. With his sudden rise in status, he became famous and made many enemies.

At that time, there was an Arab named Haman, who was the most trusted priest in front of the temple in Xue Xisi. Haman was an amalekite and had a grudge against the Jews. He looked down on Mordecai, and Mordecai responded with arrogance.

Haman insisted that whenever they met, Mordecai must bow first. Mordecai refused. The matter was put before the king, who said he was too lazy to take care of it. Since then, the hatred between the two has intensified. Today, it seems that this matter is not worth a big fight, but 3000 years ago, people didn't think so. Haman is a dangerous enemy. His repeated slanders on the king made Xue Xisi doubt the descendants of these prisoners. Haman pointed to the Jewish mansion and said that they obviously made a fortune.

Since the king has never seen the slums where most Jewish subjects live, he naturally trusts him easily. It didn't take Haman long to persuade the monarch, who only knew how to indulge in debauchery, to issue a petition demanding the execution of all Jews in this country.

Haman was ordered to carry out this cruel fatwa. Like all despicable people, he carefully arranged the relevant matters because he wanted to fully enjoy the pleasure of revenge. Haman drew lots to decide which month to slaughter Jehovah's followers, and finally chose February. So Haman had enough time to put up the gallows at the top of the mountain. In this way, his enemy Mordecai "will hang higher than anyone else."

However, there are too many details in this plot to keep secret for a long time. At Mordecai's urgent request, Esther went to the king without being summoned and asked her people for forgiveness.

At first, Xue Xisi flew into a rage, but he remembered that Mordecai had saved his life, so he softened and brought all the evidence. He finally realized that Haman had cheated him for revenge. The king's messenger flew across the country, warning the Jews to deal with the imminent plot. On the other hand, Haman was hanged on the mountain where the enemy Mordecai should be hanged.

The details of the plot were made public, and the Jews were glad that they had escaped the disaster. They decided to remember this important event forever. Since then, Jews have held grand Purim celebrations every year from the Babylonian calendar (around February and March in Gregorian calendar) 13 to 15.

On this day, every Jewish community will recite Esther loudly and publicly curse Haman, while the rich will give generously to the poor to commemorate the virtuous queen Esther who saved her family from extinction.

Those devout Jews who have returned to Jerusalem do not welcome this festival. For a long time, they have opposed the annual "Pu 'er Festival" on the grounds that it seems a bit "different". But this festival (probably from Assyria or Babylon, with a long history) quickly spread in a new form and has been passed down to this day.