Purim: Mordechai and Esther, The Rebel and The "Sleeper"

One of the great things about the Hebrew language is that pretty much every single combination of two or three letters can be understood as words.

Waiting to hear the Megilla, the Scroll of Esther

Chaz"al, our sages, have been debating and discussing the meanings of the two most crucial names in Megillat Ester, Mordechai and Esther. Most claim that neither are actual Jewish/Hebrew names. Maybe it's a bit chutzpadik of me to add my two cents 2¢ to the discussion, but very learned teachers and friends do respect my opinions, so here goes:

Megillat Ester, Chapter 2, Verse 7זוַיְהִ֨י אֹמֵ֜ן אֶת־הֲדַסָּ֗ה הִ֤יא אֶסְתֵּר֙ Hadassah, that is Esther

I agree with those who say that the name Esther/Ester is Hebrew/Jewish, not a version of "star." It is derived from the Hebrew linguistic root  סתר, s, t, r, which means hide. In the megillah narrative, Esther is planted as a spy, a "sleeper," by her uncle Mordechai. In the line in which she is introduced to us, I don't think that the הדס hadas, myrtle plant is used as a noun, name of the bush.  The myrtle is a hardy, evergreen plant. The fact that in the megillah, it's written with a ה "h" at the end to make it feminine, I consider it an adjective. So I'd translate it as:

"strong/hardy is Esther"

We have some myrtle in our garden, and they thrive in the most difficult of weather. Yes, that is very much like Esther who rose so magnificently to the challenges she was faced with.

Mordechai is considered by most as a totally non-Jewish, non-Hebrew name. It is even suggested that he is the Navi, Prophet Malachi. But I see a Hebrew name very clearly. Actually, so did Haman. Haman accused Mordechai of being rebellious. And what is the meaning for the first three Hebrew letters in מָרְדֳּכַ֛י Mordechai?

מרד mered, rebellion

Now go over Megillat Ester with this new information. What do you think?

Chag Purim Sameach!

Security and the So-Called "Occupation," sic

I don't know why people are so afraid to come to Israel. All and all, with the very low crime/murder rate, rather competent police and concerned/interfering private citizens, one is safer in Israel than most places in the world. Add to that top notch medical care, decent roads and a great variety of climates and places of interest etc (compared to many tourist favorites) Israel should be the number one choice for international travellers.

The frequency of terror attacks, which some people use as an excuse not to come, is lower than the murder rate in most places.

And here in Israel there isn't the "ticking bomb" that awaits, like in many places such as Europe. Dry Bones drew it right! Isn't this the 21st Century's version of the Communist "sleepers?"

The immigrant situation in Germany, according to the Gatestone Institute:

" the German government has lost track of the whereabouts of hundreds of thousands of migrants who entered the country in 2015. N24 television has reported that up to 50% of "asylum seekers" have gone into hiding; their whereabouts are unknown. They presumably include economic migrants and others who are trying to avoid deportation if or when their asylum applications are rejected. The Saarbrücker Zeitung reported that up to 30% of the migrants being sheltered in the eastern German states of Brandenburg, Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt have "simply vanished." Separately, German authorities estimate that hundreds of thousands of migrants have entered the country without being registered and whose whereabouts are unknown."-more

Europe, more specifically France, has been plagued with terror attacks on massive numbers of ordinary citizens, and they have no way to stop them. In the United States, terror and shootings can never be predicted.

And more about Israel, concerning the so-called "occupation," if it was all so terrible for the Arabs here, they'd be leaving in massive numbers like the Syrians. And they'd also be clamoring to get into the P.A. -Palestinian Authority. But the actual situation is totally different. The local Arabs try to live in "Israel proper," inside the "green line." And those on "my side" of the old pre-Six Days War border, prefer "occupation" to the P.A. -Palestinian Authority.

Food for thought... Have that with your coffee or booze!