The Book of Esther is a text which leans into mystery and hiddenness. God is hidden, Esther’s Jewish identity is hidden, and the fate of the Jewish people is hidden. It stands to reason, there may be a hidden message within the text, too. While Esther is celebrated as a heroine, I suggest a deeper reading of the text reveals that she may also be understood as a hidden messianic figure—Esther Ha’M’shicha.
Isaiah 55:13 declares, “the myrtle will rise,” a prophecy suggesting a divine elevation of a seemingly ordinary figure. The Hebrew word for myrtle, hadas, is directly linked to Esther, whose original name was Hadassah. If we consider the letter “hei” at the end of Hadassah, it could be interpreted as a directional hei, or a hei that describes directionality toward the hadas, toward the myrtle. This rising, directional imagery connects literarily to Song of Songs 3:6, which asks, “Who is this coming up from the wilderness like a column of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense?” This verse evokes Exodus 30:23, where myrrh and fragrant spices are components of the sacred anointing oil (from this week’s Torah portion). This anointing oil was used exclusively for elevating kings and priests, with Exodus 30:33 warning that anyone anointed without divine command would be cut off. Yet Esther, unlike the other women in the harem, is set apart. Esther 2:12 notes that while all the women underwent perfuming with oil for six months and myrrh and incense for six months, Esther alone rises to the position of Queen of Persia.
She is the one who, through her intercession, delivers her people from annihilation.
Messianic figures in Jewish tradition are anointed, either literally or metaphorically, to lead and redeem. Esther’s story aligns with this pattern. Like Moses, she conceals her identity until the moment of salvation. Like David, she is chosen from obscurity. Her self-sacrificial decision to approach the king, despite the risk of death, mirrors the actions of those who mediate divine will. The absence of an explicit anointing in Esther’s story may not deny her messianic role but rather emphasize the hiddenness of her mission—much like the concealed nature of God in the Megillah.
Thus, Esther embodies the concept of the hidden Messiah, the unexpected redeemer who rises at the appointed time. Her story, when read through the lens of Isaiah, Song of Songs, and Exodus, reveals a woman who was not merely a queen, but a chosen vessel of divine deliverance.
Happy Purim!