ESTHER A Breslov Commentary on the Megillah

by Yehoshua Starett

This commentary on the book of Esther brings insights from the writings of Rebbe Nachman and his followers to unmask the drama of Shushan that is taking place inside each one of us at this very moment. Meet Achashverosh and his team of advisers! How does Haman s plot translate into modern terms? How does Esther the radiant Jewish soul rise to the challenge? And where do we find Mordekhai true leadership today? Includes a history of Amalek s attacks throughout the ages and insights into the meaning of Purim and its gifts to the poor and to friends, the festive meal and joyous insobriety.

Genres: Jewish

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Michael Lewyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a commentary on the Megillah, written by Breslov Hasidim. My sense is that it would be hard for modern Orthodox and non-Orthodox readers to connect to. It rarely references Esther, instead repeatedly comparing Mordecai to a Hasidic rebbe (or to use Breslov terminology, "tzaddik") and emphasizing the importance of "faith in the Tzaddik." Its translation is sometimes as idiosyncratic as the commentary; for example, the book of Esther begins with what most commentaries call a "banquet" (Esther 1:3). This translation calls it an "orgy." Much of the commentary refers to odd midrashim (legends) rather than the straightforward meaning of the text.

On the positive side, this book was occasionally inspiring, and occasionally had interesting interpretations of odd midrashim. For example, one midrash states that Mordecai spoke "70 languages." The book interprets this to mean that he (and Esther) could interact with people from a wide variety of backgrounds and "speak their language."