Big Ideas · 29 · The Queen
Purim: a holiday from below
Other biblical festivals are commanded from on high. Purim is created by the scattered Jewish communities themselves.
Dispersed and united at once.
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Unlike Daniel, where pious young men defy kings and God miraculously saves them, Esther shows no divine rescue. God remains hidden. The book asks whether one can live as a Jew without homeland, prayer, or commandments, and answers yes.
Bible reference: Esther 9:20–28
Source: Why the Bible Began, pp. 455–457
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