he has sent away empty."
Ester, Chapter 5, Verse 9
Change one letter in the name of Haman and it becomes human. How many times have you been in good spirits and happy when bam all of the sudden something upsets you and now you are in the pit of despair. Haman was happy because his pride was enriched, and he saw himself a god and then upon exiting the gate of the palace that Jew Mordecai was sitting at the gate and refused to stand and showed no fear of the great and powerful Haman and reminded him he is mortal. Bam-get even time. Haman goes home and brews telling his perfectly evil mate Zeresh.
Devil Woman[1]
Together with her husband, Haman, she plotted to annihilate the
entire Jewish nation and to hang Mordecai upon towering gallows. Thankfully, we
know how well her plans worked out in the end… Every Purim, in the Shoshanat
Yaakov poem, we memorialize her wickedness by gleefully singing, “Cursed be
Zeresh, wife of [Haman], who terrorized me.”
Who Was Zeresh? Zeresh’s name appears twice in
the Book of Esther, both times as an advisor to her husband. She is the one who
suggests that Haman rid himself of Mordechai by hanging him on a gallows 50
cubits tall. In her second appearance, she advises him that he will never be
able to vanquish Mordechai but will instead fall ignobly. Combing through the
classic sources, we can piece together some parts of her personality. Her
father was Tattenai, “the ruler of across the river, who makes an appearance in
the Book of Ezra when he tries (unsuccessfully) to halt the rebuilding of the Temple
in Jerusalem. In the first chapter of the Book of Esther, Queen Vashti refuses
her drunken husband’s order to appear before him at the feast. The king
consults with his wise men, and one Memuchan advises him to dispose of his
rebellious wife and find a better one. Some say that Memuchan is a pseudonym
for Haman, who wished to take revenge against Vashti for not inviting his wife,
Zeresh, to her party for women.
Her Advice. The sources describe Zeresh as a
very wise woman who even knew the secrets of sorcery. According to the Midrash,
Haman had 365 advisors, but Zeresh’s advice was the best he received. She found
an original way to kill Mordechai, one that had never been tried, telling her
husband: You must remember that Mordechai is a Jew. If you try to kill him with
a sword, know that Pharaoh attempted to decapitate Moses and failed. If you
wish to stone him, remember how David slew Goliath with stones. If you try to
drown him, remember how G‑d tore the sea before Israel. If you want to exile
him to the desert, remember how Israel wandered in the desert for forty years
and thrived. Joseph was released from jail and became the viceroy. Chananya, Mishael
and Azarya went out from a fiery furnace, and Daniel left the lion’s den. Don’t
try to blind him; remember how many people Samson killed whilst sightless.
There is one remaining way for you: hang Mordechai on a tree. (We see this done to Christ and see how
that worked for the evil forces.) Not satisfied with simply advising,
Zeresh went with her husband to find the tallest tree in Shushan, which turned
out to be quite a thorny specimen. With the tree chosen, the Book of Esther
tells us, Haman ran to the king’s palace to discuss his plans to hang Mordechai
upon it. Yet, in a divinely orchestrated twist of events, he soon found himself
leading Mordechai through the streets of Shushan shouting, “Thus shall be done to
the man whom the king wishes to honor!” Returning home, he meets his wife, who
tells him, “Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall has started, is of Jewish
origin, you cannot stand against him—you will surely fall before him!"
Zeresh’s Legacy. Scripture is silent regarding the
end of her life. Tradition tells us that after Haman was hanged on the tree
that he had prepared for Mordecai, Zeresh fled in disgrace with his remaining
70 sons. They were reduced to begging from door to door in order to stay alive.
We remember Zeresh every year when we sing the poem Shoshanat Yaakov after
reading the Megillah. Interestingly, some medieval communities would stamp
their feet and make noise when Zeresh’s name was mentioned during the Megillah
reading, just as we do today when we hear the name of her wicked husband,
Haman. In the book Mechir Yayin, Rabbi Moshe Isserles (known as the Ramah,
1530-1572) describes Zeresh as the embodiment of delusion, whose fantasies of
honor and wealth distract a person from the worthwhile pursuits of intellectual
enlightenment and divine wisdom.
Today let us seek enlightenment
and divine wisdom
from Christ’s mother.
Catechism of the Catholic
Church
PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN
MYSTERY
SECTION TWO-THE SEVEN
SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH
CHAPTER TWO-THE SACRAMENTS OF HEALING
Article 4-THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE AND RECONCILIATION
1422 "Those who approach the sacrament of
Penance obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against him,
and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded
by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their
conversion."
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Catholic
Politicians and Leaders
· Saturday Litany of the Hours
Invoking the Aid of Mother Mary
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: October
·
Today is Adventure
Day: An
adventure
was what happened when you set out to take life by the hand and live it.
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
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