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    How Jewish is the Megillah?

    MegillahGod is not mentioned anywhere in the M’gillah. Jerusalem is only mentioned once.

    There are hints of prayer and spirituality, but they are only hints. There is no direct reference to the Temple, Shabbat or the festivals.

    Esther seems to keep her Jewishness to herself, not even making it known to her husband. The only individual who is clearly identified as a Jew is Mordechai.

    So how can the M’gillah be considered a Jewish book?

    Only because it centers upon the Jewish people, albeit in the Diaspora, relates the irrationality of Jew-hatred and shows that an unseen hand is working behind the scenes to save the Jews.

    Why then isn’t the book frank and open enough to name the unseen hand as God?

    The commentators all have their theories, and OzTorah has explored them more than once over the years. One thing is certain – even in His apparent absence, God is always present.

    It is fully appropriate that the Talmudic rabbis decided that the book was written under the inspiration and influence of the Holy Spirit.

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