From its plan and scope, it is apparently an incomplete collection of the rich
aggadic material which has been produced on the Book of Esther
.
Structure
Except in the
proems. These chapters begin respectively at Esther 1:1, 1:4, 1:9, 1:13, 2:1, 2:5. In the Venice
edition of 1545, each chapter has at the end the words "selika parashata..." This division was probably based on the sections of the Esther scroll, as indicated by the closed paragraphs (סתומות); such paragraphs existing in the present text to 1:9, 1:13, 1:16, 2:1, 2:5, etc. The beginning of 1:4, as well as the lack of a beginning to 1:16, may be due to differences in the division of the text. It may furthermore be assumed that a new parashah began with the section Esther 3:1, where several poems precede the comment of the midrash.
From Esther 3:1 onward, there is hardly a trace of further division into chapters. There is no new parashah even to Esther 4:1, the climax of the Biblical drama. As the division into parashiyot has not been carried out throughout the work, so too the running commentary to the Biblical text is much reduced in chapters 7–8, and is discontinued entirely at the end of chapters 8. The various paragraphs that follow chapter 8 seem to have been merely tacked on.
Sources and dating
The Book of Esther early became the subject of discussion in the schoolhouses, as may be seen from
Targumim
, and other ancient sources. Bereshit Rabbah or Vayikra Rabbah may also have furnished the long passage in parashah 1, in connection with the explanation of the first word (ויהי).
Parashah 6 shows several traces of a later period: especially remarkable here
S. Buber does) a date later than Yosippon, such as the mid-10th century; for as early as Azariah dei Rossi[3]
they have been noted as later interpolations.
According to Strack & Stemberger (1991), the midrash may be considered to be composed of two different parts which were combined in the 12th or 13th century.
An older part characterized by non-anonymous proems, originating in
Midrash Psalms
.
A younger part drawing from
Yosippon
, which may be dated to the 11th century.
In any case, this midrash may be considered older and more original than the
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "Esther Rabbah". The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.. The JE cites the following works:
