Fatherless, Motherless Orphans

He was raising Hadassah, that is Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she did not have a father or a mother; the young woman had a beautiful figure and was very attractive. When her father and mother died, Mordecai had taken her as his daughter.

Orphaned

The Bible depicts Esther as an orphan who was raised in the house of her uncle Mordecai (Esth. 2:7).

The midrash adds that Esther’s father died during her mother’s pregnancy, and the latter died during childbirth (Esth. Rabbah 6:5; BT Lit. "scroll." Designation of the five scrolls of the Bible (Ruth, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther). The Scroll of Esther is read on Purim from a parchment scroll.Megillah 13a).

As a result of her mother’s death, Mordecai had to care for Esther’s nursing. According to one tradition, he could not find a wet nurse and he himself miraculously had milk and nursed her (Gen. Rabbah 30:8). Another tradition has Mordecai’s wife nursing the infant (Midrash Tehilim, on Ps. 22:23).

I really doubt Mordecai miraculously had milk. And the Bible itself never mentions Mordecai’s wife. Without further information it seems like he was not married. And was raising Esther on his own.

I have trouble imagining what it would be like to be an orphan. I have a loving, caring, mother. Not all of you did. and many of you don’t anymore. So not only does Mothers day become a day of celebration, but also of remembrance and even sorrow.

As We Read Esther I want to point out that Ester didn’t have to be a mother to Be a hero.

Mothers are not the only heroes

Doesn’t wait to be a mother, but saves a people. And there are many, many people hurting for mothers right now even in this church.

One tradition has Esther becoming pregnant by Ahasuerus, but miscarrying (Esth. Rabbah 8:3). Additional traditions maintain that not only did Esther become pregnant by Ahasuerus but she was also the mother of “the last Darius” (idem) or of Cyrus (Kallah Rabbati 2:15). Which may or May not be true evidence is dicy and not in the Scripture.

But before any of that if any of that is real. She was a hero. Why because she stepped up and cared. And isn’t that why we love our mothers. Mothers that gave us Birth, or mothers that we adopted, Mothers that had no relation to us.

Lamentations 5:3 LEB

We have become orphans, fatherless, our mothers are like widows.

The Book of Lamentations is lamenting the Fall of the nation of Israel. We See a shocking trend today.

Our mothers are like widows. How many generations now have had fatherless homes or homes where the father was just absent even if he was there. And now Mothers themselves are falling away leaving grandparents to raise the children. and they are Orphans. and even more that are spiritually widowed and orphaned

Lamenting the loss of a nation. I wonder if we should take note.

There is a lot of love and care that needs to be placed. Will you be the Mordecai. Will you be the Mother, will you be the one that they remember.

Next Steps

Be the one that they remember. Remember Mothers, Fathers they come in all shapes and sizes. young and old. I’m not that person. How can I support those who are?