The Night Everything Changed There are moments in a man’s life when he feels the world shifting beneath his feet. Sometimes it’s loud — an announcement, a decree, a battle cry. Other times, it happens in the quiet — in a night when a king cannot sleep. I did not know it then. I was […]
Chapter 6: When the Sleepless King Remembers Read Post »
Three Days of Waiting They say time passes slowly when you are afraid.But in those three days of fasting, time did not pass — it stood still.The sun rose and fell without meaning. Food lost all purpose. Even my prayers became silent after a while. There are moments when words fail, and only the groaning
Chapter 5: The Silent Queen Read Post »
A New Name in the Court It began with whispers again — his name carried through the marble halls of the palace and echoed all the way to the gate: Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite. At first, I paid it little attention. Court titles change often, and those who rise swiftly often fall even
Chapter 4: The Rise of Haman Read Post »
A Gate and a Prayer The king’s gate became my second home. Each morning I would rise, wash my face in cold water, recite the Shema, and make my way through the city streets — until the palace towers came into view. There was no invitation for me to be there. I was not part
Chapter 3: The Palace Wall Read Post »
The Banquet That Shook the Empire Word travels fast in Susa — especially when it concerns the king. It started with whispers: “A feast like no other… 180 days!” Then came the facts. King Xerxes, in a display of wealth and military might, had opened the gates of indulgence. Silk flowed like water. Gold gleamed
Chapter 2: The King’s Search Begins Read Post »
An Unexpected Father I was never meant to raise a child. I was a man of scrolls and laws, of lineage and watchful silence. My life moved in measured steps — duty, prayer, and the rhythm of exile. I walked the streets of Susa with my head down, not in shame, but in survival. A
Chapter 1: Orphaned Light Read Post »
They remember her as Queen Esther.But I still call her Hadassah. She was the soft light that came after the storm, the quiet laughter in a home hollowed out by grief. I did not choose to be a father, but I became one — because she needed someone, and I had no one left. I
Through Mordecai’s Eyes: At the Gate Read Post »
The celebrations had quieted, but their echoes still lingered in the streets of Susa. The scent of feasting still clung to the air, and the laughter of children could still be heard in the courtyards. For my people, this was a new beginning. But for me, it was a moment of reflection. I stood on
Chapter 15: “For Such a Time as This” Read Post »
The messengers rode hard, their horses kicking up dust as they carried the king’s decree to every province of Persia. The new law, bearing the royal seal, traveled faster than the whispers of Haman’s treachery had. “On the appointed day, the Jews may stand and defend themselves against any who would seek to harm them.”
Chapter 14: “The Legacy of Purim” Read Post »
The sun rose over Susa, casting golden light over a city that had seen the fall of one ruler and the rise of another. Just a day ago, the gallows stood tall in Haman’s courtyard, a symbol of his unchecked ambition and cruelty. Now, it was empty. His name, once spoken with fear and reverence,
Chapter 13: “Mordecai’s Honor, My Hope” Read Post »
The tension in the air was nearly suffocating. As I stood in my chambers, the weight of the moment pressing against my chest, I knew there was no turning back. The time for hesitation had passed. My people’s fate, my own fate, rested upon what would happen tonight. The banquet was prepared—the finest dishes, the
Chapter 12: “The Second Banquet” Read Post »
The great halls of the palace were silent, wrapped in the hush of midnight. Even the ever-burning torches lining the corridors flickered lazily, casting long, sluggish shadows upon the marble floors. The world outside slept, but within the grand chambers of the king, there was no rest. Xerxes shifted beneath the heavy silk covers, exhaling
Chapter 11: “When the Tables Turned” Read Post »
The banquet hall glowed with the light of countless lamps, their golden flames dancing against the polished stone walls. Servants moved like shadows, pouring rich wines into goblets and laying platters of the finest foods before the king and his most trusted advisor, Haman. I sat beside Xerxes, my hands resting lightly on my lap,
Chapter 10: “The Banquet of Secrets” Read Post »
The news of Haman’s decree had spread like wildfire. The streets of Susa, once filled with the usual bustle of merchants and traders, now carried an undercurrent of fear. I felt it in the hushed conversations of the palace servants, in the anxious glances exchanged among the Jewish attendants, and most of all, in the
Chapter 9: “If I Perish, I Perish” Read Post »
The palace brimmed with its usual opulence, but beneath the surface, tension simmered like an approaching storm. Each day seemed to carry a heavier weight, and the air grew thick with whispers. Something was brewing—something ominous and calculated. Haman, now a man of immense influence, walked the halls with a confidence that bordered on arrogance.
Chapter 8: “A Cry for Help” Read Post »
The air in the palace shifted the day the royal decree was issued. It was not uncommon for officials to rise and fall in the favor of the king, but Haman’s promotion came with an authority that seemed to tilt the balance of power in the court. “Haman the Agagite,” the herald’s voice echoed through
Chapter 7: “The Rise of Haman” Read Post »
Esther 2: 21–23 The palace was alive and hummed with the rhythm of power — the echo of sandals against marble, the soft shuffle of scrolls, the laughter of courtiers masking ambition. I had learned to read these sounds as one reads a psalm: the pauses, the hidden meanings between the lines. But that morning,
Chapter 6: “The Hidden Threads of Loyalty and Power” Read Post »
The palace was a world of its own, a labyrinth of glittering halls and towering pillars where every corner echoed with murmurs of power and ambition. In the days following the lavish celebrations that crowned me as queen, I found myself swept into its currents. I should have felt victorious, triumphant even. But as I
Chapter 5: “Wearing the Crown” Read Post »
Twelve months. That’s how long it took for a simple girl like me to be transformed into what the king might deem worthy. Twelve months of daily rituals, countless oils and perfumes, and lessons in grace, etiquette, and charm. It was exhausting, not just for the body but for the soul. Each day in the
Chapter 4: “One Night That Changed Everything” Read Post »
The journey to the palace felt like a slow march into exile. We were herded into ornate carriages, our lives no longer our own, and though the air was heavy with the chatter of the other young women, I stayed silent. My hands gripped the folds of my cloak tightly as I stared at the
Chapter 3: “Into the Unknown” Read Post »
