Esther vs. Eicha- What Happened??

         With Purim coming up, it's only appropriate that we should be beginning Megillas Esther in Megillot. However, before diving directly into the text, it's important to recognize the background information, as it could change our perspective of the entire story. As always, getting a new packet in Mrs. Perl's class is an exhilarating experience, and this week we finished the packet of background information.

         We read through different sources from Yirmiyahu, Zachariah, Chaggai, and Ezra that helped us understand where the Jews were at this time and what year this story actually took place in. In order to get a clearer view of what was going on, Mrs. Perl graciously provided us with a timeline of the events that took place. It seems that in 608 B.C.E, Babylonia was coming to power, and Yirmiyahu prophecized that they would be in power for 70 years, evidently THE 70 years of exile for the Jews. The Jews were being punished for not listening to Hashem. Yirmiyahu added that the 70 year exile would end with the destruction of the Babylonian empire, which in fact, took place 70 years later in 538 B.C.E, when the Persian empire took over.

          In between those years, we see that there was the exile of the officers to Babylonia and the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash and the exile of the rest of the people. In 597 B.C.E, Hashem tells the people that after the 70 years of Babylonian rule, if they will go back to Him, then He will come back to them and bring them back to the land. In 538 B.C.E, when Persia takes over, the Jews are given a chance to return to Hashem, as Cyrus the Great, the ruler of Persia at the time, allowed the Jews to return and rebuild the Beis Hamikdash, but many do not return and decide to stay in Babylon, where they are comfortable.

          While Yirmiyahu believed the 70 years was the reign of Babylonia over the Jews, Zachariah believed that the 70 years was the time between the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash and the rebuilding of the second one. Zachariah received a prophecy from Hashem in the 2nd year of Darius, in which Hashem tells Zachariah that He wants to end the 70 years (implying that it is indeed the time between the Beis Hamikdash being destroyed and the rebuilding, because Babylonia had already been destroyed) and complete the Beis Hamikdash. Later, Zachariah also prophecizes that the people will have an "איש יהודי" who leads them back to Yerushalayim.

          This wording, saying that an "איש יהודי" would come to gather the Jews, is highly significant. When looking through Tanach, you would see that those words, "איש יהודי", are only repeated ONE TIME. They are used in Megillas Esther to describe Mordechai! However, it is difficult to know if Mordechai really was THE "איש יהודי", because the Jews were not gathered and brought back to Yerushalayim, which is what stalled the rebuilding of the second Beis Hamikdash.

          This background information reminded of the megillah that we just finished learning, Megillas Eicha. Eicha takes place soon after the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash and the exile of the rest of the people. It seems like Esther takes place a while after the destruction, though Chazal and others argue about exactly when it takes place. Either way, it seems like in Esther the people are quite comfortable in secular society. This makes me upset, because at the end of Eicha, we learned that the people had recognized that their sins had caused their own destruction and they wanted a renewed relationship with G-d. Now, in Esther, it seems like the Jews have lost their patience for G-d. They were remorseful for a minute, and then they went right back to secular society. Am I the only one who feels upset by this?