Book of Esther: The Power of Family in our Lives

Explore the multiple identity themes coming up from the story of Purim with a special nod to the world of adoption in this lesson plan for religious schools from Second Nurture. 

Consider the importance of preceding generations in Jewish life and texts (it’s why we are called to the Torah with our parents’ names). We honor the impact of one generation on another, leading to us today, and our children in the future. This impact comes from genetic heredity and also from relationships, life exposure and experience. We all have them all, in some form, but for some of us each influence stems from different sources. This is true in adoption. This is true or Esther.

Even though Mordecai was likely (although not definitely) biologically related to his forebears, he is still described by the rabbis with characteristics developed in relationship, not necessarily genetically inherited.

Esther, who is adopted by Mordecai, is disconnected from her biological family, and may not even know who they were. Yet she becomes a strong self-assured woman through her relationship with her father, as well as decidedly influential on their future generations—on all of us here!