וַיְהִ֨י אֹמֵ֜ן אֶת־הֲדַסָּ֗ה הִ֤יא אֶסְתֵּר֙ בַּת־דֹּד֔וֹ כִּ֛י אֵ֥ין לָ֖הּ אָ֣ב וָאֵ֑ם וְהַנַּעֲרָ֤ה יְפַת־תֹּ֙אַר֙ וְטוֹבַ֣ת מַרְאֶ֔ה וּבְמ֤וֹת אָבִ֙יהָ֙ וְאִמָּ֔הּ לְקָחָ֧הּ מָרְדֳּכַ֛י ל֖וֹ לְבַֽת׃
Ia mengasuh Hadasa, yaitu Ester, anak perempuan pamannya, sebab ia tidak mempunyai ayah maupun ibu. Gadis itu cantik perawakannya dan elok rupanya. Ketika ayah dan ibunya meninggal, Mordekhai mengambilnya menjadi anaknya sendiri.
Megillah
“Instead of the brier”: instead of the wicked Vashti, the daughter of the wicked Nebuchadnezzar who burned the ceiling of the house of the Lord; as it is written, “Its top was gold” (Song of Songs 3:10), “the myrtle shall come up”: this is the virtuous Esther who is called Hadassah, as it is said, “And he brought up Hadassah” (Esther 2:7).
Megillah
“And it shall be to the Lord for a name”: this is the reading of the Megillah; “and for an everlasting sign which shall not be cut off” (Isaiah 54:13: these are the days of Purim.
Megillah
“And he brought up Hadassah” (Esther 2:6). She is called Hadassah but she is called Esther. It has been taught: R. Meir says: Esther was her proper name. Why then was she called Hadassah? After the righteous who are called myrtles (hadasim), for so it says, “And he stood among the myrtle trees” (Zechariah 1:8).