Rabbi Esther Hugenholtz made it clear she is no eminent Jewish scholar. Yet at the event on Tuesday 17 May she provided participants with a Jewish understanding of the Book of Esther, locating it in the wider history of the Israelite people. We were then given the tools and opportunity to study the Book of Esther ourselves in the Jewish method of havruta; studying the text in pairs. Using questions provided by Rabbi Esther, everyone had the opportunity to investigate the story deeply and in a way that connected up with our contemporary lives with discussion and debate that could sharpen everyone’s understanding.
Below is a recording of Rabbi Esther’s introductory talk, together with images of the graphics she used and the questions which were explored on the day in the chevruta style. We would suggest that if you wish to do this study for yourselves, that you do this in that same style; using the guided questions (What Would Esther Do) to explore the book with one other person (i.e. in a pair) and discussing how the texts relate to your own lives. We hope you find it as illuminating and fun as we did on the day. Let us know what you think by emailing [email protected]
