Posted February 26 2008
Esther vs. Kermit: Is it Easy Being Green?
It’s not Easy Being Green
(Lyrics : Joe Raposo)
(sung by Kermit)
It’s not that easy bein’ green;
Having to spend each day the color of the leaves.
When I think it could be nicer being red, or
yellow or gold-
or something much more colorful like that.
It’s not easy being green
It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things
And people tend to pass you over ’cause you’re
Not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water
Or stars in the sky
“And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter; for she had neither father nor mother, and the maiden was of beautiful form and fair to look on; and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his own daughter” (Esther 2:7, JPS Translation*).
“The verse calls her Hadassah and it also calls her Esther. There are five different approaches to which is her real name and which was a nickname…
2) Rabbi Yehudah says: Hadassah is her name, but she was called Esther because she hid [Mosteret] things about herself.
3) R’ Nechemiaha says: Her name is Hadassah, but the other nations called her by way of “Istaher” [which means "bright star" and sounds like Esther].
4) Ben Azai says: Her name was Esther, but she was of middle height, just like a myrtle branch [which is the translation of Hadassah].
5) R’ Yehoshua ben Karcha says: Esther was green and a thread of kindness rested on her” (Talmud Bavli, Megila 13a; My personal explication).
Esther vs. Kermit: Is it Easy Being Green?
The Talmud quoted above gives 5 very interesting answers to the question of why Esther carried the pseudonym Hadassah. The first answer, which I did not write down, seems to me to be unrelated to the other four answers. If anyone would like my explanation of the first answer, ask for it by commenting on this article. I hope to weave together the other four.
The fifth answer is the most fun, the most unique and therefore the most memorable. It is also the only one that elaborates and gives any hint as to what, “Esther was green, and a thread of kindness rested on her” really means. Taking her skin color at “face value” for the moment, what does it mean that a thread of kindness rested on her? Well, it reminds me of another verse about Esther. Esther 2:15 (JPS) claims: “Esther obtained favor in the sight of all them that looked upon her,” or as the Douay-Rheims* Bible has it: “She was exceeding fair, and her incredible beauty made her appear agreeable and amiable in the eyes of all.”
This verse (2:15) is suggested by Rabbi Akiva as proof that the Megila was written with divine inspiration (Megila 7a). Seemingly, this verse could be understood as being a divine knowledge because it makes a claim based on what people other than the authors felt. However this verse is rejected as proof of such a claim. After all, the actions of people can reveal their inner thoughts. Rabbi Elazer claims the above Pasuk teaches that each person would look at Esther and think she was of their country/people. And because Esther did not reveal her true nationality (2:20 and answer number 2) people would come to assume and ask if she was a member of their nationality.
How does this relate to being green? Well if I asked you now what color is easiest for the standard human eye to see you might remember something called the color spectrum, that is: the range of light visible to the human eye. The eye can see light waves between 380 and 680 in nanometers (the number according to one source) and right in the middle of the spectrum, at 530 [from 520-550] is green.
In other words, the color most easily identifiable to the eye is green. And Esther, we are told, was amiable in the eyes of all.
It is thus my understanding that Esther being green is actually a reference to her being easy on the eyes, or as our original hint said “a thread of kindness rested on her.” Green has other properties as well, as Kermit notes, green is a common color in nature, a color of camouflage. Interestingly, despite 2:15 teaching us how she was adored by all, it also teaches us how she fit in with everyone. As answer number 2 says, she remained hidden. Similarly, answer number 4 claims that she was of median height.** This would seem to be saying that she didn’t stick out too significantly in any characteristic.
At this point I have suggested that answers 2, 4 and 5 all connect in their statement that Esther’s unique characteristic is her ability to blend in and be agreeable to all. My connection with answer number 3 requires some more physics.
In answer number 3 we are told that the nations would refer to Esther as “bright star.” It seems likely that the star in question is the sun. Why would they call her that? Probably either as a reference to her radiant beauty or kindness, which we have already discussed. However, before sunlight enters the atmosphere, the color it would appear to be is green. This actually explains why the sky is blue, and most people assume sunlight is yellowish in color. When sunlight hits the atmosphere, the blue waves are dispersed throughout the sky, the color that remains for the sun is whatever color the light was before, minus blue. Anybody with a color wheel (or the colored slides for spotlights) will tell you that yellow and blue make green.
I do not claim that my answer to understanding this Gemara is the right answer, but I think that it gives people something to consider. And besides, why else would Esther be green?
________
*I’ve been known to be picky about translations, but in this particular instance the nuances of meaning won’t come into the discussion. JPS is the Jewish Publication Society. Douay-Rheims Bible is the English translation of the Vulgate. Basically, it’s the Septuagint.
**While it is true that the myrtle is not a particularly low to the ground or tall plant, I think this may refer to its place in Lulav, where it is cut shorter than the palm branch, but taller than the willow.
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4 Comments currently posted. 
Jewneric » Being a Heretic (In Two Words or Less) says:
David Gertler says:
While looking through some of my notes, I was reminded that I raised this issue on my radio program prior to Purim 2007. One of the callers, Naftali from Brooklyn, cited a Tosfot in Sukkah (31b) which deals with nuances of color. Based on the discussion of the colors blue, yellow and green, Naftali suggested that Esther’s greenish appearance was actually a sign of her being jaundice.
Fun stuff.
Zechariah Mehler says:
There is a certain symmetry with that if you think about it. It means that Purim has always been affiliated with liver disease.
Jewneric » Being a Heretic, OR, Holy Unfathomables, Batman says:
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