# Purim, Book of Esther: Denial of a God?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purim-book-of-esther-denial-of-a-god/160558>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [March 11, 2003, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purim-book-of-esther-denial-of-a-god/160558 "2003-03-11T15:07:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![candida](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@candida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/candida)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2003, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purim-book-of-esther-denial-of-a-god/160558/41 "2003-03-16T19:30:02Z")

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Try “tired and emotional”?

😉

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**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2003, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purim-book-of-esther-denial-of-a-god/160558/42 "2003-03-16T20:19:05Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by zev\_steinhardt \*  
> \*\*  
> So what? Passover is coming up soon. What are we going to do with toasters? Toast matzoh? 😃  
> \*\*

Dear Reb Zev,

You watch your phrasology. My DAD toasts his matzoh.\*

Hmmm…come to think of it, he also prefers the dread Prune hamentashen to all other kinds, even over the yummy poppy-seed/honey kind.

Uh-oh. :eek:

Fenris

\*He does. Really. We all think it’s weird though and luckily it doesn’t appear to be genetic.

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purim-book-of-esther-denial-of-a-god/160558/43 "2003-03-17T11:44:49Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by zev\_steinhardt \*  
> **There are several places where God’s name (the Tetragram) can be found…**

Zev, I thought the story was written as letters from Esther to be  
passed throughout the Persian Empire (incl. Indiam Ethiopia, and Media…wherever that is.) The explanation I heard is different. I heard because it was a letter, the name was left out so it would not run the risk of being destroyed or defiled.

On the other hand, as an alternate to the the Tetragram (and, I know the rabbis big on such nmemonic devices as you point out)…couldn’t the neutral, Hebrew word “Hashem” (lit. translated as “His name”) been placed in the text, if nothing else? Or, is this only a spoken word? In the very least, what about the use of the two yuds, or other forms of God’s name? What is so special about the Tetragram? - Jinx 😕

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