I have recently been thinking a lot about the length of Megillat Esther (not really) and had an “Ah-ha! moment”. Had Esther been a student at Schechter Bergen, Haman would have been exposed for his evil ways earlier in the story and as a result, we could have gotten to the seudat mitzvah (festival meal) much sooner.

As with many of our stories the Book of Esther has a deeper meaning than just the words on the page. If we reach just beyond the text we find the deeper message of Purim. So I went digging… and here is my own “Ah-ha! drash” that I discovered.

At Schechter we teach our children not only to be proud of who they are, but also to advocate for themselves. Megillat Esther unfolds slowly, and frankly, drags on because Esther does not speak up. Instead of boldly declaring, “I am Jewish,” she hesitates to reveal herself and take on the issue at hand. That being Haman! (Say boo now.)

Our Jewish tradition fosters critical thinking and creative solutions, and at Schechter Bergen we teach our children to be critical thinkers; to not just simply accept what they see and read. Had Esther had a Schechter education, she might have picked up on Haman’s cues much earlier, reading between the lines, recognizing Haman’s (boo now) evil plotting. 

Even once Esther knew a crisis was brewing, she still hesitated. On the other hand, a Schechter student learns to be a leader and to take initiative. Esther could have acted sooner, and we could have gotten to our hamantaschen sooner, but no, she waited to take the lead!

So, while Megillat Esther makes for a suspenseful, great book, we could have shaved several pages off of the story had our heroine gone to Schechter Bergen. A Schechter education would have influenced how she responded to all that she encountered: Acknowledging being Jewish - one chapter gone. Responding to the warnings about Haman (boo now) - another chapter eliminated, and if she had approached Haman (boo now) and what he was saying and doing more critically, she could have exposed his evil ways sooner - yet another chapter gone!

In the end Esther figured it all out like a true heroine. I am just suggesting that if her Jewish identity had been firmly rooted in confidence, if she thought more critically earlier, and if she had the courage to embrace her leadership sooner, all skills she would have graduated with from Schechter Bergen, we would just be at the Purim Carnival, eating Hamantaschen and participating in a feast that much sooner. 

So, clearly, another deep message embedded in Megillat Esther is - “send your children and grandchildren to Schechter Bergen!”