The Dawn: Political Teachings of the Book of Esther [Hardcover]

Yoram Hazony (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 9657052068 | ISBN-13: 978-9657052068 | Publication Date: February 22, 2000 | Edition: Revised

The Dawn removes the book of Esther from the realm of fairy tale, translating the biblical narrative's political thought into teachings of the utmost relevance today. It reveals Esther's ideas of the good state, how effective leadership makes decisions for the welfare of its people, and what modern-day Jews can learn about how to stand up to their enemies and maintain Jewish faith and nationhood even as God's face remains hidden from His people.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... reads the Book of Esther as it has never been read before... Beautifully written, brilliantly reasoned, The Dawn is a mind-opener." -- Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe

"... realistic and fascinating. Details... suddenly came alive with a significance that never occurred to me." -- Norman Lamm, President, Yeshiva University

"A thoughtful, provocative, gracefully written, assiduously researched and elegantly argued piece of work ... worthwhile and stimulating." -- Calev Ben David, Jerusalem Post

Language Notes

Text: English, Hebrew

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Shalem Press; Revised edition (February 22, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9657052068
• ISBN-13: 978-9657052068
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #300,634 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Dawn: Political Teachings of the Book of Esther, June 9, 2000

By 

ted gutowski (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dawn: Political Teachings of the Book of Esther (Hardcover)

In this beautifully organized book, the old story of Mordecai and Esther's successful plot to defend their people from destruction is given new perspective. Recognizing an intolerable evil in the new vizier, Haman, Mordecai takes decisive action when he calculates he has a good chance of succeeding. The book analyzes from the original text the political situation in ancient Persia and the predicament of the Jews. Explaining the motivations of the participants in this extraordinary twisting of fates, the author breathes new life in a story whose details many people take for granted. Realpolitik, idolatry and faith are interwoven themes in all history and play a major role in the Esther story. The lesson to be learned is that one must recognize evil and take a proactive, though thoughtfully planned, stance against it. The sense of empowerment one learns from this commentary makes this required reading for any student of history, especially those familiar with the Megillah. A pity this sense of empowerment was so lacking in the Holocaust period.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Anyone Interested in the Esther Tale, July 14, 2003

By 

Orit Arfa "oritar" (Jerusalem) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dawn: Political Teachings of the Book of Esther (Hardcover)

After studying the Book of Esther in so many different educational settings, I had never learned so much about the story as I did from this book. I especially admire Hazony's logical analysis of the sequence of events through a careful study of the language and subtlety of the text. He brings the world and milieu of ancient Persia to life, while at the same time making the story as interesting as a modern tale of power, greed, and heroism. Aside from that, Hazony proves to be not only an excellent writer and scholar, but a truly wise thinker as well. The lessons he takes from the story are ones that I would hope inspire our leaders today.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical Lessons in Politics and Power from Mordechai and Esther, September 24, 2007

By 

Dr. Yuval Lirov "Medical Billing Networks and... (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Dawn: Political Teachings of the Book of Esther (Hardcover)

According to Rava's dictum, the Jews accepted the Tora twice, once at Sinai, where they HAD to accept it, and again, in Persian diaspora, "in the days of Ahashverosh," where they CHOSE to accept it. Hazony examines Rava's dictum with respect to Esther as he breaks away from its traditional interpretation, where the enemy (Haman) fails in his conspiracy to destroy the Jews, and he himself and the rest of anti-Semites are destroyed because of a series of minor miracles. Instead, Hazony discovers a simple and effective theory to manage political processes and a pragmatic methodology to achieve power, which Esther and Mordechai applied systematically to beat despair, avoid defeat, and achieve their fantastic victory in spite of God's absence.

Hazony shows how Mordechai and Esther saw God's justice and peace even though it was not handed to them; they built it, using three principles of action:

(1) The principle of investment, or positioning, familiar to every chess player from Nimtzovich's "The Praxis of My System" and to every reader of Machiaveli's "The Prince";

(2) The principle of boldness, so colorfully argued by Machiavelli two thousand years later: "...fortune is a woman...; and it can be seen that she lets herself be overcome by the bold rather than by those who proceed coldly;" and

(3) The principle of faith, which places Mordechai's political theory above Machiavelli's: "Do not think you will escape because you are not a Jew. Deliverance will come." If we do our part, God will do his.

"In the great Hebrew tale of the formation of the world and its abandonment, as it seems, by its maker, Esther ranks barely as a postscript," writes Hazony. Then he shows, in this beautifully written and absorbing book, how Esther is the classic text of Jewish continuity and a pragmatic guide for modern politics.

Yuval Lirov, Medical Billing Networks and Processes - Profitable and Compliant Revenue Cycle Management in the Internet Age