Mordecai
Mordecai
In the biblical book of Esther, the cousin or guardian of Esther. Mordecai was a Jew who offended Haman, minister of King Ahasuerus. Haman persuaded the king to order Mordecai's execution and the destruction of all the Jews in the Persian empire, but Esther, Ahasuerus's beloved Jewish queen, pleaded for him to change his mind, and Ahasuerus ordered Haman hanged, named Mordecai to his position, and allowed the Jews to strike out against their enemies. The deliverance of the Jews of Persia from destruction is celebrated in the festival of Purim.
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