The future savior of Israel emerges from a reality of complete brokenness and profound orphanhood. The tragedy of her early life is absolute, as she never experienced parental care for even a single day. Her father passed away while her mother was pregnant, and her mother died during childbirth [תורה תמימה, יוסף אבן יחיא, אור חדש]. This total lack of a family structure carries a deep spiritual resonance. God deliberately chose to bring redemption through a vulnerable, downtrodden figure entirely devoid of natural support, demonstrating that no human deficiency can hinder His miracles or the salvation of His people [תורה תמימה, אור חדש]. Furthermore, without physical parents to anchor her to the material world, she remained detached from worldly pursuits, absorbing all her spiritual teachings and character traits exclusively from the righteous Mordecai [מחיר יין, שלום אסתר].
Mordecai stepped in as her devoted guardian, raising and educating the young orphan under his full protection [אבן עזרא, עמנואל הרומי, שטיינזלץ]. This upbringing was characterized by deep concealment, as she took refuge under his care to remain sheltered from the outside world [אור חדש, מנות הלוי]. Some commentators draw upon the Midrashic tradition that Mordecai actually nursed her himself, interpreting this either as a literal physical miracle or as a profound metaphor for the immense spiritual abundance and blessing he imparted to her [ישע אלהים, אור חדש, צאינה וראינה].
The heroine is known by two distinct names, each reflecting different layers of her identity. Her Hebrew name, Hadassah, testifies to her righteousness. The righteous are often compared to the myrtle branch, which emits a pleasant fragrance and retains its vitality even through the harsh winter [רלב״ג, אלשיך, מנות הלוי]. Like the myrtle, she also embodied a dual nature in the unfolding events, being sweet to Mordecai yet bitter to Haman [תורה תמימה]. Additionally, this name hints at her physical appearance. Some suggest she was of average height like a myrtle, or that her complexion was slightly greenish, yet God endowed her with a unique thread of grace that made her breathtakingly beautiful to all who saw her [תורה תמימה, אור חדש, מנות הלוי]. Her Persian name, Esther, was given to her by the Gentiles because her beauty evoked the radiance of the moonlight or the stars [תורה תמימה, מנות הלוי]. Other perspectives suggest that the name Esther reflects her defining traits of modesty and concealment, or that Mordecai specifically chose it to hide her Jewish identity [תורה תמימה, אור חדש, צאינה וראינה].
Her exceptional beauty possessed two complementary dimensions: a flawless physical structure in every limb, paired with a captivating overall grace that immediately radiated to anyone looking at her [אבן עזרא, עמנואל הרומי, יוסף אבן יחיא]. This striking beauty is precisely why Mordecai hurried to bring her into his home. He feared that a young woman of such rare allure would be seized by strangers or exposed to danger, prompting him to extend his immediate protection the moment she was orphaned [אלשיך, שלום אסתר]. Raising such a beautiful young woman in his home in a state of absolute purity also underscores Mordecai's own immense righteousness and flawless character [צאינה וראינה, ישע אלהים].
While Mordecai's action of taking her in is simply understood as a formal adoption, raising her as a daughter [רלב״ג, אבן עזרא, שטיינזלץ], the primary approach among commentators suggests a deeper relationship. Because he was her close relative and natural redeemer, Mordecai actually took her to be his wife, acting with entirely pure intentions for the sake of heaven [רש״י, תורה תמימה, אור חדש, מנות הלוי]. When she was later taken to King Ahasuerus, it was entirely by force. The king's officials ruthlessly sought the most beautiful candidates for the throne, completely disregarding whether the women were already married [מנות הלוי, אלשיך].