Alongside the Book of Esther that is known to us today, there were other versions of the story that circulated in ancient times. One of those, known in Greek, may be said to be – as the Yiddish translators of Shakespeare advertised – verteitcht und verbessert - ‘translated and improved’. We will look at this text together, and see not only what is new about it, but what it can tell us about the more familiar text, as well. A comparison will allow us to understand some aspects of the book in fresh ways, and also to ask new questions to keep us busy this Purim.

Prof. Aaron Koller, Near Eastern Studies, Yeshiva University
Aaron Koller is professor of Near Eastern Studies at Yeshiva University, where he studies and teaches Semitic languages and ancient Near Eastern cultures. He is the author of Unbinding Isaac: The Significance of the Akedah for Modern Jewish Thought (JPS/University of Nebraska Press, 2020) and Esther in Ancient Jewish Thought (Cambridge University Press, 2014), among other books, and the editor of five more. Aaron has served as a visiting professor at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and held research fellowships at the Albright Institute for Archaeological Research and the Hartman Institute. He lives in Queens, NY with his partner, Shira Hecht-Koller, and their children.

Alongside the Book of Esther that is known to us today, there were other versions of the story that circulated in ancient times. One of those, known in Greek, may be said to be – as the Yiddish translators of Shakespeare advertised – verteitcht und verbessert - ‘translated and improved’. We will look at this text together, and see not only what is new about it, but what it can tell us about the more familiar text, as well. A comparison will allow us to understand some aspects of the book in fresh ways, and also to ask new questions to keep us busy this Purim.

Prof. Aaron Koller, Near Eastern Studies, Yeshiva University
Aaron Koller is professor of Near Eastern Studies at Yeshiva University, where he studies and teaches Semitic languages and ancient Near Eastern cultures. He is the author of Unbinding Isaac: The Significance of the Akedah for Modern Jewish Thought (JPS/University of Nebraska Press, 2020) and Esther in Ancient Jewish Thought (Cambridge University Press, 2014), among other books, and the editor of five more. Aaron has served as a visiting professor at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and held research fellowships at the Albright Institute for Archaeological Research and the Hartman Institute. He lives in Queens, NY with his partner, Shira Hecht-Koller, and their children.

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