Esther’s intermarriage – Ask the Rabbi
Q. How can we think so highly of Queen Esther since she married out?
A. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 74b) discusses the question, offering the views of Abayye and Rava.
Both recognise that there is a problem but defend her on the basis that she did not act willingly or voluntarily but was caught up in a situation she would not have chosen.
It was, however, not a time of religious persecution, and she was not required to sacrifice her life rather than commit this transgression.
