Esther’s Secret of True Beauty: Finding Grace in the Eyes of God and Man

Throughout the chapters of the Tanach, we encounter many women who are described as beautiful and radiant. The Torah emphasizes their external beauty as an inseparable part of portraying their noble and elevated character.

The Talmud (Megillah 15a) crowns four women as the most beautiful in the world: “Our Rabbis taught: Four women were exceedingly beautiful in the world: Sarah, Rachav, Avigail, and Esther.”

Esther’s Unique Kind of Beauty

Among all these women, one woman merits a very distinctive description of beauty that appears again and again. That woman is Esther.

Esther, daughter of Avichail, is taken to the palace of King Achashverosh, who is seeking a new wife in place of Vashti. The Megillah repeatedly emphasizes her beauty in a very specific way (Esther 2:15 and 5:2): “When it came time for Esther daughter of Avichail… Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her… Esther was taken to King Achashverosh… and the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness before him more than all the virgins, and he placed the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti… And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard, she found favor in his eyes.”

A Beauty That Found Favor With Everyone

Esther’s beauty was unlike that of any other woman in the world. In what way? Her beauty was defined by the fact that she found favor in the eyes of all who saw her, an extraordinary quality indeed. Is there any woman whose beauty appeals to everyone? After all, finding favor is usually a matter of personal taste.

Yet the Midrash emphasizes (Esther Rabbah 6:9): “She was like an image that a thousand people gaze upon, and it is pleasing to all of them.” Esther’s beauty was pleasing to everyone. Even more so, “They stationed women from Media on one side and Persian women on the other, and Esther was more beautiful than all of them.” Even when compared to other beautiful women, there was none like Esther.

What Was the Secret of Esther’s Beauty?

This is astonishing. Many women would love to uncover the ingredients of the perfect beauty that Esther possessed. Was it the shape of her eyes? The structure of her nose? Her cheekbones? What made her the most beautiful woman in the world?

The Sages reveal to us the secret of her beauty and no, it was not her facial features or eye color. Her beauty was rooted in one sentence: “Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her.” What does “all who saw her” mean? Who are “all”?

The Sages explain: “In the eyes of those above and in the eyes of those below.”

Favor in the Eyes of Heaven and Earth

In the eyes of those above means in the eyes of God. In the eyes of those below means in the eyes of human beings.

To find favor in the eyes of the world, in the eyes of all who see her, means not only in the eyes of people, but also in the eyes of God. As it is written: “And you will find favor and good understanding in the eyes of God and man” (Mishlei 3:4).

This was Esther’s unique beauty. She found the way to find favor in the eyes of God.

How does one find favor in the eyes of God? Through keeping the mitzvot and performing acts of goodness and kindness toward others.

The measure of our beauty is not only in impressing others with our external appearance, but in impressing God through our good character traits and our observance of His commandments. Then, our beauty gains true and lasting value.

Esther’s Devotion to the Commandments

Queen Esther observed God’s commandments with complete self sacrifice, even within the palace of King Achashverosh. As is well known, she had seven maidservants. Each one was named after a day of the week, and the last was called “Shabbat.” When that maidservant arrived, Esther knew that Shabbat had come and guarded it carefully.

She also guarded her speech and did not allow forbidden foods to enter her mouth. Her diet in the king’s palace consisted of seeds alone. It is not easy to keep the commandments of the Torah inside the palace of a foreign king, yet Esther desired with all her heart to find favor in the eyes of God. All her conduct and actions were directed toward this goal.

As a result of this, Esther merited a special light that shone upon her face, a grace that no one could resist.

Asking for Favor From the True King

Esther also knew from whom to ask for this favor, from the King Himself: “If I have found favor in your eyes, O King, and if it pleases the King, let my life be given to me at my request, and my people at my plea” (Esther 7:3).

The Sages teach that every time the word “the King” appears in the Megillah, it alludes to the King of the universe. Finding favor is a gift from Heaven, and Esther asks for it from God when she comes to plead for mercy for her people.

The Secret Hidden in the Word Grace

This all sounds almost dreamlike. Simply knowing that we find favor in the eyes of God fills our hearts with joy and love. So how can one attain this powerful and transformative grace?

Within the word “grace” itself lies the secret of finding favor in the eyes of God.

The word “chen (grace)” encompasses the three mitzvot uniquely entrusted to women, which Esther upheld with complete devotion even in the palace of King Achashverosh: lighting the candle, separating challah, and the laws of family purity.

These are three priceless mitzvot that accompany a woman with holiness throughout the cycle of life.

The Radiance of Women’s Mitzvot

A woman standing before the candles as the light of Shabbat descends into the world appears unmatched in beauty. A woman emerging from the pure waters of the mikveh, without makeup or styling, radiates beams of purity and light. And a wife whispering a prayer while kneading dough seems wrapped in a world of spirit and prayer.

It is wondrous how these spiritual mitzvot shaped Esther’s external appearance, drawing a thread of grace and kindness across her face. And as a secret passed down through generations, this grace lighting the candle, challah, and family purity is passed on to you as well.

Their observance draws down threads of kindness and grants you the greatest gift of all: profound grace, a heart capturing charm in the eyes of those below your husband, your family, those around you and in the eyes of those above, the Creator of the world.