How old was Esther when she was selected by Achashveirosh? I am familiar with the Yalkut (Esther 2:8) which offers ages up to 80 and seems to settle on 74/75 the numerical value of Haddasah, however this seems preposterous to be taken literally. Therefore I am looking other authoritative sources for her age.
Bereishit Rabbah 39:13 (39:4 in some edition) brings a machloket Rav and Shemuel if Esther was 40 or 80 years old respectively. According to the opinion of the Rabbanan, she was 75 years old.
answered Dec 17 '12 at 17:06
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1Look in the Gra, mikol hanashim means they started taking married women– LN6595Mar 13 '19 at 12:21
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1@DonielF Maybe Achashveirosh needed glasses. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spectacles_(short_story)– user6591Mar 13 '19 at 14:18