When Queen Vashti refuses to appear before the King Ahasuerus, he fears that all of the women in his land will cease to honor their husbands. Hence, he announces that he will seek a new woman to replace Queen Vashti and declares “every man should be master in his own house.” A myriad of young virgins are brought before King Ahasuerus, and the king selects a beautiful orphan girl named Esther to succeed Vashti. Interestingly, Esther fails to reveal her people or kindred to the king. It is discovered that Esther’s uncle and adoptive father Mordecai is a Jews who fails to bow down to his superior Haman. At Haman’s urging, after vowing to pay the king for granting his request, King Ahasuerus imparts “orders to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews.” Esther’s learns of the king’s plan from Mordecai via a servant, and she devises a plan to help save the Jews. Esther invites King Ahasuerus and Haman to a banquet, and Haman is very proud of himself. However, he is troubled that Mordecai refuses to pay him proper respect, and he arranges for Mordecai to be hanged. Much to Haman’s dismay, though, the king decides to honor Mordecai for disrupting the plot to assassinate him. At the banquet that Esther had prepared, the king promises to bestow her wish. She asks for her life and the lives of her people. King Ahasuerus realizes that it was the Jews Haman sought to exterminate, and he arranges for Haman to be hanged on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. The king also promotes Mordecai and issues an imperial edict permitting the Jews to protect themselves from their enemies. The Jews kill those who had attempted to attack them, but they refuse to take the plunder. Mordecai entreats the Jews to celebrate the days that turned “from sorrow into gladness,” which become called Purim.
This was an interesting read, as I was unfamiliar with the book of Esther. Although the patriarchal elements of the story are obvious, I am intrigued how this relates to a discussion of women and religion.
