I have a lot of thoughts on Purim - here are some off-the-cuff ones on Esther.
First of all, thanks for the credit, but many have explored these themes in more depth, starting with Midrash Rabbah on Esther itself. In chapter 2 it says that the king calmed down and remembered what he'd done to Vashti. The midrash says that he realized he'd acted inappropriately (i.e., that her behavior was correct).
Secondly, while there are other people who share your assessment of Esther, I have to disagree. It's not clear how she feels about her situation, since we don't actually hear much of her own voice. (Yes, that's its own problem, but it's true of many Biblical women.) When she does speak, it's to take Mordecai's exhortation ("blackmail" seems strong to me - he's right! her people are going to die, and she may also be killed if the king discovers her identity) and turn it into a plan that she devises on her own. She risks her life approaching the king without having been summoned, having (IMO) figured out a way to do this that is most likely to put him in a good mood.
(This next part is based partly on teachings by Rabbi David Silber of Drisha.) Esther is politically savvy enough to know how to deal with King A. When she finally brings up the issue, she makes it all about his own interests so that he'll feel inclined to help. She plays on his own fears about his power and encourages him to think of Haman as someone out to seize control.
The megillah says that Esther was involved in the writing of the story of Purim. There are hardly any places in the Tanakh that describe women writing and this is one. While there are definitely things to criticize about her behavior, choices and situation, that's true of almost everyone in the Tanakh, male or female. I don't think we have to be harder on Esther than everyone else.
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stone-and-star.livejournal.com at 12:36pm on 11/03/2009![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
First of all, thanks for the credit, but many have explored these themes in more depth, starting with Midrash Rabbah on Esther itself. In chapter 2 it says that the king calmed down and remembered what he'd done to Vashti. The midrash says that he realized he'd acted inappropriately (i.e., that her behavior was correct).
Secondly, while there are other people who share your assessment of Esther, I have to disagree. It's not clear how she feels about her situation, since we don't actually hear much of her own voice. (Yes, that's its own problem, but it's true of many Biblical women.) When she does speak, it's to take Mordecai's exhortation ("blackmail" seems strong to me - he's right! her people are going to die, and she may also be killed if the king discovers her identity) and turn it into a plan that she devises on her own. She risks her life approaching the king without having been summoned, having (IMO) figured out a way to do this that is most likely to put him in a good mood.
(This next part is based partly on teachings by Rabbi David Silber of Drisha.) Esther is politically savvy enough to know how to deal with King A. When she finally brings up the issue, she makes it all about his own interests so that he'll feel inclined to help. She plays on his own fears about his power and encourages him to think of Haman as someone out to seize control.
The megillah says that Esther was involved in the writing of the story of Purim. There are hardly any places in the Tanakh that describe women writing and this is one. While there are definitely things to criticize about her behavior, choices and situation, that's true of almost everyone in the Tanakh, male or female. I don't think we have to be harder on Esther than everyone else.