About Purim:

The Book of Esther recounts the story of Purim, telling of how the Jews of Persia were saved from destruction. During the time of King Ahasuerus, one of his ministers, Haman, sought to destroy the Jews in revenge for being snubbed by the Jew Mordecai, who refused to bow down to him. With the king's authority, he draws lots (pur) to determine the fateful day, which falls on the 13th of the month of Adar.

Learning of this decree, Mordecai approaches the new queen, his cousin Esther, to intercede with the king. Esther, who has not revealed her Judaism publicly, fasts for three days in preparation for this task. At a banquet for the king and Haman, she denounces the evil Haman, who is eventually hanged. Because a royal decree cannot be rescinded--including the decree ordering the extermination of the Jews--Mordecai must send another decree to all the provinces. This letter authorizes the Jews to protect themselves from their enemies. The days following the Jews' struggle with their enemies (the 14th and 15th of Adar) are declared days of feasting and merrymaking, today celebrated as Purim. (Source: MyJewishLearning.com)

The Gratz College Perspective

Guest Writer:  Stephanie Day Powell, Assistant to the Dean of Students, Office of Student Life

Queen Vashti is the unsung hero of the Purim story.  When her husband, King Ahasuerus demands that she appear before him in the banquet hall “to display her beauty to the peoples and the officials,” she chooses banishment over compliance to her husband’s will.  Her action – or, more precisely, her refusal to act, leads to kingdom-wide pandemonium.  The king consults his top advisors who counsel him that Vashti’s punishment must be swift and severe.  A royal edict is issued and Vashti’s expulsion is proclaimed throughout the land to ensure that “all wives will treat their husbands with respect, high and low alike.”

While Vashti’s tale is surely tragic, there is a comic element as well.  Imagine the king of a great empire finding his kingdom on the brink of chaos because of one woman’s refusal to be objectified!  Perhaps Vashti foresaw the power of her choice and left the palace with no regrets.

Every day we have the choice not to participate in deeds and actions that may be unjust, harmful to others, or self-effacing.  We can refuse to take part in gossip, forego our cars for the train to slow the progress of global warming, or boycott businesses that discriminate in their hiring practices.  We can ignore media messages telling us we have to conform to a particular body type or fashion mode.

Large or small, every such risk most assuredly comes with a cost, but the Purim story teaches us that the rewards are great as well.  Without Vashti, Queen Esther would have never made her way to King Ahasuerus’ court.  Though we may not see the end result of our “refusal to act,” each of us has the capacity to do something to turn the world upside down.