I don't know about you, but after reading through he first few perekim of the megillah, I felt like I needed to take a long, steaming shower.
The way women were viewed during this time is appalling. Firstly, Achashverosh was infuriated when his wife declined his request for her to come down to his lavish party. Soooo Vashti has no freedom to make her own choices? Achashverosh really had to become completely enraged rather than calmly discuss his annoyance with his wife? After this incident, Achashverosh decides to meet with his trusted astrologer/advisors to find the law of what to do in this particular situation (because, as we learned, there had to be a law for everything.) His chief advisor states that Vashti had not only committed a crime against Achashverosh, but she had committed a crime against every man in the kingdom. Imagine that! And what was this "crime"? It was simply her refusal to attend a party she seemed to have zero interest in attending. To prevent this "crime" from ever occurring in any part of his kingdom, Achashverosh makes a law that women must always listen to their husbands. *scoffs*
Next Achashverosh's trusted advisors have another brilliant idea. They suggest that they could round up every pretty virgin woman in the kingdom for the king to pick a wife from. Of course, Achashverosh blissfully agrees to this idea. Now picture this for a second.. Achashverosh's advisors went to every single household in the vast kingdom and checked if there were any pretty virgins. These women had no say in the matter. If they were pretty, they had to leave their homes and their families to live in the women's section of the palace with all the other pretty virgins that had also been taken from their homes. These women were then prepared for an entire year for just one night with the king. They bathed in perfumes and "spiced" themselves. I don't know about you, but this sounds like they're about to be stuck into the oven and cooked at 350 degrees. After this one night with the king they'd be tossed right back to the women's quarter to wait until Achashverosh called for them again (which may or may not have happened.) They were forced to stay there for the rest of their lives.
The way women were treated is sickening. But perhaps this is included in the megillah to teach us something. Maybe this picture of the sexism that pervaded Persian society gives us a deeper understanding and appreciation for Esther's accomplishments. She managed to take a stand in a society that was attempting to tear her down in every way possible. It truly is amazing when you think about it for a moment.
I saw the title and knew that I had to read and respond to this post!
ReplyDeleteI will say, though, that nothing about the first perakim gave me the urge to take a long shower. But I will agree with you that women were treated pretty horribly at this time. Everything you point out here is true, I just think it's important to recognize that, to a certain extent, women were treated very similarly in many societies. Women are still treated horribly today in many countries. You know women in Saudi Arabia aren't allowed to drive. In Yemen women can't leave their houses without their husbands' permission. And, I don't know if you've realized this, but the 19th amendment- you know, that amendment giving women the right to vote in the US- was only passed in 1919. Less than a hundred years ago women in this very country weren't allowed to vote. Just something to think about...
Nice post! First, it is very sad to think that women still do not have all the same rights as men throughout the world. Second, in class, no one really questioned the women's rights issue because I hate to say it, but I feel like in a lot of Jewish books it is normal that the Jewish women do not have the same rights as the men and are not treated equally. Third, I wonder if any of the laws that are still around today regarding the husband deciding what to do has anything to do with the decree that Achashverosh made.
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