“According to the law, what shall be done to Vashti the

Midrash Rabbah Esther Rabbah 4:5

Curated by The Jewish Mythology Team · Published January 17, 2025

“According to the law, what shall be done to Vashti the queen, who has not done the bidding of Aḥashverosh the king [conveyed] by the officials?” (Esther 1:15).Rabbi Yitzḥak said: For a pig,11Vashti. according to the law, and for a holy nation, not according to the law, but with cruelty.12Haman’s later plan to annihilate the Jews was not justified by law. “To Vashti the queen” – all the more so to a queen who is not Vashti.13According to the midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), Vashti was from royal stock. Any other queen would be punished more harshly.

Themes

Wisdom Esther Kings

Biblical References

Esther 1:15

Continue Reading

Ginzberg King Ahasuerus Sets the Stage for Haman's Rise to Power to the Book of Esther, or rather, the Megillah as it's known in Hebrew, and explore a moment that really set the stage f... Ginzberg Wisdom of Ahasuerus Let’s talk about King Ahasuerus, the ruler in the Book of Esther. He wasn't exactly known for his wisdom, was he? We see... Midrash Aggadah From the kingship of the hypocritical man from the snares "From the kingship of the hypocritical man from the snares of the people" (Job 34:30) Abba Gurion, from Sidon, said five... Midrash Aggadah Midrashim of Rabbi Akiba, The Enlarged Letters The Hebrew Torah scroll contains a hidden layer of meaning that most readers never notice: certain letters are written l... Midrash Rabbah Another matter — “The elite of Persia and Media” – sometimes Another matter: “The elite of Persia and Media” – sometimes Media precedes Persia and sometimes Persia precedes Media. W... Midrash Rabbah “In the courtyard of the garden of the king's palace” “In the courtyard of the garden of the king's palace” – Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya: Rabbi Yehuda said: The garden wa... Midrash Rabbah “And abundant royal wine “And abundant royal wine.” Later it is written: “[King Belshazzar made a great banquet for his thousand nobles,] and bef... Midrash Rabbah “[Also [gam], Vashti the queen] made a women’s banquet,” “[Also [gam], Vashti the queen] made a women’s banquet,” she fed them kinds of soup [gema’in]. Rabbi Yitzḥak said: She f... Midrash Rabbah “Memukhan said before the king and the princes — It is not “Memukhan said before the king and the princes: It is not against the king alone that Vashti the queen has sinned; rathe...