“[Also [gam], Vashti the queen] made a women’s banquet,” she fed them kinds of soup [gema’in]. Rabbi Yitzḥak said: She fed them kinds of sweets. “In the royal palace” – she situated them in spacious rooms because a woman’s way is to cause damage.13The nature of this damage is unclear. Some understand it to mean that it is a woman’s way to be licentious and for this reason she provided the women with private rooms. Others understand it to mean that women’s clothing is likely to become soiled if rooms are too crowded Alternatively, “in the royal palace” – she situated them in decorated houses, as Rabbi Avun said: A woman prefers decorated houses and decorated garments more than eating fatted calves. Alternatively, “in the royal palace” – she situated them in her reception hall, saying that if the husband of one of them would seek to rebel, his wife would be inside and he would not rebel.“Of King Aḥashverosh,” Rabbi Yudan and Rabbi Levi said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: Everywhere in this scroll that King Aḥashverosh is stated, Scripture is referring to King Aḥashverosh. Everywhere that king is stated alone, it can be either sacred [referring to God] or profane [referring to Aḥashverosh].