It wasn't just some quiet little tea party, that's for sure. According to the Legends of the Jews, Vashti's banquet for the women was a spectacle in its own right, almost a mirror image of her husband's… with a few distinctly feminine touches.
Ahasuerus flaunted his wealth, right? Well, Vashti did the same. Every day, she opened up six different treasure rooms to her guests, showing off all the royal riches. Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews makes it clear that Vashti was trying to match her husband's grandeur, even going so far as to… well, this is where it gets interesting… arraying herself in the garments of the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest! Imagine the audacity!
And the food? Forget foreign delicacies. Vashti served Palestinian meats and dishes, just like at Ahasuerus's feast. But instead of wine, the ladies sipped on liqueurs and indulged in sweets. A bit more refined, perhaps?
Now, here's a detail that speaks volumes about the perception of women at the time. The banquet was held inside the palace halls, we’re told, so that if any of the "weaker sex" felt unwell (as the text puts it!), they could easily retreat to nearby chambers. Ouch. But also, the text suggests that women preferred the ornate palace interiors to the gardens; as the Legends of the Jews puts it, "for a woman would rather reside in beautiful chambers and possess beautiful clothes than eat fatted calves."
But it wasn't just about comfort and pretty things. Vashti understood her audience. The women were intensely curious about the inner workings of the palace – "for women are curious to know all things," the text says. So, Vashti gave them a guided tour. "This is the dining-hall," she would say, "this the wine-room, this the bed-chamber." She unveiled all the palace secrets.
What does this tell us? Perhaps Vashti wasn't just a pretty face, but a savvy ruler in her own right, playing the game as best she could within the constraints of her time. Or was she simply vain and power-hungry? The Legends of the Jews doesn't give us a definitive answer, but it certainly paints a more complex picture of this queen than we often get. A picture that makes you wonder what else we might be missing in the familiar stories we think we know so well.