[Avodah] Vashti's tail etc...

[Zev Sero]

Micha Berger wrote:
> On Fri, Mar 02, 2007 at 02:37:09AM -0500, Moshe Yehuda Gluck quotes
> RMMiller and responds:
> :> Additionally, such an explicity supernatural occurance seems out of
> :> place in the (superficially) natural story of the megilah.
> 
> : That seems to me to be an emotional reason for rejecting the plain meaning
> : of Chazal....
> 
> Actually, it defies every maqor that speaks of hesteir panim.
> 
> The whole mehalekh we consistently take to understanding Purim *requires*
> a lack of any supernatural events.

Not really.  Eliyahu informing Mordechai about Haman's decree.  Esther's
appearing beautiful to everyone, especially Achashverosh, despite her
age and unattractiveness, Achashverosh's hand extending the sceptre to
Esther when he intended not to; these are all miracles, just not public
spectacular ones.  And they're not mentioned in the text of the megillah,
but the gemara makes sure that we know about them. Because the story
*was* miraculous, but the miracles were known only to the people to
whom they happened, not to thousands of bystanders.

The same thing applies here: the megillah tells us that Vashti refused
to appear, but Chazal were bothered by a simple question: *why* did
she refuse?  They tell us that the invitation to appear "becheter
malchut" meant "and nothing else"; if such an invitation were given to
any normal woman, we would expect her to refuse, and would need no
explanation.  But the gemara goes to the trouble of telling us that
Vashti was by nature a lewd woman and an exhibitionist, and that her
party was just as orgiastic as his.  This sets up the question, in
that case why did she suddenly turn shy?  Achashverosh clearly
expected her to show up and brazenly strut her stuff; why didn't she?
Something must have happened to prevent her.  So Chazal tell us that
she grew a tail, or she was suddenly smitten with an embarassing skin
condition, or something like that.  This was an outright miracle, but
by its nature it was private - only Vashti was aware of it, and she
made sure to keep it that way, which is precisely why she cancelled
her show.


-- 
Zev Sero               Something has gone seriously awry with this Court's
zev at sero.name          interpretation of the Constitution.
                       	                          - Clarence Thomas