[Avodah] vashti

[Zev Sero]

Eli Turkel wrote:

> The way I imagine things is what would have happened if a NY Times
> reporter was present at the time what would he have said? In line
> with the nes nistar it is hard to believe that the headlines would
> have been "Queen Vashti grows a tail".  My proposal is that the
> headline would have been "Queen Vashti loses in power struggle and
> is executed by the King"

Well, yes, because the reporter would not have *known* about the tail.

Being at the palace he'd certainly know her reputation, so he'd have
no illusions such as the plain text of the megillah allows us to
entertain regarding her modesty.  So he'd have to come up with some
explanation for *why* she acted as she did, and the answer would be
some kind of hidden infighting, which doesn't really explain it but
is enough to throw sand in the readers' eyes.

But the gemara tells us the real reason: she suddenly developed an
embarrassing condition; either something like tzaraat, which one
could put down to bad luck, or something like a tail, which must be
ascribed to angelic intervention.  She still *wanted* to comply with
Achashverosh's invitation, but she'd rather die than be seen like
that, and so she did.

By the way, if you're sticking to the plain text with no midrashim,
it doesn't say anywhere that she was killed.  I think the Malbim
suggests that she was merely removed from her position as Queen,
and banished to quarters in some palace somewhere where she could
live out her life in seclusion.

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