gengwall

It still is ironic that Vashti is thought of so poorly when in fact she was the one who bucked the “male rule” tradition, while Esther, whether or not she was “collected”, followed the tradition and is seemingly praised for it.

But I’m not so sure. Why did Mordecai command that Esther hide that she was Jewish? Could it be that Jews were ineligible to be considered as Queen? Could it be that they were not collecting Jewish virgins and she was brought not by the collectors but by Mordecai himself and inserted into the “pool”? That’s how it reads to me. If that were the case, then Mordecai is no different than Ahasuerus, exercising “male rule” and abusing his adopted daughter’s beauty to “gain favor” and power. It sure worked out good for him in the end.