Vashti. In the Book of Esther, she’s a dignified character. But in rabbinic midrash (commentary), she’s an evil villain. Why? Because she’s code for Christian Rome.

Simply a Dignified Royal

Let’s start with the plain text of Vashti’s story. Achashverosh rules from Persia to Ethiopia, controlling 127 provinces. He hosts a 180 day feast for the noble men of his kingdom. Then, he hosts a seven day feast for the common men. The theme? Let the wine flow! 

Meanwhile, Queen Vashti hosts a women’s feast in the King’s palace. But the drunken king requests her presence at his party. So that all the men can see her beauty. He sends a team of seven messengers to ask her to come in wearing her royal crown. But she declines. Of course! Because a Queen is not a party escort.

Still, the king gets quite angry. So he asks seven legal experts what to do. What do they advise? Tell all 127 provinces what happened to the king. Then, ban Vashti from the king’s presence. And find a worthier Queen. 

Of course the advice is ridiculous. Because it embarrasses the king, and gives Vashti what she wants. Still, the king does it. And Vashti disappears from the story.

Midrash’s Evil Queen

The Talmudic rabbis who speak through early midrash, however, see Vashti differently. She is not a victim of dim-witted experts. Oh no. Instead, she is the Evil Queen. 

These rabbis invent her backstory. Achashverosh, they claim, prevented Jews from building a second Temple. Why? Because his wife Vashti hated Jews. She would order Jewish women to clean her quarters. On Shabbat, and in the nude. Why? Not just to humiliate them. But also because she was bisexual. 

The women’s feast she hosted in the palace? That was an orgy. She was, however, tempted to leave it for an even racier opportunity. Her husband’s all-male party. Especially when he asked her to wear nothing but her crown. 

But God chose this moment to intervene. Suddenly, Vashti had an outbreak of psoriasis. Or maybe she grew a tail. Whatever. She sent a crabby message back to her husband. “Real kings can hold their liquor. But you don’t know how.” After all, she was the real royal, descended from Nebuchadnezzar. She anchored her husband’s claim to the throne. But when she reminded him, he got angry. So, he ordered her execution.

Vashti as a Symbol of Christian Rome

None of this is in the Book of Esther. So, why do these rabbis vilify Vashti? Why do they make a dignified character into a villain? Or say her husband opposed the Temple? Surely they know he reigned 30 years after the second Temple was built!

Why? Probably because they are not really talking about Vashti. Or even about Achashverosh. Instead, they are talking about current events. In their time, c. 5th century. And using Biblical characters as a secret code. Because, in tense political times, it’s safer to do so. In their time, the second Temple has been destroyed. And Rome will never support rebuilding it. Because, since Emperor Constantine the Great, Rome has become Christian. 

So, in public, the rabbis speak of Achashverosh. But, privately, they think of Constantine. Out loud, they speak of Vashti. But, quietly, they hint at the life of Fausta, daughter of Emperor Maximianus. Fausta married the much-older Constantine to seal his alliance with her father. But she fell in love with Constantine’s son. They crossed sexual boundaries and became lovers. Fausta got pregnant. So, her husband Constantine ordered her execution.

The rabbis don’t mean to blame Fausta. They have no evidence she cared about Christianity. But they use elements of her story to let you know what they think. Roman power has married Christian theology. And this is a great threat to Jews and Judaism. So great, they can’t even talk openly about it. 

But they dream of change. And the Book of Esther inspires them. It’s a manual for resistance. Esther uses love, diplomacy, and strength. Maybe, just maybe, one of those tools will help them.

Sources: Book of Esther. Essays by Malka Zeiger Simkovich, Zev Farber, David D. Steinberg, Jason Gaines at thetorah.com. Wikipedia, “Fausta.” Jacob Neusner, Introduction to Rabbinic Literature. View of Vashti as a Fausta-like character symbolizing the Roman Empire? That’s my own.