Guest Author - Lisa Pinkus
Queen Esther is a Jewish woman who has been given a multitude of titles including heroine, leader and embarrassment to women. Setting aside the battle of veracious strength between Queen Vashti, who stood up for herself and refused to succumb to King Achashverosh’s demand that she put herself on public display, and Esther, who with the urging of her Uncle Mordechai, used her body and looks to take her place in the King’s castle, one can certainly find inarguable lessons of leadership we can learn from Esther.
Esther is credited with saving the Jews from annihilation in Persia. Though she received – and followed – the guidance of her uncle in the beginning, she ultimately followed her own innate wisdom that resulted in Jewish lives being spared. Esther’s own history, of which we know little, tells us that she was an orphan, raised by her single uncle, without any female role models.
Though Esther did enter the beauty contest, it is said that in the year of preparing and primping for the contest, Esther participated in only the minimum necessary to remain in the castle. Some say her lack of involvement was due to her desire to not win. I’d like to add that from the eyes of a heroine, her decision may have been based on not wanting to demean herself any more than was necessary.
In a time of harsh discrimination toward women, perhaps Esther realized (or Mordechai) that her only chance to acquire the power she needed was to utilize her looks. The entire story of Purim is about masquerading as something other than your true self. Esther appeared to King Achashverosh as a gentile – she also appeared to be meek, docile and beautiful.
Later, Esther risks her life and makes tremendous sacrifices on behalf of her people. In many moments, Esther acts on faith rather than rational thought even when reasonable thoughts were telling her she was putting her life in danger. Esther went from obedient savior (doing what Mordechai told her to do) to full-fledged strategist (questioning Mordechai, making decisions on her own and doing what she thought was best for her people).
At the end of this ordeal, Esther demands that the story be written down for future generations to see. She dictates exactly what she wants to be shared and, therefore, determined what was excluded. Even in her “personal” account, Esther remains hidden to us and only the “necessary” details are shared – much like the stories of many other female Jewish leaders.
Queen Esther’s actions prevented the annihilation of the Jewish people. While some might argue against the path she chose (or Mordechai chose) to get there, others will recognize that her decisions and actions were focused on the future of her people. Vashti’s, on the other hand, though commendable as well – seem to have been focused on herself.
Throughout Jewish history, there are women with subtle yet powerful messages on leadership. It is not recognition for their heroism which these women sought but rather, they hoped the implications be understood in future generations. No matter how uncomfortable you might be with Esther’s early actions, you must admit her role in our history is beyond admirable.
