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Holy Disobedience in Esther
"A careful look at the disobedient characters in the Book of Esther, Queen Vashti, Mordecai, and Esther herself, helps us to discern the critical elements that influence their decisions and actions. Perhaps the current crisis of faith in authority signifies the exhausted end of something oppressive and the painfully slow beginning of something liberating. "
FROM a contemporary perspective, The Book of Esther tells a story of what to do when the voice of God demands something quite different from the voice of authority. For many, the two voices are one and the same, so that listening to the voice of authority is, in effect, listening to God. For all such, obedience or compliance with authority is good, right, and honorable, while noncompliance or disobedience is evil, wrong, and selfish. In Esther, however, one learns quite a different lesson. Compliance with authority clearly emerges as the evil and selfish choice, while solidarity with the oppressed and disobedience appear good and honorable. Esther's response to the voice of God emerges in clear opposition to the dictates of the law and the ruling sovereign.
The traditionally sacred, authoritative arenas of church, government, and family are in crisis. The recent downfall of television pillars of faith has undoubtedly shaken the fundamentalist roots for millions of believers. Dissent within the Catholic Church has grown to embrace increasing numbers of the faithful, including nuns, priests, bishops, cardinals, and archbishops. The Iran-Contra hearings revealed a frightening and troubling tale of blind obedience, telling the story of a government in violation of its own constitution and top military leaders who "charge up the hill" without questioning superiors about the blatant illegality of their actions. Closer to home, the increase of dysfunctional families plagued by alcoholism, violence, infidelity, and divorce continues to shatter the fundamental belief in the permanent, unconditional nature of parental love.
Karol Jackowski, C.S.C. is Dean of Student Affairs at Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame.
The text used for biblical citations in this essay is The New American Bible. In this translation, the letters "A" through "F" indicate the Greek additions to the original Hebrew text. The longer Greek version contains 107 additional verses inserted at appropriate places within the Hebrew form of the text. The regular chapter numbers apply to the Hebrew text.
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While obedience has for centuries been proclaimed and vowed to be among the greatest of virtues, the "infallible" voices of authority in every major sector of American life have fallen from grace. Unquestioning obedience to the voice of religious, civic, and family authority has lost its credibility, often leaving followers confused, forsaken, angry, and alone. No wonder today's youth are increasingly troubled by depression, substance abuse, premature sexual activity, and suicide.
A biblical case-study in the difference between blind obedience and holy disobedience is provided for us in The Book of Esther. For Esther, as for Judith and other Old Testament women liberators, deception and disobedience are revealed as the will of God. Their painfully planned acts of disobedience free the Jewish people from confusion, oppression, and death. A careful look at the disobedient characters in Esther, Queen Vashti, Mordecai, and Esther herself, helps us to discern the critical elements that influence their decisions and actions. Exploring questions such as "why disobey," "when to disobey," and "which voices to disobey" can provide insight into the nature of those acts of disobedience motivated by loyalty to one's religious convictions.
I
In The Book of Esther, four reasons for holy disobedience emerge: the situation is unbearable, the voice of God promises deliverance, the contemplated act of disobedience will relieve oppression, and, last but certainly not least, God is inexplicably still and silent.
Unbearable situations inspire solidarity with the oppressed and motivate acts of disobedience in Esther. The Greek version of the text opens with a dream remembered by Mordecai, Esther's uncle, stepfather, and spiritual guide. "This was his dream. It was a dark and gloomy day. Tribulation and distress, evil and great confusion lay upon the earth. The whole race of the just were dismayed with fear of the evils to come upon them, and were at the point of destruction" (1:7-9). When the voice of authority creates unbearable oppression, two responses are predictable: blind, self-serving loyalty by some, and confusion, dissent, and disobedience by others. After Haman's death decree was promulgated, "the king and Haman then sat down to feast, but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion" (3B: 15).
While oppression may serve as an effective short-term method of control, it also provides a fertile breeding ground for conflict and unrest, the intensity of which motivates the oppressed to do whatever they can to secure their own survival and that of the people. Unbearable situations consistently work to inspire acts of disobedience.
The second and most important reason for disobedience in Esther lies hidden in the Jewish experience of God as:
the God of the humble,
the Ally of the insignificant,
the Champion of the weak,
the Protector of the despairing,
the Savior of those without hope (Judith 9:11).
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Jews have traditionally regarded and accepted every detail of life as part of God's mysterious plan for the chosen people. There is no such thing as coincidence. While references to God have been deliberately omitted from the Hebrew version of the text, as has often been noted, the Jewish experience of the sacramentality of life prevails throughout the book (for example, watchfulness, fasting, ritualistic preparations, and meals).1 The plot itself reveals divine guidance and deliverance, with Mordecai emerging as navigator (2:11).
Knowing well the inner conflict between the voice of authority and the voice of God, the Jewish leader Mordecai repeatedly refuses to comply with the king's order of kneeling and bowing down to Haman, the anti-Semitic prime-minister. He "bowed not, nor did him reverence" (3:2), but acted "not out of insolence or pride or desire for fame but so as not to place the honor of man above that of God" (4C:5-7). Disobedience is called for when the oppressive voice of authority claims to be above the liberating voice of God.
Based on The Book of Esther, the only legitimate reasons for disobedience, trickery, and deception are religious ones, those that come from God and contain the moral imperative to work hard to relieve oppression. "If I have found favor with you, 0 king, and if it pleases your majesty, I ask that my life be spared, and I beg that you spare the lives of my people" (7:3). Clearly and consistently, the voice of God contains the inner necessity to risk one's life to relieve oppression and prevent the destruction of the just. "The divinest element of the book is to be found in the profound sense of the indestructibility of Israel, and the duty of an Israelite to maintain the cause of her people at whatever risk.2
God asks nothing short of Esther's life in exchange for deliverance of the Jews. In return, the Queen gives a clear sense of the one she turns to when strength cannot be found and God is silent: the Jewish community. When all else fails, Esther depends with boundless confidence on the divine energy generated by communal fasting and prayer. Prior to unlawfully appearing before the king with her death-defying plea for the deliverance of the Jews, Esther directs Mordecai, "Go and assemble all the Jews... fast on my behalf, all of you, not eating or drinking, night or day, for three days. I and my maids will also fast in the same way. Thus prepared, I will go to the king contrary to the law" (4:16).
When disobedience relieves oppression and commands the singlehearted support of the oppressed community, one can safely trust that the disobedient one comes from God. Concern about the welfare of the Jewish community overrides any concern Esther may have about her own safety and security. Disobedience appears to be well in keeping with the preservation of Jewish solidarity.3
1Carey A. Moore, Esther, The Anchor Bible (Garden City: Doubleday 1971), p. 47.
2George A. Buttrick et al., eds., The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 3 (New York: Abingdon, 1954), p. 834.
3Leonard Swidler, Biblical Affirmations of Women (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1979), p. 118.
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The inexplicable absence of God from the original text of Esther provides possibly the most profound motivation to risk a dangerous act of disobedience. Esther demonstrates an irresistible willingness to trust in the unseen workings of God while tortured by anxiety and the fear that her sacrifice in the end may come to nothing.
Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish, likewise had recourse to the Lord... she prayed ..."My Lord, our King, you alone are God. Help me who am alone and have no help but you, for I am taking my life in my hand... Manifest yourself in the time of our distress and give me courage.... Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion... From the day I was brought here till now, your handmaid has had no joy except in you, 0 Lord... 0 God, more powerful than all, hear the voice of those in despair. Save us from the power of the wicked, and deliver me from my fear" (4C: 12,14,23,24,29,30).
"How does one survive in times when it is not apparent that God is on the side of the oppressed ?"4 Left to her own resources, Esther submits to the mysterious Jewish God whose workings lie behind the turn of events. Paralyzed by fear, she prays for "courage" and "persuasive words." Going to the king may risk death for herself, but keeping silent or maintaining neutrality means certain death for all Jews (4B:14). The Queen stands very much like The Fool of the Tarot, on spiritual heights about to step down into manifestation-the image of the mysterious impulse within us to leap into the unknown. "Thus prepared, I will go into the king, contrary to the law. If I perish, I perish!" (4:16). The silence and stillness (not absence) of God forces the Jewish community to rely on traditions of communal prayer and fasting for strength; to confront life alone according to the faith that holds them together. Only in faith does Esther know the certainty of having nothing to lose and everything to gain.
II
With regard to the question "when to disobey," The Book of Esther, like Exodus I and 2, clearly presents disobedience as a survival technique, not an ordinary course of action. In Esther, Jewish identity and survival are unquestionably at stake.
Having noted... that this most singular people is continually at variance with all men, lives by divergent and alien laws, is inimical to our interests... so that stability of government cannot be obtained, we hereby decree that all those who are indicated to you in the letter of Haman...shall together with their wives and children, be utterly destroyed by the swords of their enemies, without any pity or mercy on the fourteenth day of the twelfth month (3:5-6).
A decree calling for the complete elimination of the Jews in one day prompts in Esther a spirit not unlike that of other women who suffered extremes of oppression, Anne Frank or Etty (Esther) Hillesum. In the
4Johanna W. H. Bos, Ruth, Esther, Jonah (Atlanta: John Knox, 1986), p. 42.
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midst of extreme oppression, disobedience, trickery, and deception appear to be essential for survival-a last resort survival technique. The Book of Esther mandates doing whatever you have to do to survive, even entering and winning a beauty contest (2:17).
The most important indicator of when to disobey rests with one's ability to discern the right time and most appropriate situation, the "educable moment." For Esther, months of ritualistic preparation (2:8-12) and days of prayer and communal fasting (4:16) precede all acts of disobedience. "All of Israel, too, cried out with all their strength, for death was staring them in the face" (4C: I I). The critical need to prepare oneself spiritually and physically (5:1) cannot be underestimated. Yet, Esther is a painful reminder that no amount of preparation completely removes the profound loneliness, fear, and "mortal anguish" one knows in contemplating disobedience.
Not having seen the king for thirty days, Esther expresses great reluctance in risking her life for Mordecai's request, "Invoke the Lord and speak to the king for us, save us from death" (4:9). Wisely knowing that fear is almost always fear for one's self, Mordecai counsels: "Do not imagine that because you are in the king's palace you alone of all the Jews will escape. Even if you now remain silent, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another source; but you and your father's house will perish. Who knows but that it was for a time like this that you obtained the royal dignity?" (4:13-14).
The profound effects of meticulous preparation, solitary prayer, and communal fasting appear to be twofold. Esther's sensitivity and receptivity to opportunities for divine activity are heightened, and she receives the courage needed to persevere. Disobedience emerges as most appropriate when survival is at stake, when one has nothing to lose and only after extended periods of communal preparation, prayer, and fasting. Recognizing the perfect moment for divine deliverance remains a most powerful and profoundly precarious task, demanding utmost caution.
III
The Book of Esther presents three distinct voices that warrant disobedience, three timeless voices of the patriarchy with which one should not comply: those that are abusive and demeaning, those motivated by fear of widespread insubordination, and those that work to eliminate all who challenge authority.
Reminiscent of a scene from One Thousand and One Arabian Nights, the story of Queen Vashti presents more fiction than fact. Nevertheless, it proves an effective literary device by providing an influential opportunity for Esther and an example of a clear situation warranting disobedience. The scene takes place after what is equivalent to a seven-day Mardi Gras. "By ordinance of the king, the drinking was unstinted, for he had instructed all the stewards of his household to comply with the good pleasures of everyone" (1:8). The theme of the king's party echoes that of Purim, the Jewish festival which Esther commemorates: "any
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thing is allowed."5 Diligently and religiously, Jews obey the law all year, then, on Purim, they do as they please.
"On the seventh day, when the king was merry with wine, he instructed the seven eunuchs to bring Queen Vashti into his presence wearing the royal crown, that he might display her beauty for she was lovely to behold. But Queen Vashti refused to come" (1:10-12). Why the refusal? Some early Jewish commentators deduced from the text that "the king had commanded her to appear at his banquet naked, that is, with only the royal crown on her head."6 Queen Vashti refused to be manipulated, exhibited, and, most likely, sexually abused. A well-defined woman, completely at ease, the Queen did not allow herself to be used for another's pleasure or advantage. The Queen's public and aggressive act of disobedience blatantly rejected those voices that regard women as property and possession, to be disposed of as men see fit. The divine activity at play suggests strongly that voices seeking to demean and abuse women warrant the most public, aggressive, and blatant acts of disobedience.
As a result of Queen Vashti's refusal, "the king's wrath flared up, and he burned with fury" (1: 12). What follows could very well be viewed as the biblical foundations for the conspiracy to protect the male ego. Through an act of domestic insubordination, Queen Vashti not only mortally offends the king but every other man in the kingdom as well. Curious how one small but significant act of disobedience by the Queen undoes the well-being of all mankind. Anger and fear emerge as the immediate and impulsive male response. In conferring with "the wise men versed in the law" (1:13), the king acts immediately on this advice:
Queen Vashti has not wronged the king alone, but all the officials and the populace throughout the provinces.... For the Queen's conduct will become known to all the women and they will look with disdain upon their husbands when it is reported.... There will be endless disrespect and indolence (1:16-19).
The profound disturbance of authority by the singular voice of disobedience remains fascinating, baffling, and pitiable. Haman experiences something similar in relation to Mordecai. To his wife and friends "he recounted the greatness of his riches, the larger number of his sons, and just how the king had promoted him and placed him above the officials and royal servants. 'Moreover,' Haman added, 'Queen Esther invited no one but me to the banquet with the king: again tomorrow I am to be her guest, with the king. Yet none of this satisfies me as long as I continue to see the Jew Mordecai sitting at the royal gate'" (5:11-13).
5Jews were encouraged to drink wine until they were unable to distinguish between "Blessed be Mordecai" and "Cursed be Haman." The Interpreter's Bible, p. 823.
6Ibid., p. 837.
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Both Haman and the king respond in like manner. While the king seeks to oppress out of fear of "endless disrespect and indolence," Haman seeks to eliminate all who challenge his authority. "What can the poor husbands do to save face and protect their authority but to have the king issue a formal decree under full protocol.7 Haman advises the king to issue a decree to destroy all the Jews (3:9) and in the interim plots to have Mordecai hanged (5:14). The king, at the advice of his cabinet, issues yet another "irrevocable decree" so that "all women will henceforth bow to the authority of their husbands, ensuring that each man might be master in his own house" (1:20-22). Women can be comforted by the ironic fact that "this decree by which the king establishes the supremacy of the male initiates a story whereby the king, having gotten rid of one recalcitrant wife ends up with one who controls him entirely."8
In Esther, oppression and exploitation find expression in the notion of "irrevocable decrees," taws which cannot be changed. Any law that seeks to oppress out of fear of "endless disrespect and indolence," or seeks to eliminate all who challenge authority, appears to be a clear invitation for creative acts of disobedience. Divine activity peaks at the height of its power when such voices are disobeyed.
IV
Understanding what happens when the oppressed spirit comes into full power probably challenges readers more than any other event in The Book of Esther. What does the disobedient spirit do when it can do whatever it wants? What happens when "the situation is reversed and the Jews became masters of their enemies?" (9:1-3).
Some scholars look at the killing of seventy-five thousand men (9:16) and see in Esther a violent spirit of revenge, "the story of what happens or may happen when the tension between two racial groups is strained to the breaking point."9 Others view Esther as the traditional Jewish wife. "Whenever Jewish survival is at stake, the woman is called upon to be strong and aggressive. When the crisis is over, it's back to the patriarchy."10 From a contemporary perspective, Esther can appear to be the patriarchical woman, one who has suffered, made it in the system, and now gains control. A somewhat frightening portrait.
The text, however, demonstrates clearly that Esther fits none of the stereotypes-not vengeful, not the traditional Jewish woman, and certainly not patriarchical. Something quite different is found in Esther while at the height of her influence. Disobedience is characterized by befriending the enemy, fear of the Lord, and bravery.
The most powerful, tender, and moving scene in Esther occurs at the
7Esther, The Anchor Bible, p. 14.
8Ibid.
9The Interpreter's Bible, p. 845.
10Biblical Affirmations of Women, p. 117.
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height of Esther's disobedience:
In making her state appearance, after invoking the all-seeing God and savior, she took with her two maids; on the one she leaned gently for support,...while the other followed her, bearing her train. She glowed with the perfection of her beauty and her face was as joyous as it was lovely, though her heart shrunk with fear.
As the king looked up, his features ablaze with the height of majestic anger, the queen staggered, changed color, and leaned weakly against the head of the maid in front of her. But God changed the king's anger to gentleness. In great anxiety, he sprang from his throne, held her in his arms until she recovered, and comforted her with reassuring words.
"What is it Esther?" he said, "I am your brother. Take courage! You shall not die because of this general decree of ours. Come near!" Raising the golden scepter, he touched her neck with it, embraced her, and said, "Speak to me" (4D:7-12).
Esther teaches that the most radical and terrifying act of disobedience lies in befriending the enemy, an activity that charges against every human instinct. Only three days before, in prayer, the Queen speaks of "abhorring the bed" and "hating the glory" of palace life (4C:26). She feels "under constraint," never graces "the banquet of the king or drunk the wine" (4C:28), and hates "the sign of grandeur which rests on my head ; abhor it like a polluted rag" (4C:27). At best, Esther represents a state of mournful contentment. Nonetheless, "the king loved Esther more than all the other women, and of all the virgins she won his favor and benevolence" (2:15).
What is it about Esther that makes her "loved more than all the others"? To what can her irresistible influence be attributed? Looking at the scene where Esther appears before the king, mutual influence reaches perfection, a profoundly religious experience for both Esther and the king. She sees the king "as an angel of God," and God, in turn, "changes the king's anger to gentleness" (4D:13,8). At the sight of Esther's profound weakness, the king "springs from his throne," finding himself ruled by gentleness, not anger. Esther teaches that the true essence of power now lies in the king relieving oppression, because he, too, suffers at the sight of the weak and fainthearted. Befriending the enemy is perhaps the most disturbing characteristic of holy disobedience.
At the heart of Esther's disobedience rests a sense of awe at the powerful and mysterious workings of God hidden in her life and that of the Jewish people. Heart already "shrunk with fear," standing "face to face with the king" was more than Esther could bear. "'I saw you, my Lord, as an angel of God, and my heart was troubled with fear of your majesty. For you are awesome, my Lord, though your glance is full of kindness.' As she said this, she fainted. The king became troubled" (41): 13-16).
Nothing terrifies and overwhelms more than seeing one's enemy as "an angel of God." Encouragement to "love the enemy" often provokes outrage from the oppressed, generating even more hatred. Vengeance
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appears to be the only law worth trusting, but not for Esther. Along with Etty Hillesum, a young woman killed at Auschwitz, Esther believes:
The absence of hatred in no way implies the absence of moral indignation.... I know that those who hate have good reason to do so. Buy why should we always have to choose the cheapest and easiest way? It has been brought home forcibly to me here, how every atom of hatred added to the world makes it an even more inhospitable place.... It's not right for a human being to take the easy way out."11
Courage is an unusual quality to find in a woman who stands faint and fearful. Yet, bravery and beauty both work for Esther in winning the favor and love of the king. In the text, Esther and Vashti are the only women described as "beautifully formed and lovely to behold." While the king has his pick of beautiful virgins, he singles out two who seem to possess something far more than mere physical beauty. What sets Esther and Vashti apart from their virgin peers is perhaps their independent, disobedient spirit. Fortunately, the king finds independent women attractive, but "women who are bold, direct, aggressive, and disobedient are not acceptable; the praiseworthy are those who are unassuming, quietly persistent, and who gain their power through the love and respect they inspire."12 Esther's astounding bravery, combined with absolute dependence on the king for deliverance, works to inspire gentleness, not anger. The king appears to be a changed man. One bent on destroying the Jews becomes their ally, champion, protector, and savior.
V
Perhaps nothing consoles and energizes the oppressed more than seeing the tables turned. In that respect, The Book of Esther tells a triumphant tale of glory. Esther receives whatever she wants (7:2), and Haman, "measure for measure," dies the death he planned for Mordecai (7:9-10). The Jews are delivered from death by royal decree (8:7) and "when the day arrived on which the order was to be carried out the situation was reversed: the Jews became masters of their enemies" (9: 1). Watching what happens to the disobedient spirit, once deliverance comes, tells the most telling tale of all. Will post-deliverance life be any different?
A surface reading of Esther would indicate that not much changes. Vengeance and violence suddenly seem to rule Esther and Mordecai. The brief glimpse of a reign of gentleness appears to have faded fast. "The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them; they did to their enemies as they pleased" (9:5). For God, the ruler of all, has turned that day for them from one of destruction of the chosen race to one of joy" (8E:21). The image is that of a people who have enthusiastically gone to excess in preserving their
11Hillesum, Etty, Letters From Westerbork (New York: Pantheon Books, 1996), pp. 36, 37.
12Biblical Affirmations of Women, p. 117.
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heritage. In the request for an additional day of bloodshed and in the public hanging of Haman's ten sons (9:13-14), the Jews appear to have overdone their triumph; an unsettling image for proponents of equality.
Undoubtedly, one of the consequences of holy disobedience is the enjoyment of a time of high energy, movement, and change, almost as though confidence were only gained through the overcoming of obstacles. After receiving the king's new decree, "the city of Susa shouted with joy and there was splendor and merriment for the Jews, exultation and triumph" (8E:15-16). While deliverance clearly liberates, stimulates, and strengthens the oppressed, evidence cannot be found in the text to support the belief that the Jews were twice as vindictive as the enemy. On the contrary, Esther and Mordecai emerge as curiously compassionate. Even at the height of enthusiasm, the Jews move very carefully along the line of least resistance. Three unusual consequences bear this out: compassion tempers justice, Esther remains unaffected by love and power, and equality emerges as the new law of the land.
In a gesture of grand justice, "the king authorized the Jews in each and every city to group together and defend their lives, and to kill, destroy, wipe out, along with their wives and children, every armed group of any nation or province which should attach them, and to seize their goods as spoil" (8:11). The king offers the Jews an opportunity to do to the enemy what would have been done to them. In the king's eyes, that would be just; the scales would be evened.
What the king authorizes, however, goes unfulfilled. For Esther, how deliverance is achieved remains far more important than preserving the Jewish heritage at any cost. Indifference about how things are done lies at the root of evil. While the Jews were given license to kill anyone who attacked them, along with wives and children, they killed only men, "those who sought to do them harm" (9:2), "all their enemies" (9:5), "the ten sons of Haman" (9:10), and "seventy-five thousand of their foes" (9:16). In eliminating only the enemy, violence works as an effective deterrent, falling far short of vengeance. The Jews do not exercise the right to kill women and children. Compassion emerges as the fine line between prevention and revenge.
Refusing to kill the innocent, the Jews also do not "seize their goods as spoil," do not take personal belongings of the dead for private use. In six verses of chapter 9, three references are made emphasizing the fact that the Jews "did not engage in plundering" (9:10,15,16). In fighting for survival and taking no personal revenge, we are taught not to push on farther than necessary. A new law for dealing with the adversary emerges: eliminate only the enemy, protect the innocent, take nothing for yourself. Between severity and mercy lies compassion.
A new way of dealing with power also emerges in the post-deliverance life of Esther. Reportedly, Mordecai continues to grow in power and position (9:4), while Esther remains unaffected. Palace life and its tokens of love and power hold no interest for her. The king gives the house of Haman to Esther, and she in turn immediately puts Mordecai in charge (8:1-2). While the king repeatedly offers to give Esther "up to
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half his kingdom," she consistently asks nothing for herself, but only that the oppressed be delivered from suffering and death. Justice is her only concern.
While oppression was the king's law under the influence of Haman, equality emerges as the new law of the land under the influence of Esther. Ahasuerus appears as a weak, impressionable king, of modest intelligence with all the good will in the world. In the letter Haman drafts for the king's signature, he writes:
When I came to rule many peoples and to hold sway over the whole world, I determined not to be carried away with the sense of power, but always to deal fairly and with clemency; to provide for my subjects a life of complete tranquility... and to restore peace desired by all men (3B:2).
The king then proceeds to tell the Jews they must all be eliminated in one day for peace to be restored. In the letter that Mordecai drafts for the king's signature, he writes:
We must provide for the future, so as to render the kingdom undisturbed and peaceful for all, taking advantage of changing conditions and deciding always with equitable treatment matters coming to our attention (8E:8).
On this occasion, the king proceeds to give the Jews equal rights: the right to organize, the right to defend themselves, and the right to take personal revenge, to plunder. Though the king cannot by law revoke the death letter to the Jews ("what is written is written"), he does neutralize the opponent by giving equal rights to the Jews.
Equality of the sexes also emerges as part of the king's new law. At the height of Esther's power, the king asks, with profound gentleness: "What is it, Esther? I am your brother. Take courage!" (4D:10). In regarding Esther as family, the king offers full equality: "Whatever you ask for shall be granted and whatever request you make shall be honored, even if it is for half of my kingdom" (5:6). The king's demeaning regard for Vashti has been transformed into "love" for Esther (8:5). Neither uses the other for personal advantage and both work as full partners in delivering the Jews from oppression and death. Equality emerges as the greatest consequence of holy disobedience.
VI
In the Epilogue, Mordecai reflects on all that has happened, remembers his dream, and concludes that "this is the work of God" (10F:1). Achieving liberation and equality amid the silence and stillness of God is certainly an event to celebrate "throughout all future generations" (I OF: 10). The king who once sought to demean and abuse women, now calls them to love and full partnership. One ruled by fear and anger now lives by gentleness and compassion. And a king who once threw lavish, obscene banquets for his friends, now takes nothing more than his due. Position and power are no longer used for personal advantage. Gentleness replaces anger, justice is tempered by compassion, and equality, not oppression, emerges as the new taw of the land.
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Looking back on the profound intensity of the oppression and the divinely dramatic turn of events, reason to believe in the compassionate reign envisioned by Esther becomes clear. Etty Hillesum writes:
Yes, really, it's true, there are compassionate laws in nature, if only we keep a feeling for their rhythm. I notice that afresh each time in myself: when I am at the limits of despair, unable, I am sure, to go on, suddenly the balance shifts over to the other side and I can laugh and take life as it comes. After feeling really low for ages, you can suddenly rise so high above earthly misery that you feel lighter and more liberated than ever before in your life.... Equilibrium is restored time and time again.13
Esther's holy disobedience not only liberates the Jewish people from oppression and death, but also delivers the human spirit from its own ferocious ego. Yet Esther's influence, as well as God's, remains hidden. How curious, in the end, to find references to Esther fade. The Queen's disobedient spirit remains hidden (not absent), until perhaps the next perfect moment.
For the disobedient spirit, references to God continue to be omitted, not because of God's absence, but perhaps because the disobedient one never enjoys the absolute certainty that the voice calling to disobedience is clearly the voice of God. Some comfort is found in that "none of those who cry out 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of God, but only the one that does God's will" (Matt. 7:21). And no conclusion could be more fitting to the Book of Esther than that of celebrating Purim; honoring holy disobedience two days of the year for the rest of our lives; celebrating the wisdom and courage of Esther while joyously concluding with Mordecai that "this is the work of God." The dream has been fulfilled.
For us, however, the dream is far from fulfilled. The crisis of faith in authority which now envelops all sectors of society continues to grow in intensity, and relief appears to be painfully beyond reach. Fear, confusion, hurt, and anger have not yet given way to the fullness of compassion, justice, and equality. The Book of Esther, however, offers two comforting, infallible truths: the indestructibility of the human spirit (even in the "absence" of God) and the liberating power that moves among us when we respond to the world with the ways of Esther and not with the ways of kings.
Perhaps the current crisis of faith in authority signifies the exhausted end of something oppressive and the painfully slow beginning of something liberating, something new in the realm of consciousness and values. Perhaps humanity is coming of age and moving toward a new, more mature level of moral development. That being the case, holy disobedience will undoubtedly emerge as the most powerful virtue for the coming century, clearing the way for more profound changes in the human spirit and preparing for dreams of compassion, justice, and equality to be fulfilled.
13Letters from Westerbork, pp. 88-89.