While reading the beginning of the Book of Esther, the Rabbis imagine King Ahashverosh drinking with his friends and courtiers, bragging about all of the different kinds of women in his harem, at his sexual disposal. As they go back and forth outlining the different kinds of beauty each nation of woman possesses, the King brags about his favorite wife Vashti, describing her as the "Kli sh-ani mishtamesh bo"/"The tool or vessel that I use". It is under this context that Vashti refuses to appear naked in front of the King and his guests, refusing to put herself in such a violent and violating setting. And she pays the ultimate price for her refusal-- she is banished and potentially killed, leaving room for the young orphan Esther to take her place in the cycle of violence and sexual exploitation.
