Why does the megilla start with Vashti? First of all, Vashti gets a bad rap, mainly thanks to a set of Babylonian midrash that many of us were taught as fact (tails, spots and making Jewish girls work on Shabbat anyone?) Fascinatingly the midrash on Vashti from Eretz Yisrael is overwhelmingly positive. The pshat (surface level) read of the story has a Vashi who stands up for herself in the face of a degrading demand - she's the first Biblical women to say "no". But why do we need her story in the Megilla? Watch to discover how Vashti's story foreshadows our own Jewish story, and how the way that any society treats women is a good yardstick for how it treats all minorities.
This Purim more than ever before, we need to work for our communities and societies to value women and minorities as equals.
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