By Mara Cobe Purim is often remembered as the loudest holiday on the Jewish calendar – one filled with costumes, laughter, noisemakers, and sweet treats. Yet beneath the playful chaos lies one of Judaism’ s most layered and unsettling stories, especially when read through the eyes of women.
The Megillat Esther is the only book of the Hebrew Bible named for a woman, and its drama unfolds through women’ s bodies, voices, silence, and risks. Read closely, Purim is not only a story about surviving antisemitism; it is a story about women navigating power, danger, and agency in a world that was not built with them in mind.
The four-minute BimBam video( available on bimbam. com) retelling the story“ Go Esther!” captures this tension with humor and clarity. The video reframes Esther not as a fairy-tale heroine, but as someone who grows into courage, listening, preparing, and choosing her moment. That framing aligns closely with what many women recognize in their own lives: bravery is rarely instantaneous; it is built.
The Book of Esther opens not with Esther, but with another woman whose decision sets the entire story in motion. Vashti, queen to King Ahasuerus, is summoned to appear before a drunken royal court to display her beauty. Vashti refuses. The text offers no justification, no apology – only her refusal and the punishment that follows. She is banished, erased from power, and turned into a warning about what happens when women do not comply.
From a woman’ s perspective, Vashti’ s story is foundational. Her refusal is an act of bodily autonomy and dignity. She draws a boundary, knowing full well the consequences.“ Go Esther!” highlights this moment not as a footnote, but as the opening rupture in the system. It serves as a poignant reminder that women’ s resistance often begins long before it is celebrated. Vashti exposes the fear underlying unchecked power: the fear of women who say no.
Only after Vashti is removed does Esther enter the narrative. Esther is not introduced as a leader or a prophet. She is young, beautiful, and taken into the royal harem. Her Jewish identity is hidden, and her voice is initially absent. Esther is uncertain, cautious, and aware of the risks around her. She does not rush into heroism. She learns.
This matters deeply. Esther’ s story mirrors the experience of many women who move through systems where safety depends on reading the room, measuring danger, and choosing carefully when to speak. Esther’ s silence at the beginning of the story is not weakness; it is survival.
What makes Esther remarkable is not sudden bravery, but transformation. When Mordecai urges her to act, Esther does not immediately agree. Instead, she pauses. She fasts. She asks others to fast with her. This powerful moment is framed as preparation – emotional, spiritual, and communal.
Esther’ s famous words –“ If I perish, I perish”— are often quoted as fearless resolve. But read carefully, and especially through a woman’ s lens, they reflect something more nuanced: a clear-eyed acceptance of risk. Esther does not believe she is invincible. She believes the moment demands action anyway. This is not reckless heroism; it is informed, deliberate courage.
Purim’ s costumes add another layer to this story. Dressing up is playful and joyful, but for women, masking has long been more than a game. Many women learn early how to perform roles, soften their voices, or hide parts of themselves to stay safe or be accepted. Esther’ s hidden identity reflects this reality. She survives by concealing who she is, and then, at the critical moment, saves her people by revealing it.
Purim invites us to ask: when does masking protect us, and when does unmasking become a moral obligation?
Notably, God’ s name never appears in the Book of Esther. Redemption comes not through miracles, but through human action – namely, timing, persuasion, and moral courage. Esther
The Charlotte Jewish News- March 2026- Page 11
Seen, Heard, and Unmasked: Purim Through Women’ s Eyes
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uses the tools available to her: hospitality, storytelling, emotional intelligence, and patience. This is not a fantasy of power; it is a realistic depiction of how women often create change within constrained systems.
Esther does not act alone. Her fast is communal. Her courage is supported by others who pray, wait, and hope with her. Women’ s leadership in Jewish life has long taken this form. It is relational, collective, and sustaining. Purim brings that often-invisible labor into the open.
The story ends not only with survival but with joy. Feasting, gifts of food, and care for those in need are commanded. For women, joy is not trivial; it is resistance. It is the refusal to let fear have the final word, reminding us that celebration itself can be an act of defiance.
Purim does not offer a simple moral. Vashti disappears. Esther’ s victory does not dismantle the system that endangered her. Justice is partial and complicated. And yet, the Megillah insists on something essential: women’ s choices matter. Silence and speech both carry weight. And timing can change history.
As we gather this Purim, listening to the Megillah, cheering Esther’ s name, drowning out Haman’ s, we might also honor the quieter forms of bravery: Vashti’ s refusal, Esther’ s preparation, the community that fasts together, and the everyday courage women continue to summon. Purim reminds us that even when we are hidden, we are not powerless. And when women claim their voices together, joy, justice, and transformation can follow.
Temple Solel is a small, inclusive Reform congregation in Fort Mill, SC. For more information, visit our website, templesolelsc. org, email info @ templesolelsc. org, or call( 803) 610-1707.