Reb Ezra Weinberg
This week’s Torah portion is Tetzaveh: Exodus 27:20 — 30:10
How many books of the Tanach begin with a story made for the tabloids? The Book of Esther jumps right in with a dramatic breakup worthy of headlines. When Achashverosh banished Vashti and she ceased to be his queen, that was the formal conclusion of their legal partnership. It is safe to assume their personal relationship ended as well. Even though it’s a Jewish story describing aspects of ancient Persia, there is a modern term to describe some of what is happening here. Let’s call it what it is: divorce.
Understandably it seems strange to use that terminology in this context, but should it? Language of divorce goes back as early as the Book of Deuteronomy. Our sages knew about divorce, but did not use that language to describe the emergent status of Vashti. Yet, there is evidence to suggest that some of the leading rabbinic voices were uncomfortable with how the megillah discarded Vashti. The Talmud Bavli (Megillah 12b) uses midrashic (allegorical) language to describe her execution at the order of the king. Even though there is no evidence in the megillah itself of this cruel fate, this became a dominant perspective to this day. See for yourself. I invite you to poll some of your fellow Purim celebrants this year and ask them what happened to Vashti. Did her story end in murder? In divorce? Few, if any, I wager, will admit to the latter. When was the last time you heard anyone say that Vashti and Achashverosh got divorced?
In defense of our sages, the laws of Shushan are not the domain of the rabbis. In other words, Achashverosh is not bound by halakhah. Talking about divorce specifics like the creation of a “get” and importing Jewish law into a Persian court system is a problematic comparison. That made sense in their time. In 2026, however, we live in a completely different reality vis-a-vis marriage and divorce. Why, today, shouldn’t we refer to what happened in Chapter 1 of the Book of Esther as a divorce?
Perhaps we need to define what a divorce is. At its base, divorce is the dissolution of a marriage. What constitutes a marriage can be culture-specific, but a divorce is the undoing of that relationship, however it presents itself. More specifically, divorce is the end of a partnership that sometimes includes a shared economic arrangement, the creation of a family and unified identification.
By the end of Chapter 1 of the megillah, Vashti and Achashverosh are no longer a royal couple. The text confirms her status change from queen to former queen. But also, we can presume that whatever her economic and personal relationship she previously had with the king are no longer in effect. Call it you like, but Vashti’s path mirrors some of the basic traits of what divorce looks like.
And while this is interesting, especially to those of us who have grown up in divorced families, the story of Vashti’s divorce has real consequences on our holiday. Esther’s rise to royalty and the entire Purim story hinges on what happened to Achashverosh and Vashti at the beginning. Without divorce, there is no Purim story.
Reb Ezra Weinberg is the founder of [www.jewsgetdivorce.com] Jews Get Divorce: A Journey of Discovery for Jewish Families After Divorce.