The Megillah starts with the story of Achasverosh making a massive party for the men and his queen, Vashti made a party for the ladies. All fine and good, until the mens’s party got a little out of control with the men getting intoxicated and turning to lewd discussions. The men started arguing about which nationality produced the prettiest ladies. Each group claiming that their country had the most beautiful ladies. Until a drunk Achasverosh, claimed that his wife, who stemmed from Babylon, was the prettiest lady around. The men claimed that the only way to prove this,was to have Vashti come before them and they would be the judge. But, they claimed it would only be fair to judge her,devoid of her royal clothes, which would add to her beauty. In fact they demanded that she appear undressed completely. Achasverosh, in his drunken stupor, stupidly agreed, and called for Vashti to come to the men’s party, unclothed. Vashti not being of the highest moral calibre would actually have readily agreed to be shown off, but as “fate” would have it she had just than developed a very unflattering skin condition which would have caused her much embarrasment so she took the moral high ground and refused to come. Not only did she refuse the king’s orders, but she even went so far to insult and disgrace Achasverosh. This in essence, was her death sentence. Before he had sobered up, Achasverosh, under the evil Haman’s advice, ordered that his beloved beautiful queen, Vashti be killed, thus setting in motion the wheels that would eventually lead to the salvation of klal Yisroel.
This story is quite well known. But an interesting point which is not so well known is the day the Vashti was killed. It is brought in the Midrash, that she killed on Shabbos. The reason that this is noteworthy, is because we see one of the fundamental ways that Hashem runs the world. Even the day that Vashti was killed was ordained as a punishment for her actions toward the Jewish slaves that she had. She forced them to do menial, demeaning jobs, unclothed on Shabbos, the day that they are supposed to rest and be adorned in their finest. In direct retribution to her cruelty, she was ordered to appear before the king and his cronies, unclothed, on the same day that she did the same to the Jewish women. Shabbos!
How great are His ways that even the the smallest detail is not overlooked and there is a rekoning of everything.