ODE TO THE JEWISH WOMAN
In this week’s Parsha, Chayei Sarah, the Torah tells us of our mother Sarah’s death. The name of the Parsha translates as “The Life of Sarah”. I wish to dedicate this issue of TableTalk to the life of Sarah Imeinu. In her role of being the first Jewish woman, she set the path upon which Jewish women walk and upon which they build their homes. Although there is much to say about Sarah’s life specifically, I would like to address the role of the Jewish woman in general.
The life source of our people is the Torah. For this reason we could not exist without the institutions of Torah learning. However, the world has gone through turbulent storms of changes throughout the 2,000 years of our exile. How do we persevere? What is the anchor that holds us to our Torah?
The strength of any nation is directly related to the strength of that nation’s family life. What happens to the family will happen to the nation. The future generations of the nation grow from the soil of its family. If this soil is well-tended, its produce will be wholesome and prepared to create its own soil from which to grow the next generation.
We, the Jewish people, know this better than any other people. For thousands of years we have had no land, no central institutions of learning. We have been dis-persed throughout the globe during that time and we still have our Torah and the way of life that comes from her teachings. The anchor of our people is the family.
The Jewish woman finds herself as the heart of the Jewish family. It is with her insight and dedication, her affection and wisdom that she forms the environment of the Jewish home which nurtures the Jewish family and its values.
As we look throughout nature we find that HaShem blessed every creature with the skills it requires to accomplish its tasks. So many issues of TableTalk illustrate this point so colorfully.
Women are blessed with remarkable qualities that men do not have. (I am guilty of generalizing, but for the sake of our discussion, please allow me that ‘sin’.) Our Sages teach us that women are blessed with a greater dose of intuition than men. Without that extra sense of insight many problems could fester before they are noticed, when it might be too late to react. Mothers understand the child’s needs and can better address them. The Tal-mud teaches us that women understand their guests better than their counterparts. This quality is critical in building a family. Without proper understanding of the strangers who come into the home, all kinds of viruses could enter and infect the family.
The Jewish woman has an inner beauty that shines in her home where the children admire her and aspire to the greatness that she radiates. Her selfless graciousness becomes the standard that her children aim to achieve. A child’s most formative years are spent in close proximity to his mother. She has the greatest influence on her child’s attitudes, direction and general aspirations. She is truly the molder of the nation.
The Jewish woman truly deserves the honor and responsibility of creating the Jewish home.
Let us celebrate the Jewish woman, respect her in her role and be forever grateful to her for her contribution to the very survival and vibrancy of our people.
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind