The Vital Role Of Jewish Women

The Gemora (Sotah 11b) statesדרש ר' עוירא בשכר נשים צדקניות שהיו באותו הדור נגאלו ישראל ממצרים, “As a reward for the righteous women in that generation Israel were redeemed from Egypt”.

The Gemora then goes into detail as to how the Jewish wives collected together food and drink and took them to their husbands in the fields and consequently gave birth to children who the ladies looked after very carefully. When the Egyptians sensed what was happening, there was a miracle and the children disappeared into the ground in the fields and although the Egyptians tried to plough the fields etc. there was a great miracle and they came out alive and returned to their parents homes and were the first, in fact, to say זה קלי ואנוהו- This is our G-d and we glorify Him. When the Children of Israel sang the Shirah.

Where did these Jewish women have the understanding and dedication to accomplish these things. Times were very dangerous, the Jews were enslaved, their husbands were overworked, harshly treated and hardly allowed to come home, but the ladies showed tremendous courage and vision.

I think that we must go back to the story at the beginning of Shemos where the King of Egypt decreed that all Jewish boys should be killed and called in the Hebrew midwives, Shifra and Puah and gave them precise instructions but the midwives did not follow the decree of the King and caused the boys to live. As we also know, the Rabbis had told us that these two were, in fact, mother and daughter, Yocheved and Miriam. They refused to comply with the King’s commands and blandishments and showed their strength of character. For that, of course, they were richly rewarded as Rashi states, they founded בתי כהונה לויה ומלכות, The Kohanim, Levi’im and Kings descended from them. They were a shining example as to how to behave, with courage and dedication.

Furthermore, the Midrash tells us about Miriam, that when her father Amram divorced his wife Yocheved because of the decree of Pharaoh against the boys, Miriam said to her father that his decree was even harsher than that of the King, in that parents could not have any children if they had separated. Amram then remarried Yocheved and Moshe Rabbenu was born, the eventual saviour of the Jews in Egypt. That was not enough for Miriam , when after three months he was put in a cradle on Yam Suf, the Reed Sea, she watched from afar and when the daughter of Pharaoh Basya took the child, asked whether she would like to have a wet nurse and Yocheved therefore was called in as we all know from the story written in Torah. Miriam showed vision and understanding.

We also, of course, are aware that this was the same Miriam that took the ladies together after Krias Yam Suf and they sang songs of praise to Hashem.

The righteous women had excellent role models as we can see.

I believe that this was only part of a long chain and that in order to trace back the actions of these women of valour mentioned above one has to go back to our great matriarchs.

It is interesting to note that Yaakov Avinu, Jacob, when he had his children did not name any of them (except the last one when his wife died in childbirth and re-named him as Binyamin) and if one looks carefully, one finds that either Rachel or Leah named child after child. There is only one exception, that is Levi where Rashi mentions a medrash that an angel came and gave him the name based on what Leah had said. It seems rather strange that Yaakov should not name his children, why did he leave it to his wives? It seems to me that there was a very practical reason.

Yaakov lived with Lovon a first class rogue in a town with many other people with a similar reputation. Furthermore, Yaakov’s job looking after the sheep of his father-in-law meant that he was away from home day and night, as the Torah tells us vividly in his final speech to Lovon when their confrontation took place just before Yaakov returned to Eretz Yisroel. Yaakov therefore decided that as he was so rarely at home, his children were at risk and his wives the great צדקניות, righteous ones, Rochel & Leah would have the responsibility of dealing with their chinuch, upbringing of the children and in order to give them an even greater feeling of responsibility they should name the children. They carried out the job of bringing up the children very well. All twelve sons were righteous as we well know.

Going back even further, Rivka, the wife of Yitzchok had twins and was told before they were even born that they would go their separate ways. She had one son who was איש תם יושב אהלים, a perfectly good boy who learnt in the Yeshiva of Ever. Unfortunately, her other son was not that way inclined and although he managed to hide his true behaviour from his father Yitzchok, he did not deceive his mother Rivka. When it came to giving the brochas she ensured that Yaakov should receive them and afterwards made it clear to Yitzchok her feelings towards Eisav and his wives and really opened Yitzchok's eyes to the true situation. She knew how and when to exercise her motherly feelings.

However, I do not believe that it stops there. If one goes back to the first generation Avrohom and Soroh, we know that Soroh saw that Yishmael was intent on spoiling Yitzchok’s purity and holiness and asked Avrohom to send away Hogor and Yishmael which Avrohom was very loath to do. She was proved right because Hashem said to Avrohom listen to Soroh, do as she says.

The chinuch, education and upbringing especially of small children is very much in the mother’s hands. Starting from the great matriarchs, Soroh, Rivka, Rochel & Leah one sees a pattern which Shifra and Puah (Yocheved and Miriam) continued to adhere to and which the other mothers of Israel continued to emulate as mentioned in the Gemora I commenced with above. The Midrash Rabba (Bamidbar Chapter 3 number 6) on the verse מוציא אסירים בכושרות, Hashem took out the Children of Israel who were in bondage, states רבותנו אומרים בזכות הנשים האמהות הכשירות , “Our Rabbis say that the word Bekosharos means in the merit of the women, the Matriarchs who were worthy”.

If one takes the gematria, the numerical value, of the words נשים צדקניות, Noshim Zidkonios, it adds up in total to 1,060.

שרה, רבקה, רחל, לאה - Soroh, Rivka, Rochel and Leah have a numerical value of 1,086. This is the 1,060 of נשים צדקניות noshim zidkonios plus 26 which is the equivalent of the numerical value of the name of Hashem, namely that Hashem permeated all the actions of the noshim zidkonios, the Matriarchs.

שפרה, פועה, יוכבד, מרים Shifra, Puah, Yocheved, Miriam adds up to 1,078. This amounts to 1,060 plus 18 which is Chai, meaning life, alluding to the fact that through them was born the מושיען של ישראל The saviour of Israel, namely Moshe, as well as alluding to the Gemora quoted earlier on about the children being kept alive, Chai, whilst under the ground, by a miracle.

This attitude to life has continued through all generations. Jewish women of valour and righteousnessנשים צדקניות who have imbued their children with belief and faith in Hashem and continue to do so. The golus Mitzraim followed by the geuloh the exile in Egypt followed by the redemption was the prototype for all future exiles and redemptions until Moshiach will come. In every generation there are different trials and tribulations and our generation is no exception. The woman of the house sets the tone, be it kashrus, Shabbos, Taharos Hamishpocha, sheltering the children from exposure to outside influences such as the media and of course, chinuch yelodim, the general upbringing of the children. Fathers are, of course, involved, but, especially when the children are small, it is the mother who ensures that the child washes negel vaser, makes a brocho, is told what is permissible to eat, teaches the child good manners etc. This has come down as a yerushah, an inheritance from the generations commencing with our holy matriarchs, Soroh, Rivka, Rochel and Leah and will continue .עד ביאת גואל צדק במהרה בימנו אמן

Until Moshiach will come speedily in our time