Ferriter 1 Women of Valor: Strong-Willed Women in Judaism Good evening. I m honored to be here this evening speaking on behalf of Congregation Beth Shalom and Auburn s Jewish community about the role of women in Judaism. It is widely believed, and I think wrongly so, that female biblical figures and religious women of history up to about the mid-20 th century were usually weak and powerless, subordinate to the men of their time and resigned to the domestic sphere. And while there are undoubtedly examples of women being oppressed in the Hebrew Bible as well as countless women throughout history who have been denied the rights accorded to men, I would like to talk to you this evening about several Jewish women of valor. There is a custom among religiously observant Jews for the husband to sing Eishet Chayil (meaning woman of valor) to his wife during the Sabbath meal on Friday night. This song comes from Proverbs 31 where an extended description is given of the woman of valor whose worth is above rubies or precious gemstones. The women I will discuss this evening fit this description, each in her own way. They are, simply put, women who get things done. First, I d like to talk about women of valor in the Hebrew Bible. While the Jewish matriarchs Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah are all fairly well-known biblical figures, tonight I will discuss some lesser-known women of valor, beginning with the military leaders Deborah and Yael. In Shoftim, the book of Judges, the children of Israel have been oppressed for 20 years by Yavin, who is king of the Canaanites, and by Yavin s army, which is headed by Sisera. Judges 2:16 says that the L-rd raised up judges who saved [Israel] out of the hand of those that spoiled them. Deborah is the prophetess and judge who helps save Israel from Yavin, and she is referred to as a woman of flames because, according to one interpretation, her heart is aflame with the will to save Israel from destruction.
Ferriter 2 Deborah tells Barak, who is head of one of the tribes of Israel, that she will deliver Sisera, the captain of Yavin s army, into his hand. And sure enough, under Deborah s guidance, all the host of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword [and] there was not a man left (Judges 4:16). Sisera himself retreats and tries to take refuge with Yael, who feigns hospitality, giving Sisera food and a place to rest, but once he falls asleep, Yael kills him with a tent-pin and a hammer, thus delivering him to Barak as Deborah had prophesied. Deborah declares Yael blessed above women for this heroic act, which ultimately results in Israel s victory over Yavin. Proverbs 31:17 states that the woman of valor, girds her loins with strength, and makes strong her arms, and both Deborah and Yael exemplify this trait. While Deborah and Yael ensured military victory for Israel, another biblical woman of valor, Abigail, helps to prevent unnecessary bloodshed. Abigail appears in the first book of Samuel as the wife of Nabal. She is described as a woman of good understanding and of a beautiful form (1 Samuel 25:3). David (as in, the later King David) politely asks Nabal for a favor and Nabal, who is characterized as churlish and evil in his doings (1 Samuel 25:3) rudely refuses, which sparks David s anger, and he resolves to kill Nabal s entire household. Abigail is told of the incident by her servants, and she swiftly makes amends by putting together a caravan of donkeys with enough food to feed 200 men as any good Jewish mother would going to David and asking for his forgiveness. At the same time, she prophesies that G-d will one day appoint David prince over Israel (1 Samuel 25:30) and requests that David remember her after the L-rd s kindness to him. In the Talmud, rabbinic opinion supports Abigail s actions here, stating that while a woman talks, she spins (Megillah 14b). Tamar Kadari argues that this statement praises women s ability to engage simultaneously in two activities that require one s attention. [ Abigail] engaged in her
Ferriter 3 husband s affairs and tried to save his life, while at the same time she wisely laid the foundation for the future, by asking that David favorably remember her for her actions. 1 Abigail succeeded in her endeavor, as she went on to become David s wife after the death of her first husband Nabal. Like the woman of valor described in Proverbs, Abigail opens her mouth with wisdom, and the law of kindness is on her tongue (Proverbs 31:26). The last biblical women of valor I want to address are the five daughters of Zelophekhad, who secure property rights for women. In BaMidbar (Numbers), the five daughters Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah come before Moses and plead their case, stating, Our father died in the wilderness [ ] and he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family because he had no son? Give unto us a possession among the brethren of our father (Numbers 27:3-4). Moses takes their case before G-d, who rules in the women s favor and actually amends an earlier judgment on inheritance to apply under multiple circumstances (for example, the death of a man with only daughters or with no children, etc.). So not only do these women gain their father s land and property, they actually ensure that future women will be able to inherit property from men as well, embodying the biblical quality of the woman of valor who gives food to her household, and a portion to her maidens (Proverbs 31:15). In addition to these biblical examples of women who get things done, I would also like to discuss a few historical Jewish women of valor. The first is Beruriah, who lived in the second century of the common era and was regarded by the rabbis of the Talmud as a sage and scholar of Jewish law. Beruriah was the daughter and wife of famous rabbis, and made quite a name for herself as well. According to the Talmud, she learned 300 laws from 300 1 Tamar Kadari, Abigail: Midrash and Aggadah, Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia. 1 March 2009. Jewish Women's Archive. http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/abigail-midrash-and-aggadah
Ferriter 4 teachers in only one day (Pesachim 62b)! As a PhD candidate, I often feel that this is what my life is like, but Beruriah was more studious than I am. She was also involved in discussions and interpretations of Jewish law in her day, and even corrected a few wellknown rabbis on its finer points, for which she was praised by other rabbis, her father, and her husband. Lest we forget that she is a woman of valor, there is a tradition among some Orthodox rabbis to name their daughters Beruriah after her righteousness and Torah scholarship. Like the biblical Abigail, Beruriah too opens her mouth with wisdom [and] eats not the bread of idleness (Proverbs 31:26-27). In late 17 th and early 18 th century Germany lived another Jewish woman of valor, a businesswoman named Glückel of Hameln. Glückel started keeping a diary after the death of her first husband, at which time she was 44 years old and had had 14 children (12 of whom survived into adulthood). Her memoir survived to this day and has become an object of study among scholars of both German and Jewish history as a rare insight into the inner life of a 17 th century woman. Glückel was an educated woman, well-versed in Jewish scripture and law, with a head for business. While her first husband was alive, she helped him manage his affairs so efficiently that, according to Chava Turniansky, when her husband was on his deathbed and was asked whether he wished to leave any final advice, he replied, I have no instructions. My wife, she knows everything. Let her do as she has done until now. 2 After her husband s death, Glückel proceeded to open a clothing factory of her own, married off all but one of her children, and rejected numerous offers of marriage for herself before finally remarrying a banker and moving to Metz. She embodies 2 Chava Turniansky, Glueckel of Hameln, Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia. 1 March 2009. Jewish Women's Archive. http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/glueckel-of-hameln
Ferriter 5 the woman of valor who perceives that her merchandise is good and makes linen garments and sells them (Proverbs 31:18, 24). The last woman of valor I want to mention this evening is the poet and philanthropist Emma Lazarus. You might recognize her as the author of the poem The New Colossus, which is located in the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty: Give me your tired, your poor/your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Lazarus was born in New York City in 1849 to a fairly affluent Jewish family whose ancestors had immigrated to the United States from Portugal. She was already known for her poetry when she was asked to write and donate a poem as part of a fundraising event for the Statue of Liberty pedestal. Lazarus was passionate about helping Jewish refugees to the United States who had fled Russian pogroms in Eastern Europe in the early 1880s. This inspired her to write The New Colossus, both to sympathize with the conditions of the refugees and to portray the Statue of Liberty as a welcoming symbol of hope to other immigrants. Both Lady Liberty and Emma Lazarus provide examples of the woman of valor from Proverbs who stretches out her hand to the poor [and] reaches forth her hand to the needy (Proverbs 31:20). To recap, this evening I ve told you about biblical and historical Jewish women who get things done: women of valor. You ve heard about the military exploits of Deborah and Yael, the peacekeeping efforts of Abigail, and the property rights gained by Zelophekhad s daughters. I ve talked about the scholarship and learning of Beruriah, the business sense of Glückel of Hameln, and the devotion to poetry and social justice of Emma Lazarus. My hope is that you take away from this evening the desire to be a person of valor in your own life and community. May each of us here tonight be valued above rubies and precious gems.