Who is the Eishes Chayil?
(29) “Many women have done well, but you surpass them all.”
(א) וְאַבְרָהָם זָקֵן. זֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: אֵשֶׁת חַיִל עֲטֶרֶת בַּעְלָהּ (משלי יב, ד), זֶה אַבְרָהָם שֶׁהָיָה מְקוֹנֵן עַל שָׂרָה. מַה כְּתִיב לְמַעְלָה מִן הָעִנְיָן, וַתָּמָת שָׂרָה וְגוֹ'. הִתְחִיל אַבְרָהָם לִבְכּוֹת עָלֶיהָ וְלוֹמַר, אֵשֶׁת חַיִל מִי יִמְצָא. בָּטַח בָּהּ לֵב בַּעְלָהּ (משלי יב לא), אֵימָתַי?...
(1) And Abraham was old, and well stricken in years (Gen. 24:1). Scripture states elsewhere in reference to this verse: A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband (Prov. 12:4). This verse alludes to Abraham, who mourned for Sarah, for it was written previously: And Sarah died (Gen. 23:2). Abraham began to weep for her, saying: A woman of valor who can find? For her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her (Prov. 31:10). [The commentary goes on to explain how Sarah is an eishes chayil.]
(א) דברי למואל מלך משא אשר יסרתו אמו - בתחלת הספר הודיע כי יסרו אביו על החכמה וספר כאן שיסרתו אמו בת שבע אחר מות אביו, ללמדו חכמה להתרחק מן הנשים ומן היין, כי הם סבת הרשע והפשע ובעבור חכמתם וכבודם שבח האשה החכמה ע"ד אלפא ביתא להיות לזכרון. (ב) למואל - הוא שלמה. ויתכן שנקרא כן, כי בימיו היה להם אל אחד ולא עבדו לפסילים, ג"כ נקרא העומד על כסאו עמנו אל.
[Ibn Ezra assumes the author of Mishlei is Shlomo haMelech and that the teacher quoted at the beginning of the book is his father, Dovid haMelech. Lemuel is just a pseudonym for Shlomo.] ...the teachings of his mother, BatSheva, after his father's death...
Ibn Ezra identifies the mother of Mishlei 31:1-9 with BatSheva. But what does that tell us about the verses which follow? Is she the subject or the person quoted?
Midrash Shocher Tov on Mishlei explains how the 22 verses of Eishet Chayil correspond to 19 great Jewish women (the last four verses correspond to the same person), and offers things we're supposed to learn from each. These women include: Na'amah, Sarah, Rivkah, Leah, Rachel, Basya, Yocheved, Miryam, Devorah, and more.
1) A mighty woman... This is the Torah.
Notably, the gematriya of chayil is 48, which could be a reference to the 48 ways to acquire Torah (Pirkei Avos 6:6).
The siddur of the Shelah haKadosh suggests that the eishes chayil is the Shechinah herself, Who is most accessible to humans on the night of Shabbos. (This is a sentiment shared by many kabbalistic sefarim, including Even Sheleimah, as well.)
לעצמו רבי חנינא מיעטף וקאי אפניא דמעלי שבתא אמר בואו ונצא לקראת שבת המלכה רבי ינאי לביש מאניה מעלי שבת ואמר בואי כלה בואי כלה
Rabbi Ḥanina would wrap himself in his garment and stand at nightfall on Shabbat eve, and say: Come and we will go out to greet Shabbat the queen. Rabbi Yannai put on his garment on Shabbat eve and said: Enter, O bride. Enter, O bride.
בואו ונצא לקראת כלה מלכתא ואמרי לה לקראת שבת כלה מלכתא רבי ינאי מתעטף וקאי ואמר בואי כלה בואי כלה: מתני׳ המבקע ברה"ר והזיק ברה"י ברה"י והזיק ברה"ר ברה"י והזיק ברה"י אחר חייב:
Come and let us go out to greet the bride, the queen. And some say that this is what he would say: Come and let us go out to greet Shabbat, the bride, the queen. Rabbi Yannai would wrap himself in his tallit and stand at the eve of Shabbat at twilight, saying: Come, bride; come, bride. Similarly, it is appropriate for one to run out in honor of Shabbat.
These are the sources referred to by the Arizal and his followers in their popularization of Kabbalas Shabbos. Also, there are some kabbalistic sources which directly call the Shabbos Queen "Eishes Chayil."
Assuming the Eishes Chayil is an actual woman, what is the socio-economic status of this woman? Could she be royalty (BatSheva)?
(16) She sets her mind on an estate and acquires it; she plants a vineyard by her own labors.
(22) She makes covers for herself; her clothing is linen and purple.
(16) She sets her mind on an estate and acquires it; she plants a vineyard by her own labors.
Are we supposed to emulate the eishes chayil?
Vayntrub, Jacqueline. "Who is the Eshet Chayil?" TheTorah.org
"It is possible to read Eshet Chayil in light of its preceding text. Viewed this way, the poem might appear to be speaking as the voice of a mother advising her son on the best choice of wife."
Midrash Shocher Tov (as noted above) - These are 19 women to emulate.
Rebbetzin Tzipporah Heller - More Precious Than Pearls - Each verse illustrates a middah to emulate.
Midrash Tanchuma (as noted above) says that our sugya is about Sarah Imeinu.
Tanna Devei Eliyahu Rabbah 9 (thanks to an article by Sara Esther Crispe for this source) gives another connection to Sarah as an ideal woman :
. מכאן אמרו חכמים אין לך אשה כשרה בנשים אלא אשה שהיא עושה רצון בעלה
According to the wise, who is a kasher woman? Among women, a woman who "oseh" the will of her husband.
[Note: Kasher can be read “a woman like Sarah” (kesheirah = k’Sarah).]
Alternative models to Eishes Chayil?
See above from Tanna Devei Eliyahu Rabba 9.
One who "oseh" the will of her husband. Oseh can mean "does," but also "makes." (Interestingly, this is connected in the previous sentence to Yael.)
Earlier in the same chapter, the text quotes:
(1) The wisest of women builds her house, But folly tears it down with her own hands.
Tanna Devei Eliyahu Rabbah 9 tells us this refers to a contrasting pair: Devorah haNaviyah and Izavel haMalkah. One led her husband to good, the other to bad.
The text associates Devorah's behavior with fulfilling the intent of woman's creation.
(יח) וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֔ים לֹא־ט֛וֹב הֱי֥וֹת הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְבַדּ֑וֹ אֶֽעֱשֶׂהּ־לּ֥וֹ עֵ֖זֶר כְּנֶגְדּֽוֹ׃
(18) The LORD God said, “It is not good for man to be alone; I will make a helper opposite him.”
(א) האהלה שרה אמו. וַיְבִיאֶהָ הָאֹהֱלָה וְנַעֲשֵׂית דֻּגְמַת שָׂרָה אִמּוֹ, כְּלוֹמַר וַהֲרֵי הִיא שָׂרָה אִמּוֹ, שֶׁכָּל זְמַן שֶׁשָּׂרָה קַיֶּמֶת הָיָה נֵר דָּלוּק מֵעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת לְעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת וּבְרָכָה מְצוּיָה בָּעִסָּה וְעָנָן קָשׁוּר עַל הָאֹהֶל, וּמִשֶּׁמֵּתָה פָּסְקוּ, וּכְשֶׁבָּאת רִבְקָה חָזְרוּ (בראשית רבה): (ב) אחרי אמו. דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ כָּל זְמַן שֶׁאִמּוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם קַיֶּמֶת, כָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶצְלָהּ; וּמִשֶּׁמֵּתָה, הוּא מִתְנַחֵם בְּאִשְׁתּוֹ:
(1) האהלה שרה אמו INTO HIS MOTHER SARAH’S TENT — He brought her into the tent and she became exactly like his mother Sarah — that is to say, the words signify as much as, [And he brought her into the tent] and, behold, she was Sarah, his mother). For whilst Sarah was living, a light had been burning in the tent from one Sabbath eve to the next, there was always a blessing in the dough (a miraculous increase) and a cloud was always hanging over the tent (as a divine protection), but since her death all these had stopped. However, when Rebecca came, they reappeared” (Genesis Rabbah 60:16). (2) אחרי אמו [AND ISAAC WAS COMFORTED] AFTER HIS MOTHER’S DEATH — It is natural that whilst a man’s mother is living he is wrapped up in her, but when she dies he finds comfort in his wife (Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 32).
Open up the floor for opinions, thoughts, questions.