(י) אֵֽשֶׁת־חַ֭יִל מִ֣י יִמְצָ֑א וְרָחֹ֖ק מִפְּנִינִ֣ים מִכְרָֽהּ׃
(יא) בָּ֣טַח בָּ֭הּ לֵ֣ב בַּעְלָ֑הּ וְ֝שָׁלָ֗ל לֹ֣א יֶחְסָֽר׃ (יב) גְּמָלַ֣תְהוּ ט֣וֹב וְלֹא־רָ֑ע כֹּ֝֗ל יְמֵ֣י חַיֶּֽיה׃
(יג) דָּ֭רְשָׁה צֶ֣מֶר וּפִשְׁתִּ֑ים וַ֝תַּ֗עַשׂ בְּחֵ֣פֶץ כַּפֶּֽיהָ׃
(יד) הָ֭יְתָה כָּאֳנִיּ֣וֹת סוֹחֵ֑ר מִ֝מֶּרְחָ֗ק תָּבִ֥יא לַחְמָֽהּ׃
(טו) וַתָּ֤קָם ׀ בְּע֬וֹד לַ֗יְלָה וַתִּתֵּ֣ן טֶ֣רֶף לְבֵיתָ֑הּ וְ֝חֹ֗ק לְנַעֲרֹתֶֽיהָ׃
(טז) זָמְמָ֣ה שָׂ֭דֶה וַתִּקָּחֵ֑הוּ מִפְּרִ֥י כַ֝פֶּ֗יהָ נטע [נָ֣טְעָה] כָּֽרֶם׃
(יז) חָֽגְרָ֣ה בְע֣וֹז מָתְנֶ֑יהָ וַ֝תְּאַמֵּ֗ץ זְרֹעוֹתֶֽיהָ׃ (יח) טָ֭עֲמָה כִּי־ט֣וֹב סַחְרָ֑הּ לֹֽא־יִכְבֶּ֖ה בליל [בַלַּ֣יְלָה] נֵרָֽהּ׃
(יט) יָ֭דֶיהָ שִׁלְּחָ֣ה בַכִּישׁ֑וֹר וְ֝כַפֶּ֗יהָ תָּ֣מְכוּ פָֽלֶךְ׃ (כ) כַּ֭פָּהּ פָּרְשָׂ֣ה לֶעָנִ֑י וְ֝יָדֶ֗יהָ שִׁלְּחָ֥ה לָֽאֶבְיֽוֹן׃ (כא) לֹא־תִירָ֣א לְבֵיתָ֣הּ מִשָּׁ֑לֶג כִּ֥י כָל־בֵּ֝יתָ֗הּ לָבֻ֥שׁ שָׁנִֽים׃
(כב) מַרְבַדִּ֥ים עָֽשְׂתָה־לָּ֑הּ שֵׁ֖שׁ וְאַרְגָּמָ֣ן לְבוּשָֽׁהּ׃
(כג) נוֹדָ֣ע בַּשְּׁעָרִ֣ים בַּעְלָ֑הּ בְּ֝שִׁבְתּ֗וֹ עִם־זִקְנֵי־אָֽרֶץ׃
(כד) סָדִ֣ין עָ֭שְׂתָה וַתִּמְכֹּ֑ר וַ֝חֲג֗וֹר נָתְנָ֥ה לַֽכְּנַעֲנִֽי׃
(כה) עֹז־וְהָדָ֥ר לְבוּשָׁ֑הּ וַ֝תִּשְׂחַ֗ק לְי֣וֹם אַחֲרֽוֹן׃ (כו) פִּ֭יהָ פָּתְחָ֣ה בְחָכְמָ֑ה וְתֽוֹרַת־חֶ֝֗סֶד עַל־לְשׁוֹנָֽהּ׃
(כז) צ֭וֹפִיָּה הֲלִיכ֣וֹת בֵּיתָ֑הּ וְלֶ֥חֶם עַ֝צְל֗וּת לֹ֣א תֹאכֵֽל׃
(כח) קָ֣מוּ בָ֭נֶיהָ וַֽיְאַשְּׁר֑וּהָ בַּ֝עְלָ֗הּ וַֽיְהַֽלְלָהּ׃ (כט) רַבּ֣וֹת בָּ֭נוֹת עָ֣שׂוּ חָ֑יִל וְ֝אַ֗תְּ עָלִ֥ית עַל־כֻּלָּֽנָה׃
(ל) שֶׁ֣קֶר הַ֭חֵן וְהֶ֣בֶל הַיֹּ֑פִי אִשָּׁ֥ה יִרְאַת־יְ֝הוָ֗ה הִ֣יא תִתְהַלָּֽל׃
(לא) תְּנוּ־לָ֭הּ מִפְּרִ֣י יָדֶ֑יהָ וִֽיהַלְל֖וּהָ בַשְּׁעָרִ֣ים מַעֲשֶֽׂיהָ׃
(10) What a rare find is a capable wife! Her worth is far beyond that of rubies.
(11) Her husband puts his confidence in her, And lacks no good thing.
(12) She is good to him, never bad, All the days of her life.
(13) She looks for wool and flax, And sets her hand to them with a will.
(14) She is like a merchant fleet, Bringing her food from afar.
(15) She rises while it is still night, And supplies provisions for her household, The daily fare of her maids.
(16) She sets her mind on an estate and acquires it; She plants a vineyard by her own labors.
(17) She girds herself with strength, And performs her tasks with vigor.
(18) She sees that her business thrives; Her lamp never goes out at night.
(19) She sets her hand to the distaff; Her fingers work the spindle.
(20) She gives generously to the poor; Her hands are stretched out to the needy.
(21) She is not worried for her household because of snow, For her whole household is dressed in crimson.
(22) She makes covers for herself; Her clothing is linen and purple.
(23) Her husband is prominent in the gates, As he sits among the elders of the land.
(24) She makes cloth and sells it, And offers a girdle to the merchant.
(25) She is clothed with strength and splendor; She looks to the future cheerfully.
(26) Her mouth is full of wisdom, Her tongue with kindly teaching.
(27) She oversees the activities of her household And never eats the bread of idleness.
(28) Her children declare her happy; Her husband praises her,
(29) “Many women have done well, But you surpass them all.”
(30) Grace is deceptive, Beauty is illusory; It is for her fear of the LORD That a woman is to be praised.
(31) Extol her for the fruit of her hand, And let her works praise her in the gates.
Questions:
1. Who are the players in this text – seen and unseen?
2. What core values does this text name?
3. Which "letter" seems like the more laudatory to you? Why?
4. In what ways is this text supporting women's empowerment? In what ways is it hindering women's empowerment?
By Tamara Cohen
I remember well Shabbat evenings around our family table. When it came time for my father to sing Eshet Chayil, A Woman of Valor, my mother, the proud feminist, wanted the song. Every word of it. She'd worked hard. The bags under her eyes were dark. A three-course meal was ready in the kitchen even though she'd only left her office an hour before. She wanted the song. Yes, she knew the words. Written by men of another time, Eshet Chayil didn't exactly describe her own sense of the way things should be. But it was there: two minutes built into the traditional Friday night ritual that were just for her. Two minutes when she could sit back and close her eyes and feel, yes, yes, I deserve a song.
I deserve a song. I deserve a song and so much, much more. I deserve a song.
Because an Eshet Chayil is a woman of strength and woman of strength is not hard to find.
She is my mother, my grandmother, my sister, my friend.
She is my beloved, my teacher, my daughter, my companion, my neighbor.
I too am a woman of strength.
Eshet Chayil Bi Emtza. (אשת חיל בי ימצא)
A woman of strength within myself I will find.
This Shabbat, I will find her again and give her a song and so much more.
In the context of our own times, when so many of us work outside as well as inside the home, negotiating on a daily basis a heroic set of professional as well as domestic duties, does Proverbs 31 provide inspiration or does it enshrine a set of unrealistic expectations? Nowadays, when husbands are more involved in child rearing, domestic chores, and Shabbat preparation, should they still sing this paean to their wives while wives sing nothing to their husbands? Given our awareness of the number of single women in our midst as well as couples and families who do not conform to this heterosexual norm, are we not concerned about trumpeting this image as an ideal?"
- Wendy Zierler, Associate Professor of Modern Jewish Literature and Feminist Studies at Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion in New York
Questions:
1. How do Cohen and Zierler balance their feminist commitments with the text of Eshet Chayil?
2. Do you find either (or both) persuasive? Why or why not?
(1) The words of Lemuel, king of Massa, with which his mother admonished him: (2) No, my son! No, O son of my womb! No, O son of my vows! (3) Do not give your strength to women, Your vigor, to those who destroy kings. (4) Wine is not for kings, O Lemuel; Not for kings to drink, Nor any strong drink for princes, (5) Lest they drink and forget what has been ordained, And infringe on the rights of the poor. (6) Give strong drink to the hapless And wine to the embittered. (7) Let them drink and forget their poverty, And put their troubles out of mind. (8) Speak up for the dumb, For the rights of all the unfortunate. (9) Speak up, judge righteously, Champion the poor and the needy.
Questions:
1. How does the immediate context in Proverbs alter your understanding of Eshet Chayil?
2. How do you square v. 3 with the tone of Eshet Chayil?
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.
The words of Lemuel, king of Massa, with which his mother admonished him. At the beginning of the book it was pointed out that his father admonished him about wisdom, and here it tells that his mother, Bat Sheva, admonished him after the death of his father, to teach him wisdom and to distance him from women and from wine, because they are the cause of wickedness and sinfulness. And due to their wisdom and honor, he praised the wise woman through the use of an acrostic, for memory.
אשת חיל. היא התורה:
מי ימצא. אשרי הזוכה למצוא אותה: מפנינים. מרגליות:
Capable wife. This is Torah.
What a rare find. Blessed is the one who merits finding her.
Mifninim. Rubies.
Questions:
1. How does Avraham Ibn Ezra (1089-1167 CE) make sense of Eshet Chayil in the context of ch. 31?
2. How about Rashi (1040-1105 CE)?
15 points for completion