(12) Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: If any man’s wife go aside, and act unfaithfully against him,
(13) and a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, she being defiled secretly, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken in the act;
(14) and the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he warned his wife, and she be defiled; or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he warned his wife, and she be not defiled;
(15) then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is a meal-offering of jealousy, a meal-offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance.
(16) And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the LORD.
(17) And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water.
(18) And the priest shall set the woman before the LORD, and let the hair of the woman’s head go loose, and put the meal-offering of memorial in her hands, which is the meal-offering of jealousy; and the priest shall have in his hand the water of bitterness that causeth the curse.
(19) And the priest shall cause her to swear, and shall say unto the woman: ‘If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness, being under thy husband, be thou free from this water of bitterness that causeth the curse;
(20) but if thou hast gone aside, being under thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee besides thy husband—
(21) then the priest shall cause the woman to swear with the oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman—the LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to fall away, and thy belly to swell;
(22) and this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, and make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to fall away’; and the woman shall say: ‘Amen, Amen.’
(23) And the priest shall write these curses in a scroll, and he shall blot them out into the water of bitterness.
(24) And he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that causeth the curse; and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her and become bitter.
(25) And the priest shall take the meal-offering of jealousy out of the woman’s hand, and shall wave the meal-offering before the LORD, and bring it unto the altar.
(26) And the priest shall take a handful of the meal-offering, as the memorial-part thereof, and make it smoke upon the altar, and afterward shall make the woman drink the water.
(27) And when he hath made her drink the water, then it shall come to pass, if she be defiled, and have acted unfaithfully against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away; and the woman shall be a curse among her people.
(28) And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be cleared, and shall conceive seed.
(10) A woman of valour who can find? For her price is far above rubies.
(11) The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, and he hath no lack of gain.
(12) She doeth him good and not evil all the days of her life.
(13) She seeketh wool and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
(14) She is like the merchant-ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
(15) She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth food to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
(16) She considereth a field, and buyeth it; with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
(17) She girdeth her loins with strength, And maketh strong her arms.
(18) She perceiveth that her merchandise is good; Her lamp goeth not out by night.
(19) She layeth her hands to the distaff, And her hands hold the spindle.
(20) She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. (21) She is not afraid of the snow for her household; For all her household are clothed with scarlet.
(22) She maketh for herself coverlets; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
(23) Her husband is known in the gates, When he sitteth among the elders of the land.
(24) She maketh linen garments and selleth them; And delivereth girdles unto the merchant. (25) Strength and dignity are her clothing; And she laugheth at the time to come.
(26) She openeth her mouth with wisdom; And the law of kindness is on her tongue.
(27) She looketh well to the ways of her household, And eateth not the bread of idleness.
(28) Her children rise up, and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praiseth her:
(29) ’Many daughters have done valiantly, But thou excellest them all.’
(30) Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain; But a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
(31) Give her of the fruit of her hands; And let her works praise her in the gates.
Commentaries:
...Years later, as a mother, scholar, and feminist, I find myself returning to Eshet Hayil, wondering where I see myself in relation to this biblical uber-frau, who singlehandedly feeds her entire household, works her hands in wool and flax, clothes her children in crimson, all the while managing a business and various philanthropic endeavors. To what extent do any of us see ourselves in this A to Z list of what was valued in a woman in the biblical period? Are we amused by it or alienated?
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
I Deserve A Song
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.
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.
(46) And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah.
Serach in Midrash
1)
When Joseph was reunited with his brothers and sent them to the land of Canaan to bring his father Jacob to him in Egypt, he ordered them not to alarm their aged father. The brothers summoned Serah and asked her to sit before Jacob and play for him on the lyre, in this manner revealing to him that Joseph was still alive. Serah played well and sang gently: “Joseph my uncle did not die, he lives and rules all the land of Egypt.” She played thus for Jacob two and three times and he was pleased by what he heard. Joy filled his heart, the spirit of God rested on him and he sensed the truth of her words. He bade her: “Continue to play for me, for you have heartened me with all that you said.” While he was speaking with her, his sons came to him with horses, chariots and royal garments, with slaves running before them and told him: “[We bring] glad tidings, for Joseph still lives and he rules all the land of Egypt.” When Jacob saw all that Joseph had sent, he knew that they spoke truthfully. He was exceedingly happy and he said (Gen. 45:28): “[This is] enough [for me]! My son Joseph is still alive! I must go and see him before I die” (Sefer ha-Yashar, Vayigash, chap. 14).
2)
When the Israelites were ready to leave Egypt they were occupied in taking booty, and Moses was the only one who was engaged with Joseph’s bones. He searched for his coffin in all the land of Egypt, but could not locate it. Serah was the only one of that generation still alive. Moses went to her and asked: “Do you know where Joseph is buried?” She answered: “They placed him here. The Egyptians made for him a metal coffin and sunk it in the Nile, so that its waters would be blessed.” Moses then went to the Nile, stood on the bank and shouted: “Joseph, Joseph, the [time] has come for the oath that God swore to our father Abraham, that He will redeem His children. Give honor to the Lord, the God of Israel, and do not delay your redemption, because we are delayed on your account. If you show yourself, it will be well; and if not, then we are free from your oath [if you will not raise your coffin, we will go forth from Egypt and leave you here].” Joseph’s coffin immediately rose to the surface and Moses took it (Mekhilta de-Rabbi Ishmael, Masekhta Vayehi Beshalah, Petihtah; BT Sotah 13a).
3)
R. Johanan was sitting in the bet-midrash and expounding the verse (Ex. 14:22): “the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.” How could the water become as a wall? R. Johanan expounded that it was a sort of [impervious] net. Serah appeared and said: “I was there, and the water was not as a net, but as transparent windows” (Pesikta de-Rav Kahana 11:13).