Biblical Women

Eve, Sarah, Rachel, Miriam, Batsheva... From the outside, the women of the Bible appear to play only a supportive role in a drama dominated by men; from the inside emerges a very different story...

Where did these Jewish mothers find the courage? I don't know because I'm not one of them, but ask your mother and I'm sure she'll gladly tell you. When a need arises, the Jewish mother simply responds.

Jew, wife, woman, homemaker, daughter, breadwinner, professional, human being, and holy soul; she wishes to find a balance between all of these parts of herself.

The first woman, Chava, is called the "mother of all life" for she is the source of joy, experience and creation.

She fled into the desert with her husband, Abraham, to live a comparatively monastic existence as a nomadic tent-dweller and preacher of the One G‑d. Why would a cosmo-girl like Sarah do a crazy thing like that?

Surrounded by a group of able-bodied men, Eliezer did not appear as a helpless, weary chap begging for a drink. And Rebecca was a young woman of nobility, not a poor servant girl accustomed to lugging water from wells...

Some of us thrive as a result of a challenging environment; our struggles refine our characters and make us even greater people. And sometimes, no matter what we do, we cannot seem to rise above the circumstances of our birth...

The 11th of Cheshvan, the day of passing of our matriarch Rachel, is truly the Jewish Mother's Day...

"This was not during the rainy season, that I could claim it was because of the mud that I did not bring her to Hebron. The roads were dry and good. Still, I buried her alongside the road to Efrat..."

Suddenly, amidst all the noise, a wail pierced through the heavens. Mama Rachel, hearing her children’s cries, began weeping bitterly for her children. She was inconsolable. Her children were in pain!

"Like mother, like daughter" comment our sages, comparing Dinah's "going out to see the daughters of the land" with Leah's own "outings."

Childbirth, perhaps more than any other life event, is an experience that demands a strong dose of faith and surrender. No matter how well planned or organized we may be, the inevitable moment will arise...

Determining right from wrong is something that we are constantly challenged with throughout our lives. Yet nothing is harder to face and acknowledge than when the "wrong" is happening in our own homes...

There must be people out there who, like me, are simply tired of having their insides all tied up in knots at the thought of yet another challenge...

From the fact that the women used musical instruments and danced in accompaniment to their song, we understand that their song sprang from a well of deeper joy and was of a higher caliber than that of the men. And it wasn't by chance that they had their instruments with them...

You feel the pain and bitterness, even more deeply than the others, yet you carry in your heart an inextinguishable flame of faith, hope and optimism. You are Miriam, the quintessential Jewish woman

Their lives were miserable, they were slaves, and all they could think about was their superficial appearance?

The sun had already begun to set when Yehudit wound her way toward the enemy's camp. "I have an important message for your commander," she said to the sentry. "Take me to him at once!"

We read the story of Chana and Penina on Rosh Hashanah, when we pray for a good, sweet year. We pray for abundant blessings. Yet I believe there is a lesson in their story, cautioning us that with blessings come responsibility...

The story of Hannah, the Haftorah of Rosh Hashanah, is a tale richly woven of many strands. It is a story of devotion and of love, of service and of sacrifice.