When G‑d saw that Adam was alone, He said, “I will make him a helpmate.” And then He created Eve. Have you ever wondered what exactly the role of a “helpmate” is? Well, the sages of the Talmud debated this, too.

Rabbi Yosi, a fourth-generation Talmudic sage, once met the prophet Elijah. He inquired about the phrase and asked, “In what way does a wife help her husband?” Elijah answered, “When a man brings home wheat, does he chew and swallow the wheat kernels raw? When he brings home flax, does he wear the unprocessed flax? Of course not! Rather, his wife performs the many tasks necessary to process the raw materials into a finished product.”

Metaphorically, a man brings the raw and coarse materials home. The woman has the power to transform those materials into a finished product, thereby elevating and refining the man’s contribution.

G‑d gave women mastery of life’s details. A man may formulate a grand plan that appears destined to succeed; a woman knows how to practically carry out that plan. (Talmud, Yevamot 63a)