Behind Every Great Jew Is a Great Mother

Sarah, the first Jewish mother, is a shining example of the great power that every woman has over her family and our entire nation. It was Sarah who insisted that Isaac, not Ishmael, continue Abraham’s progeny. It was she who raised Isaac in his formative years, instilling within him the fortitude to stand up to all tests, and to become the second Patriarch of the Jewish People.

The profound influence a mother has on her young children’s futures cannot be overstated. When the Talmudic Sage Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai praised his prized student, Yehoshua ben Chananya, he exclaimed: “Happy is she who bore him!” – attributing Rabbi Yehoshua’s greatness to his mother. She had brought his cradle to the halls of the great Yeshivas for him to hear the sounds of Torah study. The impact of his mother’s actions during his infanthood was so profound, that she is credited as the source of his eventual greatness.