Praise Her Works: Conversations with Biblical Women

Epilogue: All the Rest of the Women

195 Epilogue The Rest of the Women :¥vhÇ¢ÏÜg»n oh º¤ r¡g¦Wác ¥vU kàk»vhÇ^u ¥vh÷¢s*h hº¤ ràP¤n V¡‚k±Ub¦< “Extol her for the fruit of her hand, and let her works praise her in the gates” (Prov. 31:31). /okugca ,urafvu ,uehsmv ohabv kf rta ,ucrk 'vhsh hrpn vk ub, rntba 'ohehsm okuf utreba ktrah ,xbf uz 'vhsh hrpn vk ub, t"s ohabk v"cev jhycva vjycv vkusd ibcr ub, /ohehsm okuf lngu ,ubc hkue vbgna vbnue ,ubbta ohab ch,fs /ohabtv in r,h ,uehsmv itfz htnc hab hbtv thhj hcrk cr vhk rnt /h,rnt vbztv ,ujyuc ibcrsc hhubntcu t,abf hcc hvubc hhuretc vhk rnt 'h,ts tnkgk ub, /hvh,cc cr hc hbc ithranu tarsn hcn u,ts sg uvhrcdk ihrybnu 'uh, sg ;kgn vkuf vru,v kf ohhe uktf vraf vat taubv kf ibcr khj ,at v,kj, /uh, sg ;ktn khj ,at ,arpc vjcan vnka lfa htrh khj habt vru, hkgcc lf kfu 'kkv,, thv wv ,trh vat vpuxu usxj rfz rntba 'u,ntu usxj ktrahk v"cev rhfzn i,ufzcu /ohvkt /ohabv ukt 'cegh ,hck rnt, vf rnut tuv ifu /ktrah ,hck u,buntu /ohabtv ukt 'ktrah hbck shd,u Extol her for the fruit of her hand, this is the rest of the righteous and proper women of the world. Another interpretation: Extol her for the fruit of her hand, this is the Community of Israel, all of whom are called righteous, as it is said, “And your people, all of them righteous … are … My handiwork in which I glory” (Isa. 60:21). The Rabbis taught, God, Blessed be He, promised a greater promise to righteous women than to men. As it is written, “You carefree women, / Attend, hear my words! / You confident ladies, / Give ear to my speech “(Isa. 32:9). Rav said to Rabbi Chiya, “Why do women merit eternal life?” Rabbi Chiya said, “Because they bring their children to the synagogue to learn Scripture and they send their husbands to the study hall to learn and because they wait for their husbands until they come home from study hall.” The Rabbis taught that everyone who marries a proper woman, it is as if he brought the whole Torah into being, from alef to tav, just 196 Praise Her Works as Solomon sang praises in the portion on “Eishet Chayil,” from alef to tav. The beginning of the poem is “What a rare find is a capable wife!” and the end is “It is for her fear of the Lord / That a woman is to be praised” (Prov. 31:10–31), and how much this is true for those who embody the Torah, “capable men who fear God, trustworthy men” (Exod. 18:21). And by the merit of the women, God, Blessed be He, remembers Israel in lovingkindness and truth, as it is said, “He was mindful of His steadfast love and faithfulness toward the house of Israel” (Ps. 98:3). “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob …” (Exod. 19:3), these are the women. “and declare to the Children of Israel” (19:3), these are the men. —Midrash ha-Gadol The Rest of the Women Speak How thoughtful the Rabbis were in interpreting this verse as they do! It shows how much they must have respected their mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters to mention all the rest of us righteous women of the world in closing. Of course, it did go without saying that they valued the way we spoke Torah, as it was always on our tongues. They learned from us, too, and they often told us that, and yet something kept them from writing our words down. We have some ideas, and probably you do too, as to why that was. And still is, we see. How unfortunate that there are not enough letters in the alefbet to include the myriads of nashei chayil (women of valor) on earth! We end this book with a challenge: Who can find the rest of us women, numerous as the stars of heaven and the sands on the seashore? Who can find the ones whom the writers of Midrash ha-Gadol have chosen not to name, the ones whose stories may pose a threat to men, the ones who never become wives at all, the ones whose legacies are not portrayed in stories? This list of 22—23, including Vashti—is only a beginning. It is up to you to add to it. Think of women whose hands have produced fruit that has been unnoticed or unappreciated, misunderstood, or misconstrued for so long that it has rotted. Think of women who work hard every day in their kitchens, studios, offices; on the road; and on the land. It is up to you to bring their stories to the gates, to the public 197 Epilogue arena, to the written page, and into your own lives. Expand the list with stories of the many unsung neshei chayil as you invite more and more women from the Bible, from all of Jewish history, and from the entire world, to speak. Whoever adds to this list is to be praised! ...