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Praise Her Works — Conversations with Biblical Women

Introduction New rituals are found, not made. They are waiting to be uncovered, like the sculpture living inside the stone. Books are often the same. Praise Her Works is a book inspired by a ritual, which, in turn, emerged from a text. Jewish creativity encourages interaction between tradition, text, and human being.1

How the Ritual Came from the Text

I saw a need for a ritual that would be held close to the time of my daughter Laura's bat mitzvah. It would be a ritual of preparation and affirmation, of gathering together and making blessings. It would have to bring together all the important women and girls in Laura's life: grandmothers, aunts, friends, and mothers of friends, as well as favorite teachers. Ultimately, it would give her the extra push up to the bimah, where she would read her Torah portion and give her speech. If this public ritual made her a Jewish adult before the entire community, then this preparation ritual would make her a Jewish woman.

Since this would be Laura's first time in the spotlight, she and I thought of this preparation ritual as a dress rehearsal. Also, as the mother of the bat mitzvah, I wanted Laura to shine first on her home turf with the women and girls who were her intimates. I hoped she would then be ready to cross the threshold of the synagogue where she would make her debut on that public stage.

The ritual had begun coming into focus as I prepared for another gathering of women and girls months earlier, during Sukkot. We were having our annual "Women's Night in the Sukkah," when the women of my community invite biblical ancestors and female relatives to join us. This custom is called ushpizin (Aramaic for "guests"). Its roots are in the Jewish mystical tradition. We renamed the custom ushpizot (female guests). On this particular night, we were planning to invite Elisheba, wife of Aaron, into our sukkah.

Not knowing much about Elisheba, I looked her up in that wwellstocked lake of a book called Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg. While fishing for Elisheba, I retrieved a curious item I had never known before: Elisheba was one of 22 righteous women written about in a 13th-century Yemenite collection of midrashim called Midrash ha-Gadol (literally, The Great Midrash).

The word "midrash" comes from the Hebrew root dalet-reshshin, meaning "to seek, inquire." A midrash is part of rabbinic commentary on the text and occurs in a place where something "disturbs," as my teacher Judah Goldin used to say. This disturbance could be a misspelling, an odd grammatical usage, a contradiction in the text, or anything the commentator felt worthy of notice. Midrashic tradition continues into the present day.

My curiosity was piqued by Midrash ha-Gadol. Who were the other 21 women? Which qualities determined who was on the list?

After Sukkot, I resolved to find the answers to these questions. I discovered that Midrash ha-Gadol has not been completely translated into English, so I made my way through the Hebrew and Aramaic to learn who the 22 righteous women were. Each one of the 22 was linked to a line from the familiar poem "Eishet Chayil" (Woman of Valor) found in Proverbs 31:10–31. In Jewish lore, this poem was written by Solomon for his mother, Bath-Sheba. Some say it was really written by Abraham as a eulogy for his wife, Sarah. In traditional Jewish homes, it is sung at the Shabbat table by husband to wife. It is sung at a wedding by groom to bride, and it is recited at a woman's funeral. However, the poem has been anathema to some Jewish feminists for decades. Why? Because on its surface it described an "ideal" Jewish woman, who was trusted by her husband, considered only what was good for him and not herself, managed real estate and business, stayed up all night sewing and making clothes for her family, and spoke mostly words of Torah. She seemed to be utterly self-sacrificing to the point of being self-effacing. "Eishet Chayil" was experienced as a burden to Jewish feminists. I wondered, as a modern Orthodox Jewish feminist, was it possible this poem could have been redeemed by the Rabbis who wrote Midrash ha-Gadol?

Finding the list made me marvel at the Rabbis' ability to be creative and traditional at the same time. Of course the four Matriarchs were on the list, as well as Miriam, Hannah, Ruth, Naomi, Bath-Sheba, and Esther. However, I also found women I had barely heard of, such as Hatzlelponi (the mother of Samson) and someone referred to only as the wife of Obadiah. Then, too, there were those whose stories were so abbreviated, I was amazed and pleased they were listed so I could get to know them: Serach bat Asher (granddaughter of Jacob), the Widow from Zarephath, and Rachav. Finally, there was a 23rd woman on the list, Vashti, the foil of Esther. The Rabbis certainly did not intend for her to be included as a Woman of Valor. However, as we look at the list today, Esther is no longer seen as completely without flaws or Vashti as completely without redeeming characteristics. Therefore, we must include Vashti who said "No!" to the king, and we amend the list to make it 23 women.

With this in mind, I imagine a group of Rabbis sitting in a circle on a rug in Yemen—debating about who is "in" and who is "out."

"What about Eve?" one proposes. "After all, she is the mother of all living." "No, no," another retorts, "she lived too many generations before the Fathers (patriarchs) and Mothers (matriarchs), and besides, she did not obey her husband."

"But we must include Noah's wife, even though she did come many generations before Abraham and Sarah. The ark contained both male and female. As it says, "Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his age" (Gen. 6:9). So his wife was one of the first women of valor."

"You're right," another agrees. "Even though Noah's wife was not yet part of the covenant, she is just the kind of woman we are looking for—obedient, and so modest that she didn't even have a name. She can be first on our list, as it is written in the first line of the poem, Eishet chayil mi yimtsa (What a rare find is a capable woman).

The discussion continues until they settle on 23 — one for each verse in the poem, with Vasthi and Esther sharing a verse. Even then, in later versions of this midrash, there would be different women included and excluded.2 Now you, as the reader, can decide for yourself who belongs and who does not. Perhaps there are women you would add if you were creating this list. I believe the list is a stimulus to come up with other lists. Just as the Torah is a stimulus to come up with more wisdom and beauty in the form of midrash. Today, the meaning of "midrash" has expanded to take the form of music, dance, poetry, visual art, and story.

The list of women continued to haunt me. I had stumbled on a treasure trove. Learning this midrash would be like going on a special tour of the entire Hebrew Bible. This tour was for people with a passion about female biblical ancestors. It would be a way to get acquainted with some of the lesser-known women and to revisit some of the famous women such as Sarah, wife of Abraham, and Bath-Sheba, beauty queen and wife of King David. What was even more exciting was that somewhere in this list of biblical women, I sensed there was a ritual for my daughter. Previously, I had seen several examples of rituals embedded in a text. I understand "text" to include a stimulus that is not necessarily written down: for example, an incident in someone's life, a painting, or a story from childhood. For example, the women's Rosh Hodesh (New Moon) gathering, which is now quite widespread, took off from the seminal article written by Arlene Agus, "This Month Is for You."3 Agus chronicled the rediscovery of the ancient festival of Rosh Hodesh by a women's study group she belonged to in New York in the 1970s called Ezrat Nashim (a bit of an ironic name for a Jewish-feminist study group— literally, the women's section of an Orthodox synagogue).

A fairly new ritual object called kos Miriam (Miriam's cup), now found on seder tables among Jews of all denominations, came from a creative visualization that occurred during a Rosh Hodesh meeting in the 1980s in Boston. A whole series of ritual activities can be performed with Miriam's cup.4

When my husband and I were wrestling with infertility and had lost several pregnancies, I studied the story of Hannah daily. Eventually, we discerned a ritual for our losses in her prayer, which, in its silence and depth of feeling, is considered by rabbis to be a model for Jewish prayer. At that time, in the early 1980s, there were no Jewish rituals for infertility or pregnancy loss.

Each of these new rituals—Rosh Hodesh, Kos Miriam, and Hannah's Infertility Ritual—were part of a phenomenon called "invention of tradition."5 All three are anchored to a Jewish written text: Rosh Hodesh as a special holiday for women has its roots in the Talmud (Megillah 22b and Ta'anit 1:6); Kos Miriam was inspired by the stories of the prophetess in Exodus and midrash; and Hannah's ritual is based on her story in 1 Samuel 1:1 and midrash.

As I considered the list of 23 women, I began to discern a ritual. What if we were to invite 23 women and girls to gather a few weeks before the actual bat mitzvah? What if we assigned one of the 23 Women of Valor to each guest and asked each to give Laura a blessing in the name of the biblical character—a blessing the character would have given the bat mitzvah girl if she could have been there that day? This bore some similarity to the Zeved Bat (Gift of a Daughter) celebration by which we had welcomed Laura into our family as a baby. At that ritual, everyone present was invited to say something to Laura—giving good wishes to a new baby is a Jewish tradition from Spain; the blessing could take the form of a poem, a song, good and wise words, a picture, or anything else the participants wanted to do.

Now we had to come up with our own list of 23 women to invite into our home for a "Make Your Own Midrash and Sundae" gettogether. The day of the ritual, we placed in front of the fireplace a giant wicker throne chair—purchased back in the heyday of the Addams Family TV show. That was where Laura would sit to receive her blessings. The rest of us would gather around her in a circle of love and good wishes.

One by one, each person gave her blessing. Laura seemed to fill up with all the strong, positive feelings in the room the way a sapling takes in rain. It took about two hours for everyone to speak amidst plenty of tears, laughs, kisses, and hugs. Then we broke for ice cream with all the toppings a girl could want.

As one of my daughter's teachers—a Lubavitch woman who taught Hebrew and Judaic Studies—turned to leave, she told us, "That was the most beautiful bat mitzvah I ever attended!" And this was only the pre–bat mitzvah!

How the Book Came from the Ritual

After the "Ritual of the 23 Women" and Laura's bat mitzvah, I knew there was a book waiting to be written about this extraordinary list. What had been most powerful about the ritual was the way each woman and girl was able to enter into her ancestor's life and draw out a blessing for the bat mitzvah girl. I felt that these 23 Women of Valor needed a forum in which to speak and be heard. \

I decided to study the stories from Midrash ha-Gadol in greater depth with a teacher. I approached a professor of midrash who was interested in my idea. He insisted that to study the midrash on the 23 women in the proper way would take a very long time. There were many sources in the text to research and link to the stories. There were different interpretations from the commentators to consider. To do justice to this text would take a serious commitment of time and energy. He did not have that kind of time, as he told me, but he thought my idea of bringing the women to life was worthwhile and that I should do it.

I appreciated his respect for the text, both the midrashic and the biblical one. I have learned in the course of writing this book that respect for the text requires being honest with it and with oneself. It means also respecting the long chain of tradition that has preceded current readings of the text. In writing Praise Her Works, all of the authors have learned to respect our ancestors, especially our female ones, who have a lot to say to us.

Jewish tradition is a well, from which it is possible to keep drawing water for sustenance and vitality. There is even a name for this: Miriam's well. Legend has it that on the second day of Creation, a well was created to keep the Jewish people alive in times of drought and scarcity, as well as in times of growth and plenty. There was too much material for me to study by myself in the midrash on "Eishet Chayil." Thankfully, there was a group of women who were willing to study it with me over the course of three years, to "become" the 23 Women of Valor in the best sense of the word. Then, later, there was a group of 15 women who agreed to "become" the ancestors and write down their own versions of the biblical stories.

Living in Torah

I hope this book teaches you how to step into Torah and leave behind the stance of "outside observer," which can hold you back from a more complete understanding of this timeless, sacred text. The Ethiopians in Israel taught me a great deal about living in the letters, words, and stories that had been the "Promised Land" of their ancestors when they were not living in Israel.

In 1991 in Israel, I was studying the Torah portion Noah with five Ethiopian women who had been living in Israel several years but never formally studied Torah. We read about the rainbow covenant between God and the people. They explained to me that in Ethiopia, a rainbow is a sign of blessing and wind is a sign of war. When I asked what thunder represented, one woman said, "When there is thunder, we all bow our heads and say, 'Moses is up on Sinai now.'" At that moment, I understood what it meant to be living in Torah.

The Hasidic Jews (a sect founded in the 18th century that strongly emphasizes ecstatic worship through dancing and singing) believe that coming closer to God is the most important goal of a Jew. They perceive all the biblical figures—accessible through study and contemplation—to be aspects of the divine, as well as aspects of the self. For example, learning the story of Sarah in depth, one is better able to identify with her and to know her. In turn, when one comes to a situation in which the strength of Sarah is called for, one knows that to summon her up will bring that particular kind of "Sarah" strength. Sometimes, Sarah may speak to the one who has called her. Sometimes, her presence is enough. Sometimes, she may ask a question for the summoner to answer.

I hope you will use Praise Her Works to get to know our female biblical ancestors, to see how each of these nashei chayil (women of valor) acted when faced with a serious challenge. Each woman has a unique power to transmit, from the steadfastness of the wife of Noah to the willingness of Rachav to lay her life on the line; from the faith Hatzlelponi had in the words of an angel to the daring Esther showed in revealing who she really was. We are the heirs to the ancestral strength chronicled in the Torah. We need only to study it deeply in order to receive our sacred legacy.

How This Book Is Organized

Each chapter follows a template, starting with the chapter title— which is a line from "Eishet Chayil" that the writers of Midrash ha-Gadol identified with a specific biblical woman—followed by the corresponding Hebrew excerpt from Midrash ha-Gadol. Something that the Rabbis who wrote Midrash ha-Gadol took for granted was that almost everyone who read the book knew the whole Bible by heart. That is why at times only half a verse from the Bible is quoted. The rabbis assumed that the reader knew the rest of the verse. Today, that level of biblical literacy cannot be presumed at all. Therefore, look up a citation when you don't understand it as written. This is an opportunity to learn more Bible.

Next, the Hebrew excerpt is translated. Then comes the story, which is a synopsis of the biblical account of this woman. After that, in a section called "Commentary," the contributor provides her personal perspective on the biblical woman's story. She explains how the biblical story connects to a line in "Eishet Chayil" designated by the Rabbis for that particular biblical woman. This section also seeks to understand the midrash from Midrash ha-Gadol in the light of her story. This, in turn, is followed by "So-and-So Speaks," in which each eishet chayil interacts with the reader, expressing thoughts she has not articulated over all these years, or she may clarify an action she took or a statement she made that she feels has been misinterpreted. After this, in a part called "A Message from the Woman of Valor," she distills down to a few brief paragraphs what she wants the reader to take away from this encounter. Finally, there is a section called "For Further Thought" to spur on more consideration of the meaning of this eishet chayil's story and words for the reader today.

Praise Her Works can be fertile reading material for groups as well as individuals. If you read it as a group and gather to discuss each chapter, you may want to "invite" different biblical women to join in the discussion. You may want to use props or even dress up. Some very unexpected conversations ensue when Serach and Miriam compare notes on prophecy or when Batya, Bath-Sheba, Esther, and Michal compare notes on life as royals. Sarah, Leah, Rachel, and Hatzlelponi can support each other around infertility. Vashti, Leah, and Michal may wish to form an "Unloved and Misunderstood Wives Club." Yocheved, Naomi, and Noah's wife may want to start a Memoir Group. Think of the get-together as Judy Chicago's "Dinner Party" meets "Women's Night in the Sukkah." The possibilities are endless.

I was fortunate to find a dynamic group of bold writers who were willing to go trekking with me into some of the more remote places in Torah. In order to do this, we had to open ourselves to discovering new and old ways to learn from our female ancestors.

I hope that as readers of Praise Her Works you will expand your ways of thinking about and experiencing your biblical ancestors. I hope that you will go trekking on your own and with others, constantly searching for ways of living in Torah. I hope that you will teach the next generation to do the same. May your mouth be open with wisdom. May a Torah of lovingkindness be upon your tongue.

Penina Adelman

13th of Shevat 5765

Newton, Massachusetts

(The above excerpt was courtesy of the Jewish Publication Society.)

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