Parshat Yitro-Girl Power!!

This week's Parsha is named after Yitro, Moshe's Midianite father-in-law. In it, we see Yitro assisting Moshe in the legal system, teaching him to delegate some of his responsibility to others. Bnei Yisrael encamp by Har Sinai, Moshe ascends the mountain and Hashem declares the ten commandments.

There is a very interesting lesson we can learn from the way Hashem instructed Moshe to teach B'nei Yisrael the mitzvot. As it is written in Perek Yud-Tet (19), Pasuk Gimmel (3): "Vimoshe alah el HaElokeim vayikra eilav Hashem min hahar lomar: Co tomar libeyt ya'akov vitagid libnei yisrael- And Moshe went up to G-d, the L-rd called to him from the mountain saying: Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob and declare to the children of Israel" * We know that there are no extra words in the Torah, so why would Hashem say what appears to be a redundant statement "house of Jacob" and "children of Israel" when Yakov and Yisrael are one and the same person?

According to the Midrash, we learn that "beit yaakov-the house of Jacob" refers to the women (which is most likely why we now know Bais Yakov as a religious women's movement and educational system!) Hashem was instructing Moshe to first tell the women certain commandments. According to some opinions, this is because the women would not be able to receive all the mitzvot immediately. According to many opinions, including the Rambam, women do not operate in the same way as men and therefore would perhaps be lacking the understanding necessary to fully appreciate and comprehend the Torah had they received it all at once(not my favourite opinion).
R' Bechaye provides a different outlook on this thought (that is MUCH more to my personal liking). He explains that the Jewish woman ensures that her children learn Torah through her motherly love. Tfillos are accepted more easily when made with the fulfillment of a mitzvah, and a woman lighting her shabos candles can pray that her children will learn Torah and illuminate the world. For this special power that a woman has, Hashem instructed Moshe to give the women certain Mitzvot first.

The message that I believe this idea really brings home is the concept that a Jewish woman effectively holds the fate of the nation in her hands. Although it is often perceived that in Orthodox Judaism women take a secondary role to the men, it is clear to me from here that really, without the Jewish mother, Am Yisrael would be nowhere. The Jewish mother teaches her children Yidishkeit, and nurtures them in a home based on midot so they can, as my father always blesses me before shabos "walk in the ways of mitzvot and torah". The merit of this act is immeasurable, as we see in Mesechet Sota. According to the Gemara, a guilty eisha sota** may not immediately die after drinking the waters, based on the merit of two actions. She will be allowed to live a bit longer if she has either allowed her husband to be away from her in order that he may learn Torah, or if she took care of her children's Torah study (ie took them back and forth to cheder, etc). Seeing that this woman's imminent, painful and extreme death can be postponed because she facilitated the Jewish education of her children just illustrates its importance and the crucial role of the woman on the future of Am Yisrael.

And now I'll have to conclude with a shout out to all Jewish mothers everywhere (particularly my own)..thanks mommy!!!

May you all have an amazing, spiritually fulfilling shabat and remember to thank your mom for being a Yidishe mama!


*translation from the JPS Hebrew-English Tanach
**a woman accused of adultery who is made to drink water in which holy words (including the name of Hashem) have been dissolved and if she is proven guilty, will subsequently "explode" (for lack of better word)