Eishes Chayil

"Despite my knowing all the words to the poem, I thought that the Eishes Chayil was demure and gentle, a woman with a perpetual smile, a starched apron, a warm cake in one hand, and a Tehillim in the other. I thought that the Eishes Chayil would spend most of her time engaged in house work, child care or meditative practice. I assumed that the family of the Eishes Chayil would look nothing like mine and would be remarkably sensitive, calm and learned. In a few words, the Eishes Chayil, while praiseworthy and awe-inspiring, was someone I would never want to spend time with.

But I was wrong. The Eishes Chayil described in the verses - and our sources - looks nothing like the image I had painted in my head. As we will discover as we explore the verses of the poem line by line, the Eishes Chayil is no pushover. She is humble, strong, decisive, nurturing and lives with faith. She is someone we would all enjoy spending time with - as well as someone who we could strive to become."

Adapted from the Introduction

• o Study the simple meaning of the text to understand how a married woman creates and nourishes herself, her family and her society.
• o Examine the lives of the great Jewish women to which the Medrash on Eishes Chayil refers.
• o Use the questions listed (for our own self-growth, in our roles as wives and mothers, and to speak about with our daughters) to help each woman to know herself better and find her own individual spiritual path to greatness.
• 
  o learn how to apply these lessons to life.

In this empowering work, women will discover themselves and learn how the Torah helps each woman chart her own course.

Approbations:

"… fluent, interesting and informative...I am truly impressed with … this magnificent tapestry…. I highly recommend this work as a true Torah perspective on the essence of the true Eishes Chayil…"

Rabbi Zev Leff

"… strong in its Torah analysis… thoroughly grounded in the realities of life"

Rabbi Ahron Shraga Lopiansky

About the Author:

Shira Hochheimer has been educating woman and girls of all ages for over 15 years. She is passionate about empowering women to find more fulfillment in their lives by learning Torah. She has been a Rebbetzin in Rochester, NY and is now in a leadership role for girl's Jewish education in Baltimore, Md. Her proudest accomplishment is her role as a wife and mother of five.