Why We Love Jewish Mother's Day
While Mother's Day has been around since 1914, there has been a Jewish
Mother's Day since biblical times! The 11th of the Hebrew month of Cheshvan
(October/November) has long been associated with the death of the Jewish
matriarch Rachel, and has been regarded as a sort of Jewish Mother's Day.
Given the high stature of mothers in Judaism, Mother's Day is very important,
indeed. While Jewish Mothers are unfairly subjected to many unflattering
stereotypes, these stereotypes are actually based on Judaism's highly esteemed
role of the Mother: To be the "chief household nurturer" and "in-house spiritual
According to traditional Judaism, women are endowed with a greater degree of
"binah" (intuition and understanding) than men. Given this, it's
natural that we are the "Chief Spiritual Influencers" of our families. So, while
we are performing even the most mundane of chores (cooking, reminding, etc.) we
are (as much as possible) providing moral guidance and leadership to the family.
However, make no mistake, in addition to this important "in house" role, Jewish
women are often go-getters in the outside world as well. Golda Meir, Bella Abzug,
Gloria Steinem are just 3 of the many Jewish women who have used their binah,
guts and intelligence to make dreams come true.
As proof of the high stature of woman since biblical days, there is a
Valor (English translation), that
is a beautiful tribute to all that a Jewish Woman is and does.
The hymn is customarily recited on Friday
evenings, after returning from synagogue and before sitting down to the Shabbat
evening meal. The poem describes the woman of valor as one who is energetic,
righteous, and capable. It has become a Jewish custom for men to recite this
hymn at the end of the week, and to be thankful for all his
wife has done for him and their family throughout the past week. Here at
Connection, we are moved by these words and proud that as women, Judaism is
not only supporting all that we do for our families, but truly honoring us. We
hope that your family will embrace this beautiful hymn and all that it says
about us. May it bring a warm hug to everyone in your family.
Connection, April, 2009
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