A woman of valor
Who can find?
Diligent in judgment
Yet, gracious and kind;
Shlomo HaMelech
Describes in length
Sarah Imeinu,
The Eishes Chayil,
A pillar of strength.
Sara Imeinu
Didn’t make the headlines
As did Avraham,
The man she stood behind;
But every minute
Of each day
She was granted to live
Steadfast in her principles,
She was a force to be reckoned with.
Avraham’s kindness
Is what defined him,
Sarah provided the essential
Midah of “din.”
When slandered by Hagar,
With hostile disrespect,
Though humble, Sarah stood up,
Her response was direct.
Hagar’s son, the archer, Yishmael,
Saw Yitzchak as prey,
Sarah saw the danger,
Compelled, rightly
That he be sent away.
At the Akeidah, Avraham
Staunchly stilled his compassion,
Offering on the altar
Yitzchak, his beloved son;
His kindness had found judgment,
Sarah’s mission was complete,
Avraham had reached perfection,
Sarah’s soul was released.
For her burial,
Avraham found Machpeilah
And its fields suitable,
Bought in her honor,
First founding
Jewish title in Israel.
Subsequently, As King David
Neared his time to die,
His heir, Solomon, was written off
By Prince Adoniyahu;
Bat-Sheva advocated
With the prophet Natan,
David kept his word, at once ending
The mutinous spell.
Besuel, Rivkah’s father,
Ruled Aram Naharayim;
When Eliezer asked for water,
Rivkah lowered her pitcher for him,
The task was beneath
Her rank, yet, still
Rivkah ran, fetching water
Till all his camels
Drank their fill.
Rivkah’s nurse, Devorah,
Who cared for the young lass,
Was promoted by Hashem,
To judge and prophetess;
How blessed
The eishes chayil
In her, Hashem delights,
Righteous daughter
Of Israel
Who quietly does what’s right.
Their actions still serve us
When all is said and done,
Their deeds live on forever
In the Jewish Nation.
By Sharon Marcus
