WONDERWOMEN By: Lauren Breakstone
March Aviva Miller Who do we march for? We march for the women lost in our texts We march for the brilliant women who were never told so We march for the women who fought and lost the fight We march for the women who deserve to be celebrated but weren’t
Models, actresses Historians discoverers – Who are these people? Women, leaders, fighters Shape our world for the good and the bad 21st Century Doctors, gynocologists, OB’s and peditricians Some deliever babies, Some save children daily They help produce our future, and maintain the health of young new impactful children. Torah & Talmud There are women we don’t know exist in the jewish world There are women , who shaped the Torah for the better, but we do not know them Who are they? What did they stand for? They changed the vision of the women of the future Present Protests, People shouting, Impacting a message Enriching the un-educated Are these powerful women your role-models? How do you see them? How did they get that title, of your role model? The Torah has secrets, just like us Will they benefit us, or hurt us? 2,3,6,12 however many women we don’t know about in the Torah, WE, our generation, shall know about them now Today , we will look at our jewish feminists Some women do not have inspirations Some women and girls will not, or can’t speak for themselves What are your capabilities? Do anything you put your heart set on It is not about, what you can’t do, or can or cannot accomplish, it is about what you can grow upon, and shape yourself to impact others.
Where is the Space? By: Hannah Eishet Hiyal, also known as “Woman of Valor,” provides a list of qualities a “good wife” should have. Giving. Strong. Cheerful. Wise. Humble. Kind. “Her deeds speak her praise.” But should a person be entirely defined by their actions towards others: good or bad? When a list is complied outlining the necessary qualities a woman must obtain to be a “good wife,” no space is left for individuality or personalized values. Everyone is capable of being a good person. The pressure can not lay on woman to be perfect and put together all of the time. Everyone needs time to care for and focus on themselves. Where is the space for a woman in “Woman of Valor?” Are we allowed to have passions? To care about something besides other people? Where is the space for our own emotions? To learn about ourselves? Because we are not solely defined by our actions towards others. Yes, everyone should be cheerful and kind and giving and strong. But it can not be limited to women. Because men are just as capable as us to have emotion. And women as a whole should not bear all of your hardships. Because we have our own problems and difficulties to work out. And if we spend all our time caring for those around us and neglect our own emotions, We will be lost entirely. And there will be no woman in “Woman of Valor” Because we are more than just wives. And we need space.
The Modern Day Eshet Chayil By Aviva Miller Eshet Chayil: A Good wife, who can find? If you do, you will treat her with respect. You will attempt to never lose your temper or speak to her unkindly. She is her own person. Remember she is not yours to tamper with. She is not an object. You must be there for each other, and be understanding when the other needs space. Show he the highest level of gratitude and loyalty. If you forget to respect and appreciate her, you must separate yourself from her because she deserves better. If she doesn’t treat you kindly and with love, you must separate yourself from her because you deserve better.
Summary of Berurya By: Gali Laska Though we don’t always talk about her, Berurya is an incredibly strong and courageous women. Even though her title was “Berurya, wife of Rabbi Mier and daugter of Rabbi Hananya” She was so much more than just someone’s wife and daughter. She defied what everyone thought was right. She learned 300 halakhot in one day, corrected men on proper uses of words and talks about certain writings. Berurya was a woman who enjoyed proving people wrong and really just being strong. We should spend more time talking about her and all of her accomplishments.
Berurya in My Life Adina Naftalin Berurya was ahead of her time, she was one of the few women mentioned in the Talmud and she had to prove everyone wrong. When Rabbi Simlai asked Rabbi Yochanan to teach him the book of geneologies in three months, Rabbi Yochanan said if Berurya couldn’t do it in a year why do you think you can? Men were compared to her, which shows she had made an impact and defied expectations. In my life I have grown up around women who push back. One woman in my life who reminds me of Berurya is my Aunt. She has always defied expectations in life. She has taught me to not let expectations hold you back. The second inspirational women in my life is my mom. She has always spoken her mind no matter what people think. She is like Berurya in the way that she is strong. My mom has taught me to be strong and to not care what people think.
Modern Berurya Leila Sacks There once was a person named B. The daughter of one and wife of another. The wisdom of B’s made her feel free. Of the bonds and pressures of womanhood The feminist she created Sprouted Torah from its branches Correcting and protecting the words of others
The Hypocrisy of Prayer By Maia Lefferman Hannah stood alone. She felt the presence of none but God. She made no sacrifice, but she spoke. She told God that she had been longing for a child to love. She proceeded with her own prayer methods while people judged her and laughed at her. Just days later, the people were no longer laughing. God sent Hannah a child. Today we’ve adapted and refined Hannah’s methods rather than continuing to make sacrifices in the Temple. What does it mean that our prayer methods were inspired by a woman but in many services, women are not even allowed to lead?
Hoots and hollers from a crazy catcaller Flipped a switch in B’s brain “Why do you do this?” said B to the he. “I am not an object for your pleasure. I am a sanctuary of Torah, a library of Hannah knowledge, and a defyer of stereotypes.” By: Sophia Learn from B’s courage Learn from her strength Don’t feel afraid to be beautiful, powerful, and even angry Don’t let people tell you that you need to be, have, or do anything You tell yourself who you are You make your own decisions It’s okay to defy or define stereotypes You don’t need to smile You don’t need to laugh You just need to know That you are who you are And that is that
Her lips were moving, but nothing heard Her sadness allowing no word Her heart was full of sorrow And her womb hollow Was thought to be drunk, but she was not full of wine Only full of devastation, praying, “I want a child to be mine” She sent up a prayer And G-D answered, her family no longer bare She called her son Samuel Her heart now beating whole Hannah then decided Her son would be divided Between her and the lord above And that’s why we pray With words we do not say Because of the Talmudic women named Hannah
The Daughters of Zelophehad בנות צלפחד Adina Naftalin Noa The 5 daughters of Zelophehad, Mahlah, Noa, Holgah, Milcah, and Tirzah, lost their father and הן נלחמו.בנות צלפחד ממש עניינו אותי ונתנו לי השראה unfortunately couldn't gain his inheritance even רשו את מה שמגיע להן ולא התפשרו או וויתרו עד שקיבלו though there were no sons. They went to את מבוקשן. Moses and asked, “Why can’t we honor our father’s name by gaining his inheritance?” . הן בין הבנות היחידות שהזכירו את השם שלהן בתורה,וסף Moses then asked God, and God said, “Give על שם נעה בת צלפחד ואני מרגישה כבוד,קוראים לי נעה them their father’s inheritance.” After that God בנות חכמות.שאני נקראת על שם מישהי מבנות צלפחד told Moses to tell the people of Israel, “If a man dies with no Sons, then the inheritance will go שניות וצדקניות שאני חושבת שהשפיעו המון על הצד הנשי בתורה והתחילו שיוון. to his daughters.” Because these sisters spoke up for their rights, they were able to make a change. Four Inspiring Facts about women in Judaism My Maddie Cosgrove 1) The context of Eshet chayil is a mother telling her son what to look for in a wife. 2) Channah is the person who structured or inspired the way we’re supposed to pray the Amidah to ourselves. 3) There is a story in the Torah of women standing up for themselves and demanding their rightful inheritance (Bamidbar 27) 4) There’s a person in the Talmud who the Rabbis use as an example for an efficient learner, she’s a woman. To learn more about these stories look towards the correlating numbers below. 1) The fact that the context is a mother telling her son what to look for in a wife justifies all of the reasonable standards set for a women. It is okay to have standards for a spouse, it may even be a good thing. Eishet Chayil is not saying that men do not need to be held to any standards, so in that way eishet chayil is not sexist. Jews usually say this passage to appreciate wives all around the world. 2) When Channah prayed it says her lips moved but no words came out. She was praying with her hear. That is how we are supposed to pray. 3)The daughters of Zelaphehad, Mahlah, Noa, Holgah, Milcah, and Tirzah are our characters. Zelaphehad died in the wilderness, there were no sons of his that would inherit his possessions. His daughters went to moses and asked for their father’s inheritance saying they did not want his name to be lost just because he had no sons. In the end Moses and God decided they had a right to the inheritance even though they were women. 4) A Rabbi planned to learn all of the genealogies in three months. A second rabbi told the first one that his goal was ridiculous because even Berurya who was smart enough to learn 300 halachot in one day all from different sages, couldn’t even learn the book of genealogies in 3 years! This is inspiring because here a women is being used as the impressive scholar that no one can compare to.