The Wisdom of Women

“Behind every good man is an even better woman”. We have all heard this expression and probably have complimented our wives with it.

We may have used it as a form of flattery even with the noblest of intentions. We may have even spun the facts to make her feel cherished and appreciated.

However, the special wisdom and virtue of women is not simply a societal invention but a fact and a truth.

The Talmud of Eretz Yisrael teaches us in an enigmatic statement that God gave half of the ‘yod’  from Sarah gave it to Abraham (Sanhedrin 2:6).

The ‘yod’ has a numerical value of ten while the ‘he’ has a numerical value of five. The ‘yod’ in שרי was split in half resulting in   שרהand אברהם.

God imparted some of Sarah’s gist onto Abraham and not the other way around! It was Sarah who made Abraham who he was but it was not Abraham who made Sarah who she was.

Sarah’s gist empowered Abraham and as a testimony to this, her gist remained forever symbolically stamped on his name. It is this gist which allowed Abraham to become the great person that he was.

May we embrace our women and appreciate their special wisdom and righteousness and how they have influenced us to developing whatever great traits we may possess.