I have a large family in Israel.
Many of my cousins are very talented artists.
As one of the younger of the bunch, and unfortunately not one gifted with the same talents, I often enjoyed watching my cousins as they exercised their gifts.
One of my cousins became an expert weaver.
She bought a loom and made the most beautiful fabrics.
I was enthralled as I watched her hands gracefully pass the shuttle from hand to hand all the while coordinating with foot pedals. This elaborate dance resulted in a beautiful fabric which seemed to appear as if out of nowhere.
This week’s Torah portion is called VaYakhel, and it’s a bit of an enigma. It seems to be a repeat of the portion Teruma which was read three weeks ago.
Our Sages teach that the first rendition is Gd commanding Moses to build the Mishkan, the portable Sanctuary.
This portion is the instruction coming to life and the Mishkan actually being built.
In this portion there are a number of references made regarding the women.
Rabbi Tzvi Teichman shares some deep insights regarding the unique characteristics of women that are brought to light in the portion.
There is one particular verse which specifically describes the women and their contributions to the Mishkan.
“All the women whose hearts inspired them with wisdom, spun the goats”.
This is a strange turn of a phrase indeed.
It seems that the women were spinning the goats.
Rashi, the super commentary, teaches that this alludes to a special talent these women had that they could actually spin the goats wool while it was still attached to the goat.
That seems like quite the balancing act.
What message is meant to be derived from this information?
Each element of the creation of the Mishkan has many esoteric meanings.
The goat wool was woven into curtains, or coverings, that were draped over the whole edifice of the Tabernacle.
The Talmud teaches that the goat is the most stubborn and brazen of small animals.
The women had to have a high level of patience and dedication to coral those mischievous and jumpy goats in order to weave the goats wool into magnificent curtains or spreads for the Tabernacle.
(Sounds like Parenting 101)
The wiry wool and the never ending movements of the goats represent the harshness of the world and the ongoing challenges which keep us on our toes. The jumping goats represent the goals and aspirations that keep shifting and moving.
The women were focused on the end goal of creating the drapery for the Tabernacle, no matter how difficult the challenge.
Who taught them this skill?

There is a verse in the Book of Chronicles that refers to a woman who had a really unusual name.
She was called Curtains.
Our Sages explain that she gained this honorific because she was the one who spun the fibers that created the curtains or drapery that became the covers of the Tabernacle.
So who is this mystery woman that is awarded such a striking appellation?
The Talmud states that Madam Curtains is none other than Miriam the Prophetess, sister of Moses.
There is another statement that our Sages teach,
“Gd resides in the Tabernacle specifically within the layers of the curtains which are made of spun goat hair”.
Miriam is an example of a person who is highly focused on outcome and her deep faith in Gd and her belief in the outcome assured her calm demeanor in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenge.
After all it was Miriam who convinced her father to remarry her mother as she had a prophecy that their child would be the redeemer of the Jewish people. Miriam was the one who watched to see how her brother would be saved when he was placed in the Nile, a place of certain destruction, and it was Miriam as the Jewish midwife who stood up to the almighty Pharoah and saved the babies born under her watch.
Often when circumstances are difficult, the tendency is to lose focus and act impulsively.
Miriam never lost her cool and always stayed razor focused on the goal, her faith in Gd’s redemption of the Jewish people.
So too the women artisans who were able to weave even on the backs of the most unruly of creatures, were not daunted by the challenge but remained focused on the task of creating the curtains.
Miriam was called Curtains.
It’s not the most elegant of nicknames, but it’s a telling one.
Curtains have a dual purpose.
Curtains cover and conceal and at times they open and reveal.
Sometimes we are faced with challenges that can stop us from reaching our goal. We have to close the curtains on those fears and doubts so we are not hindered by them.
We stay the course.
At other times we need to throw the curtains open and access our talents and energy even though it is difficult, so we can ride the wave and emerge victorious.
A ride on a goats’ back may be bumpy indeed, and the goat hair fibers may be wiry and difficult to weave.
But we are the daughters of Miriam and no matter the challenges we stay the course.
Gd is found in the curtains, or on that course.
It is in those moments of challenge when we access our inner strength and prevail, using our womanly intuition to choose the character traits needed in that particular moment, that’s when we are fulfilling our mission.
That is Gdly.
As the daughters of Miriam we remain focused on our personal mission, knowing it may be a bumpy ride but concentrating on the ultimate tapestry we will weave with our efforts and our skills.
That’s a curtain call to which we can all aspire.
Shabbat Shalom and so much love!