Jewish women are awesome.
Our recent Jwcatlanta trip to Israel gave us a peak at some inspiring Jewish heroines.
Our itinerary was focused on meeting inspirational Jewish women.
What was doubly inspiring was meeting the unexpected. Some of the most uplifting stories were the unscripted ones, the people we met “along the way”.
For example, we were privileged to meet Karina Chepelinski, third generation chocolatier, who transported the family business from South America to the Golan Heights. Karina boasts three degrees and combines the secrets of her family with modern technology to create delicious chocolate. She and her husband chose to live in the remote Golan Heights area as Karina felt that they could make a larger impact, both personally and professionally, in a small outpost city.
Karina’s embrace of the observance of Shabbat to empower her family coupled with her idealistic visions and business acumen, makes her a strong Jewish woman worthy of emulation. One our courageous women asked Karina if she could identify one of her strengths. She replied by saying she sees the strengths in others and enjoys the opportunity to empower people which ultimately lifts everyone in collaboration.
This attribute was clearly evident in her choice of the young woman who gave us the official tour prior to meeting Karina herself. Karina saw the charm and eloquence of this lovely guide. We enjoyed her explanations and the little bit of her own life story which she shared with sparkling wit.
It emerged that this young lady was engaged. Her fiancé was in the process of making Aliya and was unable to work. The parents did not have the financial wherewithal to help. So this young lady was making her future happen. Undaunted by her circumstances and undeterred by the lack of financial support, she cheerfully undertook 3 jobs to make her dream come true.
Her narrative became even more compelling as she shared that she had been close to death no less than three times during her army service. She showed us the lethal pieces of shrapnel that had been surgically removed from her body during those events. She carries these as a reminder to be grateful for every day and to make the most of each moment.
What kind of DNA courses through the blood of the women of the Jewish people?
We encountered so much bravery in the face of great loss and challenge.
Who are these lionesses?

They are the daughters of the women who endured the Egyptian bondage with their faith intact.
This week we read two Torah portions called Vayakhel and Pekudei. These portions are a complete review of the Torah portions which describe the building of the Tabernacle and the vestments of the Priests who were to serve in its environs. There are many reasons as to why the Torah repeats so many verses. One idea is that the first time it was detailing the spirit and instructions on how to build the structure. The second time the Torah is recording the actual work as it came to fruition.
It’s about people learning about who they are and what they can become.
One of the items that is listed is the Kiyor, or wash basin. All the items fashioned for the service in the Tabernacle were described with exact dimensions.
Except the Kiyor.
It was fashioned from copper, but there were no instructions as to how wide or tall it should be.
We know that when the call went out for materials to be donated for the construction of the Tabernacle and its furnishings, the Jewish people responded immediately and generously.
The women donated something precious and uniquely their own. They donated their copper mirrors.
Moses was not enamored of accepting those mirrors, after all a mirror does not seem to be a fitting match for inclusion in the building of a spiritual space.
Our Sages teach us that a heavenly voice instructed Moses to accept the mirrors as they are infinitely more precious that any of the other materials which had been donated.
What is the heavenly nature of these copper mirrors?
They are the symbol of the undying faith of the Jewish woman in hard times.
Faith in Hebrew is Emuna (remember the women’s organization?)
And the first two letters of Emuna are EM which means mother.
When life in Egypt bordered on collapse and the very future of the Jewish nation was called in to question, the Jewish women held fast to the promise of a better future, a redemptive time. When their husbands could not envision a life that could include children, the women burnished their upper mirrors and used them as a vehicle to reignite their physical connection with their husbands.
In a time of abject darkness, the women remained focused on the future, using the reflection in the shards of copper to beautify themselves for their husbands.
They focused on who they were and what they could become in spite of the darkness in which they found themselves.
That expression of faith was so precious to Gd.
That is why there were no dimensions associated with the laver. Because Gd wanted each mirror, each statement of hope, to be incorporated into the final product.
No mirror was to be left out of the equation.
Each woman’s dedication was to be acknowledged.
Every action of overcoming despair was to be commemorated.
The laver was used by the Priests. Before they began their service in the Tabernacle, each priest had to ritually wash their hands and feet. They could not embark upon their service of Gd without acknowledging the faith of the Jewish woman that brought them to that moment.
Now we can understand the roots of the Jewish women of today. Deeply implanted in our psyches is the fierce spirit of positivity and faith that fuels us, the legacy of the women of the Egyptian bondsge.
In Israel today our brethren are subjected to the assault of missile attacks.
From personal experience I can share that it’s frightening and overwhelming.
Yet life goes on!
Young couples get married in underground bomb shelters, undeterred.
New babies are born in bomb shelters.
A childhood friend of mine had a Grandaughter in Israel last week. The baby was delivered in a hospital which had taken the delivery rooms underground.
He related that with the first 30 minutes of her life this baby girl experienced her first siren.
This little baby girl is so blessed.
She will grow to be a courageous woman in Israel, standing tall on the shoulders of generations of Jewish women who courageously move forward in faith, no matter how daunting the circumstance.
Mazel Tov to this bomb shelter baby.
And Mazel Tov to our own Elisheva on the Bar Mitzva if her twin sons. They are blessed to have a Mom who embodies the power and spirit of the quintessential Jewish woman.
Jewish women are amazing.
After all they were the catalysts for the redemption from Egypt and our Sages teach that it will be in the merit of Jewish women that we will ultimately be redeemed.
Amazing!
Shabbat Shalom and so much love!!