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?

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?

This week’s Torah portion is Vayakhel, and it describes in great detail the building of the Tabernacle and all its vessels.
If this seems highly familiar to you, you are correct.
You are not experiencing deja vu!
This is actually happening in real time.
The Torah, which prizes every word and is famous for its brevity now repeats the entire story again.
All the details which had been written regarding the dimensions of the Tabernacle are now repeated.
It’s quite puzzling.
The Sages answer that the first rendition refers to the instruction to build and the second one describes when it actually took place.
Rabbi Aaron Lichtenstein shares an interesting take to explain this unusually verbose text.
He gave an allegory of a bride and groom who went shopping together for their new home. They spent hours deliberating over each piece and imagining the loving life they would live around those physical objects.
Each decision was a labor of love.
Then something horrifying happened.
One of the couple betrayed the other.
The upcoming nuptials dissolved into bitterness and anger.
After many months of hurt and suffering, the one who had betrayed the other reached out to try and repair the relationship.
And so began agonizing months of therapy and work to try to repair the fractured relationship.
And then the wedding was rescheduled.
If you are pragmatic, you might wonder whatever happened to that furniture that was so lovingly chosen.
Someone had returned it all.
As the couple prepared to reunite, the furniture selection loomed before them. This time however, they bought things quickly as the memories of the first time still remained as a painful reminder of a different time. They had moved on, their relationship was at a new level, but innocence was lost.
Rabbi Lichtenstein writes that human beings can forgive each other, but it is not easy to remove the scars of past wounds. A healthy relationship will require looking careful at those wounds and finding the tools to address them.
But Gd is different.
Gd says that when we repent, even if we have committed the most egregious of sins, we can return to the former level of our relationship.
The Jewish people had sinned with the Golden Calf, a sin which is likened to one of a couple betraying the other under the chuppah, the marriage canopy.
The relationship almost floundered.
Gd was going to destroy them.
But through the intervention of Moses and repentance, Gd forgave the people.
And once Gd forgave, it is a complete forgiveness.
So when we are ready to discuss the details of building the Tabernacle, Gd is once again sharing all the details to show in the words of Rabbi Taragin who shares this piece from Rabbi Lichtenstein, Gd’s excitement, so to speak.
“The details matter to Him now, just as they did before.”
An important insight into the relationship we have with our Creator. The circumstances do not effect our relationship, just our intentions.
If we repent.
All is truly and completely forgiven.