"A Woman of Strength, who can find? Her worth is far beyond pearls" Every Friday night, Orthodox men traditionally serenade their wives with the hymn Aishet Chayel. Believed to have been originally composed by the patriarch Abraham and then placed into poetic verse by King Solomon, this hymn can be interpreted on an allegorical level as referring to Shabbat, or, on a literal level, as singing the praises of the woman of the household.
With a burst of candlelight, chocolate coins and Menorah and mistletoe decorations sharing the window of the 35th Street and 3rd Avenue D'Agostino store, another Hanukkah has passed. Everyone knows it, too; one of the mitzvoth of Hanukkah is advertising the Hanukkah miracle-the alleged triumph of a tiny jar of pure olive oil fueling the Second Temple's menorah for eight whole days, following an unlikely Maccabee victory over the Greek army and Jewish Hellenists.
I am a pre-med student at Stern College for Women. With that statement alone, I have associated myself with a certain large group of young women here. I have taken many of my classes, attended numerous pre-med events, and vied for research positions and Honors project mentors with these same young women.
On the morning of Sunday, December 6, I watched more than 400 people-adults and students, parents and children, young and old-fill the DRS High School Beit Midrash in Woodmere, NY. Both the first and second floors of the Beit Midrash overflowed with attendees who came eager to participate in a discussion about a pressing issue facing the Jewish community.
When I first arrived at Stern College for Women this fall, I was extremely excited to get involved on campus and become an active participant in the various extracurricular activities that Stern has to offer. Every time I went to a speech about why Stern is the right school for me, a young Modern Orthodox Jewish maideleh, I heard the same lines about how there is so much to take advantage of on campus and how in a regular college-due to Sabbath and holiday restraints-it would be extremely difficult for me to get as involved in the myriad of activities offered there as it would be in Stern.
Since first coming to college (a depressing number of years ago), a poor untutored soul, come to reap the benefit of a university education, I've learned all kinds of useful information. I've learned, for instance, that just about everything in this world comes in cycles.