Women of Valor: Remembering the Oppressed
Ilana Hostyk
Issue date: 12/21/09 Section: Opinion
"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.
Although I have always heard it in my home, as my father sings it to my mother, I have also observed the omission of the prayer in homes with single occupants. At first, this made complete sense to me, as the content of the song is that of a husband praising his wife. I started to omit it from my own Friday nights, since a song regaling a wife has no relevance to my life at this point. However, if Aishet Chayel is a song sung by a husband to a wife, I wondered, why do we sing Aishet Chayel on Friday nights at Stern College for Women, and should we continue to do so?
"She seeks wool and linen, and works with willing hands,
She is like a ship laden with merchandise, bringing her food from afar"
Soon after I began to omit the hymn, I began to feel that something was missing from my Friday night. Bothered by this sense of unease, I set out to re-analyze the text that had been so familiar to me as a child. After a close, careful reading, I concluded that Aishet Chayel is not simply a song of a husband to a wife, as a simple overview might imply. Rather, this ode is a song of praise for all women-everywhere-married, single, or somewhere in between. It is a song that celebrates the wonder and potential of the female person. Aishet Chayel represents a view of women other than simple sexual or housebound objects. Aishet Chayel beautifully professes the extreme importance of women and their contributions to society.
Aishet Chayal. A woman of valor. Each poetic line highlights the strength and influence of strong, empowered women. The verses extol virtues such as independence, taking initiative, altruism, strength, and dignity. With this in mind, Aishet Chayel would be much more relevant at Stern College and elsewhere if the recitation of this song was dedicated to the sufferings of women worldwide.
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.
Although I have always heard it in my home, as my father sings it to my mother, I have also observed the omission of the prayer in homes with single occupants. At first, this made complete sense to me, as the content of the song is that of a husband praising his wife. I started to omit it from my own Friday nights, since a song regaling a wife has no relevance to my life at this point. However, if Aishet Chayel is a song sung by a husband to a wife, I wondered, why do we sing Aishet Chayel on Friday nights at Stern College for Women, and should we continue to do so?
"She seeks wool and linen, and works with willing hands,
She is like a ship laden with merchandise, bringing her food from afar"
Soon after I began to omit the hymn, I began to feel that something was missing from my Friday night. Bothered by this sense of unease, I set out to re-analyze the text that had been so familiar to me as a child. After a close, careful reading, I concluded that Aishet Chayel is not simply a song of a husband to a wife, as a simple overview might imply. Rather, this ode is a song of praise for all women-everywhere-married, single, or somewhere in between. It is a song that celebrates the wonder and potential of the female person. Aishet Chayel represents a view of women other than simple sexual or housebound objects. Aishet Chayel beautifully professes the extreme importance of women and their contributions to society.
Aishet Chayal. A woman of valor. Each poetic line highlights the strength and influence of strong, empowered women. The verses extol virtues such as independence, taking initiative, altruism, strength, and dignity. With this in mind, Aishet Chayel would be much more relevant at Stern College and elsewhere if the recitation of this song was dedicated to the sufferings of women worldwide.
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