Yocheved

The Torah then lists and counts Jacob’s family – children and grandchildren – noting that they totaled 70 people. The 70th and youngest in this census was Levi’s daughter Yocheved, whom we will meet later as the mother of Moses.

כָּל הַנֶּפֶשׁ לְבֵית יַעֲקֹב הַבָּאָה מִצְרַיְמָה שִׁבְעִים: (בראשית מו:כז)

The total of Jacob’s household who came to Egypt was 70 persons. Genesis 46:27

By descending into the Egyptian exile, the Jewish people began the process of elevating and transforming the 70 nations of the world. Yocheved’s birth just before Jacob’s family entered Egypt brought their number to 70, thus enabling Jacob to begin the mission of refining the 70 nations.

The process of transforming the world is twofold: first, we must cure the world of its opposition to holiness, and then, we must transform it into holiness. The former is the “masculine,” assertive approach, whereas the latter is the “feminine,” nurturing approach.

Thus, the commandments entrusted to women – ensuring that the family is nourished in accordance with the Torah’s laws, ensuring the safety and spiritual warmth of the home (as exemplified by kindling the Sabbath candles), and sanctifying marital life – are all ways of transforming the mundane aspects of ordinary human life into expressions of holiness.1

FOOTNOTES
1.	Likutei Sichot, vol. 20, pp. 218 ff. 7th Lubavitcher Rebbe Translated and Adapted by Moshe Wisnefsky

What factors should a man look for in a girl in deciding whether to marry her? r miller

 

QUESTION:   What factors should a man look for in a girl in deciding whether to marry her?

ANSWER: I spoke about this about a dozen times, so I'll say it briefly again just to please this person.      First of all, she has to be a girl that agrees with his opinions. She has to be m'kabel Ol Malchus Shamayim, she wants to live a frum Jewish life. Never marry with the intention and the hope of changing her – forget about it.      Secondly, she has to be a girl that's healthy – physically and mentally; and in case you're not, you can't be choosy. If you are physically and mentally healthy, then watch out! Be careful whom you marry.      Thirdly, she has to have good character; a good character is very rare – very rare. You'll think she has good character, you'll know better a little later. However do the best you can, ascertain her character. Ask the teachers in the Bais Yaakov School that she attended; sometimes they'll tell you part of the truth. If they say very enthusiastically, so deduct 90%, and it might be worth marrying her. If they're not enthusiastic, and just say she's a fine girl, then forget about it.      If possible, she should come from a good family, because a family in the background has a big influence. If it's not the right kind of a family, then who knows what's going to happen to your children? You want to have good grandparents if possible, good uncles and aunts if possible. So if she could come from a good family, it's worthwhile, too.      It's very important to marry a girl from the same environment as you come from. That's why marry a girl who's in the same country, don't marry a girl from another country. Sometimes it's successful, but there's always a strain on the marriage; always. A man and a woman are two different nationalities; the gemara says that a man and a woman are really two different nations, Noshim am b'fnei atzmom heim (Shabbos 60A). And to put more of a strain on that is not necessary.      So always marry people from the same background. They have the same interests, they have the same kind of food they eat, the same customs; that makes it easier to remain married successfully. It's a very important point.

How Do Women Achieve Perfection?

 How Do Women Achieve Perfection?

“Greater is the assurance which the Holy One blessed be He gave to women, more than to the men.” (Brachos 17A).

Greater is the assurance which the Holy One blessed be He gave to women, more than to the men.” (Brachos 17A).

Men have more tests to undergo, and more complicated responsibilities. In addition, men are more readily motivated by the desire for glory, whereas “the tranquil women and the trusting daughters” (ibid.) seek no fame and compete with no one. The Jewish wife and mother can more readily achieve her destiny through her home, and she can most successfully find favor in G-d's sight by cherishing the womanly virtues of humility, patience, peace and trust in G-d’s providence. — Awake, My Glory

Lub. Rebbe - Sarah

  (בראשית כא:יב)

G-d said to Abraham, “ . . . Whatever Sarah tells you, heed her voice.” Genesis 21:12

The more attuned a prophet is to the affairs of this world, the greater his or her degree of prophecy. Since Abraham was somewhat detached from worldly matters, he could not perceive Ishmael’s true negativity. Sarah, in contrast, was more involved in worldly matters, so she readily was able to perceive Ishmael’s evil. Her prophetic vision was therefore superior to Abraham’s.

Furthermore, we are taught that in the Messianic Era, the feminine aspect of creation will rise above the masculine. Abraham’s and Sarah’s spiritual refinement was so lofty that it enabled them to experience a foretaste of the Messianic Era. For this reason, too, Sarah’s prophetic vision was superior to Abraham’s.

Nowadays, as we approach the Messianic Era, all of us can welcome the flowering of feminine power in the world, acknowledging that women’s more intense experience of physical life grants them a higher level of spiritual insight than that given to men.1

FOOTNOTES
1.	Likutei Sichot, vol. 1, p. 31.

Rav Avigdor Miller on Light Headed Women Save The Day

 Rav Avigdor Miller on Light Headed Women Save The Day

Q:

How is the statement nashim daatan kalos, that women have light minds, explained?

A:

And the answer is that women are not stubborn. And it’s a wonder, it’s a miracle that they’re not. Because why should she marry you? You propose to her – what do you have to offer? Many times it’s a miracle that any man gets married. You look at his face and listen to him talk, and you’re surprised that he got married. But he found some foolish girl who took him. Almost every fool finds a foolish woman that accepts him. And that’s nashim daatan kalos, women are light headed. 

And even after they married, they’re light headed in the sense that even though sometimes they’re wronged, sometimes they’re insulted, but it's not so hard to win over an angry wife. To win over an angry husband is a more difficult job. Men are more stubborn and women are more yielding. That’s what it means; their minds are lighter – they’re more yielding. And it’s a very great advantage in the family because when there are quarrels, it’s usually the woman who takes the first step to placate the husband.  Otherwise, when you have an embittered woman, a stubborn woman, so you know you’re headed for divorce. It’s a great blessing that woman are daatan kalos. 

Now, it doesn’t mean in a negative sense, that their minds are lightheaded, that they don’t have sense. In a certain sense it’s the opposite – the gemara says that bina yeseira nitna lenashim, that women have a stronger understanding; they can have intuition in certain areas where many men will do foolish things, dangerous things, and even risk their parnasa and sometimes their lives, whereas a woman sees through it right away. 

Here is a man who got a bump on his car from somebody driving behind him. So he gets out bristling and shouting. But he made a mistake because now there comes out from the other car a very big man. But he wants to maintain his bluff, so he raises his fists. And his wife sees that there’s tzaros. So his wife screams and drags him back to the car.

Now, that’s the worst thing that could be; it’s a big shame for him to retreat. But his wife is pulling him, so he acts like he’s yielding to her and he gratefully climbs back into the car. You see this always on the street. Because with a little bit of common sense a woman can look through all the falsehood of men’s artificial lives. To him, to win the battle of staring him down, that’s more important than saving his life. But to her, to save him from getting being beaten up is more important than winning the staring battle. That’s what it means nashim daatan kalos.

TAPE # 427

San 22

 The Gemara asks: Is that so that it is this difficult to find a match? But doesn’t Rav Yehuda say that Rav says: Forty days before the formation of the fetus a Divine Voice emerges and states: The daughter of so-and-so shall be the wife of so-and-so? Why should matching them be so difficult, since they are prepared for this from before their birth? The Gemara responds: This is not difficult. This latter statement, about predestined matches, is stated with regard to the first match; that former statement, about the difficulty of matchmaking, is stated with regard to the second match.  

Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman says: For everything that is lost there is a substitute, except for one’s wife from youth who dies, as it is stated: “And a wife from youth, can she be rejected?” (Isaiah 54:6). Rav Yehuda taught Rav Yitzḥak, his son: A man finds calmness of spirit only from his first wife, as it is stated: “Let your fountain be blessed and have joy with the wife of your youth” (Proverbs 5:18). Rav Yitzḥak, his son, said to him: Such as whom? Rav Yehuda said to him: Such as your mother.

 Rav Shmuel bar Unya says in the name of Rav: A woman is raw material, like a vessel that has not been completed, and makes a covenant, becoming truly connected, only to the one who made her a vessel through her first act of sexual intercourse, as it is stated: “For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name” (Isaiah 54:5).  San 22

arrogant

“You must learn middos. You must learn how important it is to guard your tongue against onas devarim. You must learn the quality of anava, to be an anav -- a husband and a wife, especially today. Women today are very arrogant. American women are extremely arrogant. Women who can overcome this problem are not so arrogant, but they are very stubborn and contentious. We must learn good middos.”

Rabbi Avigdor Miller, zt’l, Audio # 603, “Rebuilding the Sanctuary of the Jewish Home” , 1:17:09

Whence lady rabbis?

Whence lady rabbis?

Orthodox rabbis everywhere are condemning Open Orthodoxy and its call for lady rabbis and other engagement by females in halachically prescribed and traditional male activity like reading from the Torah and the wearing of tzitzis and tefillin. However, many of these very same rabbis bear responsibility for encouraging this new trend by teaching that women are more spiritual than men.

The teaching that women are more spiritual than men implies that a man's role is more spiritual than a woman's. How so? One can reasonably ask, if women are more spiritual, shouldn't they be the rabbis and spiritual leaders of the home? So apologists like to say, the men "catch up" via Torah study, tefillin, and other positive time-bound commandments to which women are exempt. However, in order to catch up the man's day must be more spiritual than the woman's or he'd never catch up. Thus, according to that logic, taking care of the home and the children really is a less spiritual path.

But isn't this precisely what we didn't want the women to conclude? See where dishonesty gets you? No wonder we have women today that want to be rabbis and wear tefillin. Rabbis condemn them, but these women are in many respects products of what they have been taught by some of those very same rabbis. These women want to be spiritual. And they have been taught that the man's role is more spiritual.

Why do I call the apologetics dishonesty? Because there are no Torah sources that teach them. R' Samson R. Hirsch is most commonly cited. But one has to read his words carefully. He says only that the Torah “did not consider them necessary to be demanded from women” in part because they have “more faithful enthusiasm for their God-serving calling.” (Vayikra 23, Levy trans.) People get lost on his use of the word "necessary." A Levi doesn't need to do Birchos Cohanim. Only the Kohen, who has more holiness, has that “need.” The woman doesn't “need” those mitzvos for her role. But she doesn't have the man's role. You can't mix and match.

R' Hirsch also says that "The male sex is zachar, it is the depository of the Divine revelations and the spiritual attainments of the human race. To it has been entrusted the zicharon, the tradition of the human race as it has developed, in him is formed the spiritual chain which links together the beginning and the end of the human race. (JE, Vol. 2; CW, Vol. VIII, "The Jewish Woman") This is not something you'd want to assign to the less spiritual person. Rav Hirsch also says in many places that men and women are equal in their spiritual levels even as their roles are different. Examples:

"In the word איש and אשה. (man and a female man I.L.) lay the guarantee for the equality in rank and mutually complementing calling of Man and Woman. As long as man and woman were איש and אשה. there was no need for man to be emancipated from woman nor woman from man, neither could make the other into a slave nor yet into a god or goddess. The first who altered this designation - as indeed our sages remark, in no other language are man and woman designated by words coming from the same root and so regarded from the same trend of thought – brought it about that one man would yoke his woman to the plough while the other would throw himself at her feet." (R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, Genesis 11 :58)

“God has divided the sexes, giving each specific tasks in the fulfillment of life. Both tasks, if fulfilled in purity are equally sublime, equally holy.” R' Samson Raphael Hirsch: Horeb 433

"The change from singular to plural, which we have tried to reproduce in our translation of this first mention of man and woman in the story of the creation, already indicates the full equality of status, nay, the inner unity between man and woman in the conception and the destiny of "man formed in the image of God." This term embraces both sexes. Only man and woman together make up the idea of "man", and God created both of them alike without intermediary, and with the same conscious effort of will power."  R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, Judaism Eternal, vol. II, p 51.

That women have more enthusiasm for their calling doesn’t mean they have more enthusiasm than men and doesn’t mean they would have the same enthusiasm for the man’s calling. The Baal Magen Avraham on Yalkut Shemoni, Shmuel 1:1 says that women are exempt from the positive time-bound commandments because their yetzer tov is smaller than the man's and if commanded they liked wouldn’t fulfill those commandments.

As for other commentators, the Maharal says in many places that men are more spiritual than women (Tiferes Yisroel 4 and 28, Derech Chaim 1:5, Chidushei Agados Makkos 23b, Gur Aryeh, Vayikra 12:2 ) and says that women are exempt from positive time-bound commandments for this reason (Chidushei Agados Makkos 23b, Tiferes Yisroel 4). The Akeidas Yitzchok says women are exempt from these commandments because they are weaker. (Akeidas Yitzchak, Bereishis 6)

But not all that is suitable for the general public. May we suggest that going forward we teach simply that men and women are equal in spiritual levels but different in roles? So taught the great leaders of our era Rav Moshe Feinstein, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, R' Joseph Soloveitchik, and R' Avigdor Miller.

R' Feinstein said that every mention of holiness in the Chumash refers to both men and women, telling us that the two genders are equal in holiness. The exemption of women from positive time-bound commandments is as the word says an exemption so that she can engage in child rearing and chesed. (Igros Moshe, Orach Chaim IV #49)

R' Feinstein writes elsewhere:

"...every Jew should realize that he is sanctified with the holiness of the Jew, and it is only because of that holiness that we were given the Torah and obligated to do the mitzvos. As I have often written, mitzvos cannot be fulfilled properly unless the doer has the holiness of the Jew. The Kohanim, who have additional mitzvos, must have the particular holiness of Kohanim....The expression "Who has sanctified us with His mitzvos" should not be misunderstood as meaning that mitzvos are the source of the sanctity. It is self-understood that the sanctity the blessing refers to is the underlying sanctity of every Jew -- that which enables us to fulfill the mitzvos." (Darash Moshe, Volume II, p. 154, Vayikra, Kedoshim)

Thus, we should not say that men are not unholy until they do the mitzvos because their holiness is what obligates them in those mitzvos. Women also are holy, only they are exempt from certain mitzvos so that they can do other mitzvos. It's not that the women are less holy and not that they are more holy.

R' Soloveitchik said:

"The foremost distinguishing characteristic bestowed upon man is his Divine image, his tzelem Elohim, which denotes particular qualitative endowments, such as a moral sense, free will, and intellect. Man partakes of these attributes within human limitations, while God's representation of these qualities is absolute. Maimonides embodied man's likeness to God primarily in terms of his intellect (Guide 1: 1). This Divine gift was given to both men and women. 'And God created man with His image. In the image of God, He created him; male and female He created them.' (Gen. 1:27). In their spiritual natures, they were equally worthy." (Man of Faith in the Modern World, p. 84).

The Lubavitcher Rebbe said that when a husband (or future husband) does those mitzvos, he does them on behalf of his wife. She is affected by his actions. (Sichos in English, Iyar-Tammuz 5744, Vol. 21, pp. 69-72) He said also the exemption is not because women are inferior (but he does NOT say it is because they are superior).

R' Miller also says that the father performs those special mitzvos on behalf of the whole family (Q&A: Thursday Nights with Rabbi Miller, pp. 189-190) and that

"As we know, men are commanded to perform mitzvos asei she'haz'man grama, time-bound mitzvos. Women, on the other hand, are not required to perform these mitzvos. What is the reason for this difference? The answer is that women have other important obligations to tend to, which exempt her from these commandments. A woman must know that she is a briah shel chessed, she has been created for the purpose of performing chessed. Being a wife and mother is a very significant role, and it requires her to be selfless and totally dedicated to performing chessed! It takes a woman's entire effort to succeed in being an efficient mother and wife. Investing her abilities in raising children is very time consuming but is a tremendous zechus for her!" (Rabbi Avigdor Miller Speaks, p. 272)

Nobody is spiritually superior. That's the way for this generation to think of it. Let us note how the sages of our generation handle it and follow their lead. Otherwise, to quote a gentile writer "O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive!" (Walter Scott)

a man may reincarnate into the body of a woman

שער הגלגולים, הקדמה ט'
גם דע, כי לפעמים יתגלגל האיש בגוף נקבה, לסבת איזה עון ...

Sha'ar Hagilgulim, Chapter 9
Sometimes a man may reincarnate into the body of a woman because of a sin, (cultural context) …

R' Yosef Kaaro - Shilchon Aruch רבי יוסף קארו - המחבר 17th Century Ottoman Palestine

מגיד מישרים ח׳:ג׳

(ג) הלא אודעתך בשבת שעבר רזין דתרין נשי קמיית', והשתא אתינא לאודעותך רזא דהאי איתתא תליתאה, הלא לך למינדע דהאי אתתא הות בזמן עבר זכר ת"ח כשר אלא דהוה כילי בממוניה ולא הוה עביד מיניה צדקה, וגם הוי כילי בחכמתו ולא היה רוצה ללמד לאחרים ועל כן נענש להתגלגל בנקבה מדה כנגד מדה הוא לא היה רוצה להשפיע לאחרים כעין אותם שמזכירים אותם לגנאי כי על הראשונים נאמר זכר צדיק לברכה כלומר הצדיק הוא משפיע לאחרים הוא גורם שצדיק יסוד עולם ישפיע בכנסת ישראל, וזה שאמר זכר כלומר שיסוד הוא גורם שיעשה פעולת זכר, ולפיכך אינה יולדת בחברתך אבל אני אעשה שיתנוצצו בה נצוצות מנשמת נקבה, וזה סוד ויתן יי לה הריון ותלד בן האמור ברות מלמד שלא היה לה עיקר מטרין הוא הדבר שאמרתי שנשמתה היה נשמת זכר כי היא היתה תמר, וכבר אמרתי שנשמת תמר היתה נשמת זכר. והנה סיבת עכבת לידת אשתך זהו בסבת שנשמת שניכם נשמת זכר ועכשיו כבר התנוצצו בה ניצוצות נשמת נקבה ועל ידי כך תקבל הריון ממך, וזכתה לכך ע"י מעשיה הטובים ועל ידי הצער שנצטערה על ידי שגלית מאצלה. וגם ע"י הצער שנצטערה בשירות חולייך כי כל כך זוכה כשיסורים באים עליו כשסובלם בסבר פנים יפות כמו שזוכה בעשיית מצוה. והטעם לפי שעל ידי היסורים בגוף מתחלש כח הטומאה ומזדככת הנפש מטומאת זוהמת הנחש ונשארה טהורה ונקיה, והנה נתנוצצו בה ניצוצות הללו מנשמת בת זוגך, ועד עכשיו לא היה אפשר מפני שהיתה נשואה לאחר ועכשיו נתאלמנה, וע"י הזכיות הנז' נתנוצצו ממנה ניצוצות בזוגתך זאת כדי שתוליד ממנה כאשר אמרתי וע"י הדברים האלו הנזכרים זכתה להתנוצץ בה ניצוצות נשמת נקבה ועל ידי כן תלד לו בנים זכרים כאשר הבטחתיך ואמרתי לך ואתה שלום:

Maggid Meisharim 8:3

I have already revealed to you last Shabbat concerning your first two wives. Now I have come to reveal to you the secret your third wife.
You should know that this woman was in the past, a proper male Torah scholar. However, he was stingy with his money and would not give charity. He was also stingy with his wisdom and would not teach others. He was therefore punished that his soul migrated into a woman, measure for measure…
Therefore, his soul was incarnated into a female, who is constantly receiving and needs someone to bequeath to her. Therefore you see, that she does abundant charity and loves you very much because you work to spread Torah and toil in writing books to teach others…because these things bring about the rectification of her soul, she therefore loves you…
It is because she has the soul of a male that you have not had children from her, because a male and another male cannot produce offspring. If you shall point out that she has children from her first husband, this is because the first husband has the spark of a female soul within him…
(The magid explains at length above, that it is entirely possible for a male to have a female soul and vice versa.)

Baal HaTanya

Torah Ohr, Volume 1, Parshas Vayigash, page 86 in the standard Kehot edition

Talks about how the higher source becomes lower when put in this world. Also the higher depends on the lower. Thus the grass depends on dirt but not the reverse because the grass is higher. You see in this some reflection of the higher source of the dirt even though it is lower in this world.

R' Hirsch and Magen Avraham

Rav Hirsch says women have more enthusiasm for their mitzvos. This doesn't mean they would have more for the men's mitzvos. Indeed we see in the Zies Ra'anan (Magen Avraham) that women are exempt from positive time bound commandments because their yetzer tov is smaller and if commanded would likely not be motivated to perform them.