The Jewish Sabbath is given specific to the people of Israel as the sign of the Covenant between Israel and God.

Chayil means: power, resources, army, effective. Eshet (smichut) comes from “isha” and means: wife, woman, a wife opposite her husband

During Shavuot the book of Ruth is read. Ruth is the only woman who is called a: woman of valor. The only place where we find the more specific characteristics of a woman of valor is in Proverbs 31

Prov.31:10 "A good wife who can find? She is more precious than corals." Here a good wife is also translated as: woman of valor. In Hebrew this is: eshet chayil.

After all the pain Naomi and Ruth went through a time of healing was finally coming.

A grateful heart is an attitude and an art of living that is worthwhile learning. It will greatly benefit us. The picture is a mural in Jerusalem made by Elhanan Ben-Avraham.

We have to be creative and watch out to enter into a life of routine and being bored. Our lives are going to lose than the most important ingrediënt: passion.

The mother of Moses, Yocheved understood according to a Midrash (a story) in the Talmud, that the astrologers of Egypt knew that a savior was going to be born in Israel.

Tuesday, called after the Germanic god: thingsus, god of community; Wednesday, called after Germanic head-god wodan, etc.

They were righteous women that acted out of faith and they were “Eshet chayil” or “strong woman”. Also we are called to be strong and do deeds that have eternal value.

May we also as women of faith in our time with our own challenges not forget to look for deliverance from difficult and sometimes seemingly impossible situations.