Her name is Shoshana (a pseudonym). I first saw her at a reception for a senior figure to which I was invited. There were handshakes all around, mingling typical of events of this kind, and a series of happenings that would interest any journalist with a healthy curiosity, but I saw her approach a little girl whose heart was touched and sweeten a secret with her.
The intimacy that developed between the two of them tugged at my heartstrings. For a moment it seemed like they were mother and daughter or even two sisters. No. There were no cameras there and no paparazzi documented this real moment.
Later, a friend told me that her son, a young man in his twenties, who worked with Shoshana's husband, said that every time he returned late at night from a trip with the boss, his wife would go out to the car to meet him, even when it was after midnight, and would provide him with rolls filled with all sorts of goodies.
Once she even brought him hot soup from the kitchen. He described her as a motherly woman with a heart of gold. Here too, no one recorded the small gestures that indicate a great personality.
I admit it. I was captivated by the charm of her kind heart.
Another friend of mine, a classmate, who now runs a seminar in Jerusalem, told me that as part of her job, she consults a lot with Shoshana, a psychologist by profession.
""You have no idea how many girls don't even know that they owe their happiness to her, and how many families are happy thanks to her good advice and dedication," that friend told me.
It is clear that no one except that manager and a small number of female staff members are aware of this. Sometimes it is a matter of personal law, quite simply.
It's clear to me that there's no point in me revealing Shoshana's full details in public. No one will believe me anyway. They'll think I'm making this up out of my heart. That I'm just delusional or naive, not to mention engaged in election propaganda.
Ridiculous and despicable communication
So if we can't talk about that Shoshana (you probably know who she is), I'll tell you about another woman, whom we studied in this week's parashah. A great and revered woman, a prophetess and leader of women, and the eldest sister of Moses and Aaron.
Of course, there is no room for comparison between the two, and I have no intention of doing so, but no one will suspect me of election propaganda when I extol the fervent faith of the prophetess Miriam, who was Aaron's sister, Aaron's sister in love for Israel, and that is just a small part of her praise.
Rashi explains where the women got their drums from in the desert, in the following words: "They were promised that the righteous women of the generation for whom the Holy One, blessed be He, would perform miracles and bring out drums from Egypt.".
I have written here before about the simple faith of women. A natural faith devoid of intellectual considerations and unnecessary questions. It was clear to Mary that God's promise would be fulfilled, and therefore one must be prepared for the moment when one must dance in the face of miracles.
Miriam's song and the dance of redemption by the women of the people, who preserved their name, language, and clothing even when immersed in the gates of impurity, are supposed to prepare us for the future, true, and complete redemption, which will come very soon.
God has promised us that He will redeem us, and we have no doubt that this will happen. Are we ready for redemption? Have we prepared the drums for the song of the future redemption, the tenth song? Are we walking in the path of Miriam?
Yes. This is the same Miriam mentioned in "Six Remembrances" following the leprosy she contracted after speaking slanderously about her younger brother. And we must also learn from this case. Miriam the righteous, the prophetess, was "punished" to teach us how great the sin of one who criticizes another is.
The insistence of some Israeli media outlets to slander those who are not part of the "correct" political camp has become so ridiculous that anyone with basic intelligence finds it hard to believe the delusional, misleading, and degrading headlines that characterize the front pages of the Israeli media.
It's not always about Shoshana's husband. In general, every public figure is "kidnapped" and presumed guilty until proven innocent.
True, it's much easier to reserve a seat for an athlete (and lose four seats) than to find something good to say about the woman who is by the side of a man who chose to serve the public even though he lacks nothing.
Between frost and heresy
The men came up "armed" from Egypt. They were equipped with weapons that they would later use in the Amalek war and in the wars with the "Canaanites" and Midian. But the women... were equipped with tons of faith and drums.
You will not hear them complaining about the conditions in the desert. "The people lamented over Moses," the people are the ones who are most certain. The women of Israel never complained.
So much so that when the daughters of Zelophehad stand before Moses and make the claim, "Why should we be cut off?", the Holy Torah dedicates a special chapter to them.
With women, everything is clear. They are not among the skeptics, the rebels, and the hardliners in the Israeli camp. On the contrary, they believe with complete faith in the words of the faithful shepherd that come from the mouth of the hero.
This is the woman's virtue and this is her role. To illuminate the Jewish home, her stronghold, her family, with the light of faith amidst joy and dancing.
Women are not obligated to pray, but when they do, they pray with all their hearts, with warm Jewish emotion. In doing so, they pass on to the next generation the natural faith that is in the heart of every Jew from the cradle of his birth.
Amalek, whom I mentioned above, cooled the bath, bringing coolness to the people of Israel, whose hands were burned by the words of the Torah. The distance between frost and heresy is as thin as a hair. He whose heart is not warm to the Torah and the mitzvot, may easily reach heresy.
Women have a warm and emotional heart (and rightly so. It sometimes bursts out. We call it tears) and therefore their faith is much stronger and firmer, as Deborah the prophetess taught us.
Together for success
As a woman, I was excited yesterday when the representatives of Yahad submitted their list to the Central Elections Committee. I was excited because I saw in this a kind of unity in the observant camp. It is true that, unfortunately, Satan's work succeeded and we did not have a strong and powerful Haredi-religious camp that includes all the circles and groups in the observant community.
But the mix presented by Eli Yishai's movement is a swallow that can testify to the arrival of reason in our regions.
Without going into the differences of views, we should remember the common denominator we all have: the observance of the Torah and the commandments and the desire to protect the lives of the Jews of the Land of Israel (and, by extension, the Jews of the Diaspora).
It is not at all obvious to bring people with different opinions under one roof. But I believe Eli Yishai, who said that evening, "Today we are making history," and I hope that in the next elections, which will probably come sooner than expected given the emerging composition of the 20th Knesset, all the Haredi parties will find themselves in a large and strong Haredi-religious front that will become a leading political force in the State of Israel.
The fact that the agreement between Yahad and Otzma LeIsrael went through so many upheavals and was closed at the last minute indicates that it is a good thing for the people of Israel, because every good thing suffers from setbacks and delays.
It is clear that Satan is seething with rage at the unity achieved despite our differences. He does not want to see us united.
I take advantage of this platform to wish the united movement great success, which will be reflected in a significant increase in the Haredi-Emo power in the next Knesset, and I am certain that if all the observant of the mitzvot were to unite, their power would be much greater.
• Part of the column is based on the talks of the Lubavitcher Rebbe | The writer is the owner of "My Choice", an event host, lecturer, and radio broadcaster. | For comments: [email protected]
Join the Haredim 10 Facebook page >>
Join the X page of Haredim 10 >>
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
