Awesome Jewish woman

In the Land of Israel during Biblical times there were Jewish women like Miriam, Deborah and Huldah who were Prophets (Exodus 15:20, Judges 4:4, and 2Kings 22:14) yet during the reign of Orthodox Rabbis there were no woman rabbis.

The first female rabbis were ordained by the Reform Jewish movement in England, Germany, Israel and the U.S.

Jewish woman filled with passion and spirit have never been absent from Jewish life: they were just ignored by almost all Orthodox Rabbis, most of whom took for granted their mothers, sisters and wives and failed to praise them and their holy activities publicly as did the following three Hassidic Rabbis.

When his wife died the Baal Shem Tov said, “I thought I could rise to heaven in a whirlwind like Elijah, but now that I am only half a body this is no longer possible.”

When Rabbi Hirsh returned from his wife’s funeral he was overheard saying to himself, “Up to now I was able to experience God’s presence here on earth through marriage. Now I shall have to experience God’s presence directly.” Two weeks later he died.

Rabbi Zusya of Hanipol said, “My mother Mirl did not pray from a book because she could not read. All she knew was how to say the various blessings. But wherever she was when she said the morning blessings, that place radiated God’s presence for the whole day.”

The memory of these saintly Jewish women was preserved because they were mentioned by their husbands or father who were well known Rabbis.

But many more wonderful stories about Jewish woman were not preserved because most Orthodox Rabbis did not make an effort to publicize the wonderful deeds of Jewish woman.

I try to make up in some small way for their omission. For example, see my Midrash about how Queen Vashti became Jewish.