Standing Firm, Stepping Forward
In memory of Professor Alice Shalvi (16 October 1926 – 2 October 2023),
marking the centenary of her birth.
━━━━━━━
Sometimes, the course of a life can change with a single word.
In Parashat Chayei Sarah, a young woman is asked whether she will leave her family, her homeland and everything familiar to begin a new life in the Land of Canaan.
She has never met the man she is to marry. The journey ahead is long, and the future uncertain. Yet when her family asks whether she is willing to go, her answer is immediate:
אֵלֵךְ
I will go.
Bereishit 24:58
Rivka’s decision was her own. She could not know what awaited her, but she was prepared to take that step.
Yet before Rivka stepped forward, Sara had already laid the foundation.
The parasha opens by counting Sara’s years: one hundred, twenty and seven. Her life had been marked by displacement, years of childlessness and trials that tested her faith. She knew that the covenant Hashem had made with Avraham was to continue through their son Yitzchak.
When she insisted that Hagar and Yishmael leave the household, Avraham was deeply troubled. Yet Sara would not yield, and Hashem instructed Avraham to listen to her voice.
She recognised what needed to be protected, even when it meant taking a stand against those closest to her.
Rivka’s strength revealed itself differently. At the well, she recognised the needs of a stranger and acted without waiting to be asked. That willingness to act would soon lead her far beyond the familiar surroundings of her childhood.
One stood firm. The other stepped forward.
Generations later, that same determination would find expression in the life of a woman who helped change the opportunities available to women in Israel.
In 1949, a young woman who had grown up in England left for the newly established State of Israel. Her name was Alice Shalvi.
Years later, while helping to establish an English department at Ben-Gurion University in the Negev, she was denied a senior academic appointment because she was a woman. Rather than accept the discrimination, she joined other women in challenging it.
But it was in a Jerusalem classroom that some of her most enduring work would take shape.
In 1975, when Pelech, a religious girls’ school, faced closure, Shalvi volunteered to lead it until a replacement could be found. What began as a temporary commitment became fifteen years of leadership.
Under her guidance, Pelech challenged the boundaries of religious girls’ education. Girls were given opportunities for serious Jewish learning, including Talmud, alongside a demanding general education. They were encouraged to question, think independently and take responsibility for their place in society.
Shalvi did not see commitment to Jewish tradition and the advancement of women’s opportunities as opposing forces. Her work demonstrated that both could flourish together.
Her achievements extended into Israeli society. As founding chair of the Israel Women’s Network, she continued working to advance women’s opportunities and rights. She had encountered barriers in her own life and devoted much of her career to opening doors for others.
Alice Shalvi’s convictions found expression in the country she chose to call home.
Settling the Land of Israel is a mitzvah for all generations, teaches the Ramban. It was not simply a place to visit or a distant hope to cherish, but a land in which Jewish life was meant to be lived.
Before Rivka departed on her journey, her family blessed her:
אֲחֹתֵנוּ אַתְּ הֲיִי לְאַלְפֵי רְבָבָה
Our sister, may you become thousands of myriads.
Bereishit 24:60
Rivka could not see the future that awaited her descendants. She could only see the journey before her.
Avraham heard לֶךְ־לְךָ.
Rivka answered אֵלֵךְ.
שבת שלום
שמואל
The Kindness That Binds
