Deracheha: Women and Mitzvot

Women and Mitzvot

דרכיה דרכי נועם וכל נתיבותיה שלום

Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace

The establishment of Yom Hazikaron on the 4th of I

The establishment of Yom Hazikaron on the 4th of Iyar reminds the State of Israel of the depth of the sacrifice necessary to sustain the country we celebrate on Yom Ha'atzmaut, the 5th of Iyar.
But in Gush Etzion, where Deracheha is located, the 4th of Iyar is not just the day that was chosen for Yom Hazikaron, it also marks the day of the final battle and slaughter in Kfar Etzion in 1948. The final defenders of the Etzion Bloc gave up their lives to defend their land, protected the road to Jerusalem, and made the ultimate sacrifice without ever learning that the State had been established, just one day later.
In the final battle, on May 13th/4th of Iyar 1948, 127 fighters were killed in Kfar Etzion. 22 were women. Among those women, 7 were married, 6 were engaged, and 7 were the last survivor from a family that was wiped out during the Holocaust.

Here is the story of one of those women:
Atara Abrahamson was born on December 28th 1924 in Poland to a well-known Chassidic family. She received a religious education before being sent to Auschwitz. She was the only member of her family to survive. After the war she joined Beni Akiva in Italy and came on a boat to Israel, but was then sent to Cyprus. In 1947 she made aliyah and joined the kibbutz in Kfar Etzion. During the battle she did guard duty and provided first aid. She died in the last battle on the 4th of Iyar, 1948. She was 21.
In our stories we'll share more about the final battle for the Etzion Bloc and those who died defending it.

Rosh Chodesh Iyar often feels like a day full of c

Rosh Chodesh Iyar often feels like a day full of contradictions. It's a festive day during the mourning period of Sefirat Ha'omer. It begins the celebratory lead-up to Yom Ha'atzmaut, though Yom Hazikaron comes first, reminding us of the tragic cost we paid for our country.
And, for the past six years, Rosh Chodesh Iyar has also marked the yartzeit of Rav Aharon Lichtenstein. The loss of Rav Lichtenstein is still painfully fresh for many of us, as we think of all the ways he left his mark. Of course at Deracheha we are particularly appreciative of the way Rav Lichtenstein's support for women's advanced Torah learning paved the way for the work we do. We invite those of you with recollections of him to share them in the comments below.
יהי זכרו ברוך
@inthegush

New article on Keli Gever up now on the site! And

New article on Keli Gever up now on the site!
And make sure to check out the pop-down hashkafa questions, with some fascinating discussions about feminine dress and gender neutral clothing.
Do you have thoughts on this topic? Please share them with us in the comments!
#linkinbio

We’re so excited to be participating in the Glob

We’re so excited to be participating in the Global Family Health and Halacha conference! The Deracheha team will be running a special program for educators on teaching tzniut- check it out!
Register for free at healthandhalacha.com.
@nishmatyoatzot.us @mizrachicanada @healthandhalacha

The Significance of Separating Challa: Why should

The Significance of Separating Challa:

Why should we go out of our way to separate challa for Shabbat? Is it just important for Shabbat?

When we give away part of our hard-won produce before partaking of it, we remember that our nourishment really comes from on high and the fruits of the land are rightly God’s. This is a message for Shabbat and for all times.

The prophet Yechezkel adds that separating challa is a source of blessing for the home:

יחזקאל מד:ל …וְרֵאשִׁית עֲרִסוֹתֵיכֶם תִּתְּנוּ לַכֹּהֵן לְהָנִיחַ בְּרָכָה אֶל בֵּיתֶךָ:
Yechezkel 44:30
…And the first of your kneading you will give to the kohen to set a blessing upon your home.
How does challa provide blessing upon the home? Sefer Ha-chinuch explains what this means:

ספר החינוך מצוה שפה לפי שחיותו של אדם במזונות, ורוב העולם יחיו בלחם, רצה המקום לזכותנו במצוה תמידית בלחמנו כדי שתנוח ברכה בו על ידי המצוה ונקבל בה זכות בנפשנו, ונמצאת העיסה מזון לגוף ומזון לנפש.
Sefer Ha-chinuch 385
Because a person’s sustenance is through grains, and most of the world lives on bread, God wanted to give us the merit of a constant mitzva in our bread, so that a blessing rests upon it through the mitzva and our souls receive merit, and the dough becomes food for the body and food for the soul.
Grains are the cornerstone of our diet. By embedding a mitzva in their preparation, God invites us to make our meals spiritually significant. A person who separates challa enables our food to become “food for the body and food for the soul.” Through this mitzva, women take precedence over men present in infusing eating, one of the most basic physical aspects of life, with spirituality.
(Excerpted from Deracheha's article "Three Mitzvot: The Mitzvot" here: https://www.deracheha.org/three-mitzvot-2/)
@hey_alma #shabbatshalom #shabbat #challah #shtisel

Get the Latest from Deracheha!

Subscribe to our email newsletter.

Stay up to date on new articles and behind-the-scenes features and podcasts that you'll love.