Alacrity – Letter Tzadi (Aishes Ovadya) – The Aishes Chayil Style
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צופיה הליכות ביתה ולחם עצלות לא תאכל.
“She anticipates the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of laziness.”
The Aishes Chayil is in tune with her family’s needs (Rashi). She sees what they need and works to provide it for them. What does the first part of the verse have to do with the second, she is attentive and not lazy. The Midrash (Mishlei 31) states that this verse refers to the righteous wife of the Prophet Ovadya whose merit saved her children and prevented them from serving Avodah Zarah with Achav. What is this referring to?
Queen Isebel was the evil wife of King Achav and she set out on a mission to kill all of the Neveim of Hashem (Melachim I, 18). Ovadya and his wife acted quickly and took two groups of 50 Neveim each and hid them in two separate caves feeding and tending to them with great personal sacrifice until the danger passed. When Ovadya died, he left a tremendous debt because of this project and his wife went to Elisha in order to get help in paying it back. Elisha told her to borrow all the pots and containers that she could get her hands on. She was then to simply pour her last oil jug and fill up as many more empty jugs as she needed. She did just that and through this miracle she paid off all of the debt and supported her family with the leftovers (Melachim II, 4).
Pesikta D’Rav Kahana (2:5) states that there was a tremendous wrath against the Jews at the time of Isevel and they deserved to be wiped out for allowing murder and Avoda Zarah to take place. It was only in the merit of Aishes Ovadya’s dedication and encouragement to her husband to help safe the 100 Neveim that allowed for the Jews to be spared.
Aishes Ovadya was dedicated to the task of doing anything in her power to keep the link of Neveim and Toras Emes alive. She knew that she was risking her own life and financial security with the undertaking, but she knew that it had to be done. It was in the merit of these actions that she helped her husband and two sons become the greatest that they could be and she saved Klal Yisrael from being annihilated.
Her actions showed a deep care and concern for the Jewish nation and she proved herself to be selfless and a true hero. She could have simply told her husband that she did not want to take on this monumental undertaking, but her commitment to the needs of Klal Yisrael and her absence of any laziness propelled her and encouraged her family to greatness. It is most apropos to note that the oil that she pour was unlimited. The only reason that it stopped flowing was because she ran out of vessels to fill. This signifies that Hashem is ready to help us do anything that we set our minds to. He wants us to have unlimited success. There is no limit to the greatness that we can achieve when we set our minds to it.
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