Why Pearls? – Letter Alef – Part 1 – The Aishes Chayil Style
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- Why Pearls? – Letter Alef – Part 1 – The Aishes Chayil Style
אֵשֶׁת חַיִל מִי יִמְצָא וְרָחֹק מִפְּנִינִים מִכְרָהּ.
“A woman of valor who could find? She is far more precious than pearls.”
Gold, silver, diamonds, sapphire… There are many precious items in the world, why does the verse specifically compare the Woman of Valor to be more precious than pearls?
To understand, let us examine the construct of a pearl. A pearl is a hard spherical object produced within the soft tissue of an oyster. A pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The pearl forms inside the oyster as a defense mechanism to a potentially threatening irritant such as a parasite or dirt inside its shell. Its body creates a pearl to seal off the irritation. It deposits layers of a chemical compound called nacre, which makes up mother-of-pearl. What emerges is that if one were to open up the beautiful pearl, you would find a piece of dirt at its center!
In life, everyone has both strong and weak points. The lesson of the pearl is that it too has its beauty and its negative part. The Aishes Chayil is dedicated to seeing the good in things and not being distracted by the bad. She focuses on the beauty of the pearl and not on its speck of dirt. This focus allows her to nurture the strengths of those around her and bring out the beauty of life while instilling happiness and satisfaction in her home.
Rabbi Chaim Volozin zt”l (1749-1821) explains the verse (Mishlei 27:19): “As water reflects a face back to a face, so one’s heart is reflected back to him by another.” Each person has strengths and weaknesses. The right hand represents strength (most people are righties); the left hand represents weakness (most people’s left hand is weaker). When I stand directly face to face with you and hold out my right hand, it reaches for your parallel hand which is your left. When I stick out my left hand, it touches your right hand which is opposite me. This hints to human nature which is that one’s right hand (strong focus) often goes for another person’s left hand (his weaknesses); one’s minor focus (left hand) often gives minimal attention to another’s positive strengths (right hand).
All this is true except in one case: When you look in the mirror! There, one stretches out his right hand and touches his own right hand reflecting. One stretches out his left hand and touches his own left. This represents the fact that our own focus (right hand) is on our personal strengths and our left hand (minimal focus) meekly touches the left (our weaknesses). Rabbi Volozin explains that when we love and respect someone we fulfill this verse, it is as if we are looking in the mirror and all we focus on is their strengths and positive aspects!
Categories: Uncategorized Pearls, Pure Love and Respect, Woman of Valor
