In chapter 31, in the section of "Eshet Chayil," the Malbim proceeds as is his custom on two parallel planes: the plane of peshat (the literal meaning), in which the text speaks of a practical, diligent, and loyal woman who manages her home and her commerce; and the plane of melitzah (allegory), in which "Eshet Chayil" represents the soul - that soul drawn toward spirituality, which labors in this world to bring perfection to itself and to others. In this lesson, we will examine the verses describing the diligence of the Eshet Chayil both inside and outside the home, her commerce, her labors, and her righteousness, seeing how every detail is interpreted both regarding the woman in the home and regarding the soul within the body.
וַתָּקָם בְּעוֹד לַיְלָה וַתִּתֵּן טֶרֶף לְבֵיתָהּ וְחֹק לְנַעֲרֹתֶיהָ׃ - She rises while it is still night, and provides food for her household and a prescribed portion for her maidservants.
According to the literal meaning, as explained by the Malbim and the Vilna Gaon: the Eshet Chayil attends to the inner needs of the home, rising while it is still night to prepare nourishment and sustenance. Note the careful distinction in the verse: "teref" (food/nourishment) is said of her household, whereas of her maidservants it says "vechok" (and a prescribed portion). The maidservants are those who serve her, and to them she gives a set allotment: what is owed, according to what was stipulated and what she committed to provide them. A "chok" is something measured and defined. By contrast, to the members of her own household she provides nourishment without measure - abundant food and all good things to their hearts' content. Servants receive according to a set quota, while the children of the household receive without limit.
By way of allegory, the Malbim explains that this refers to the soul. What is "night"? This world is compared to night, whereas the World to Come is in the category of day: "Night shines like the day, darkness and light are alike." This world is darkness: a person walks here and cannot see the Master of the Universe; he lives amidst the obscurity of physical reality and the darkness of coarse matter. The World to Come is a reality of light: "And the light of the moon shall be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, like the light of the seven days." Coarse physical matter forms an opaque screen that blocks our spiritual perceptions and our connection to the Creator.
Yet despite all this, that Eshet Chayil - the soul drawn to spirituality - "rises while it is still night." She does not wait for the World to Come to recognize the Creator of the universe, for there is no great wisdom in doing so there; rather, here, when the world is like night, here she awakens. Already in this world, the purified soul senses spiritual realities and yearns for divine wisdom and the study of Torah. "She provides food for her household" refers to the study of Torah, which is the nourishment of the faculties of intellect and understanding, and which she dispenses without measure.
"And a prescribed portion for her maidservants" refers to the performance of mitzvot, which are the laws governing matter and nature. A person is bound by laws and boundaries: how much to eat, what blessing to recite over food, how to conduct oneself in physical matters, in business, in financial dealings, between husband and wife, and the like. All of these are called "her maidservants," because the body serves the soul, functioning like an attendant youth. To them a defined allotment is given: for each part of the body, what its function shall be, what is required of it, and to what extent it may be used. For this purpose there are mitzvot, and the mitzvot operate in the manner of a chok, a fixed boundary, lest a person become degenerate within the permissible realm of the Torah. Therefore a boundary is essential: what may be eaten and what may not, what is neveilah and what is tereifah, and which matters fall short in kashrut even if less severe. All physical pursuits are the maidservants serving the soul, and all require a rule and a boundary so that one knows how much to take from each.
זָמְמָה שָׂדֶה וַתִּקָּחֵהוּ מִפְּרִי כַפֶּיהָ נָטְעָה כָּרֶם׃ - She considers a field and acquires it; from the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
Rashi explains by way of homiletical interpretation (derash) that "zamemah" is related to zamam, a muzzle or bridle: the Torah placed a bridle upon Esau, the "man of the field." "And acquires it" - ultimately she eliminated him entirely from the world and caused him to perish. "From the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard" - from the fruit of her deeds, the engagement in Torah to which the Jewish people cling, she planted the Jewish people for the World to Come. A vineyard is an allegory for the Jewish people: "My beloved had a vineyard on a fruitful hill," "You transplanted a vine from Egypt." The Jewish people are likened to a vine and a vineyard, and the holy Torah planted them as saplings for the World to Come.
According to the literal meaning, the Malbim explains: until now, the text spoke of her diligence inside her home - "she rises while it is still night, and provides food for her household" - and here it transitions to her diligence outside the home. "Zamemah" here is from the language of thought and contemplation: she calculates with deep deliberation how to purchase a field, and from the fruit of her labor earned from that field, she does not rest on her laurels; rather, with those profits she plants a vineyard, continually expanding her earnings for the benefit of her husband.
Allegorically, the Malbim explains that this refers to the soul: she sows divine seeds upon the field of the soul. As the Malbim has explained on several occasions, and as we also saw in Yeshayahu, the human soul is like a field: whatever you sow in it is what will grow. A person cannot sow garlic and expect roses to bloom. Plant roses, and roses will grow; plant garlic, and garlic will emerge. Thus, the human soul is full of potential - it is "potent" in the sense of being in potential. If you invest good into it, good will emerge; if you invest bad, Heaven forbid, or if you invest nothing at all, the bad will sprout on its own, for "man is born a wild ass's colt," and by nature a person leans after the wild animal within him.
Therefore, "She considers a field and buys it": she plows the soul as one does in a field and sows within it, which is accomplished through study. Practical deeds are compared to a field because they are like sowing; in-depth study (iyun) is compared to a vineyard because a vineyard symbolizes wine, and wine alludes to higher intellectual attainments. Thus, the soul is perfected for His service, blessed be He, in both realms: both in action, "She considers a field and buys it," and in contemplation, "from the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard."
חָגְרָה בְעוֹז מָתְנֶיהָ וַתְּאַמֵּץ זְרוֹעֹתֶיהָ׃ - "She girds her loins with strength, and strengthens her arms."
According to the peshat, the Malbim explains: when the woman of valor trades outside, traveling on merchant ships or working in the field, she girds her loins with strength. The expression "to gird" appears frequently in connection with a person walking or running, so that the garments do not flap and hinder him during his run, as with Eliyahu, who girded his loins and ran before Achav. Girding signifies someone who is about to set out on the road. And when she works indoors at home, then "and strengthens her arms" - not with laziness, working a bit, resting, drinking coffee, and reading the newspaper, but strengthening her arms and doing the work of her household with all her might.
Allegorically, the Malbim explains that this refers to the soul: when the soul delves into a matter, this is called "walking," for a person travels from concept to concept, from basic understanding to in-depth study, and from study to profound comprehension. Anyone who has learned knows this: you want to clarify a topic, you open one book, and you realize the issue touches upon three other matters that have halachic ramifications; you open those three, and each branches out into four more - in short, the topic is far from simple.
Whoever wants an example of this can open Shu"t Yabia Omer. Is it permitted to use a solar water heater on Shabbat? A superficial person might think there is only a single issue of bishul (cooking) here, and begin studying it. But there you find ten or twenty full pages on the subject, and in every paragraph he analyzes it from a different angle and perspective. The same applies to brushing teeth on Shabbat: is there an issue of sechat (squeezing)? Of molid (creating anew) by generating foam? Of memare'ach (smoothing) by applying the toothpaste? Of refuah (healing)? Of drawing blood? You thought you were discussing one detail, and you branched off into yet another issue, another clarification, and another question. Often, this arises from the depth of study itself, where one sefer directs your attention to another matter, and you discover that the topic expands into other areas.
Therefore, in matters of intellectual analysis, progress is like a journey, and the soul "girds her loins with strength" to go from strength to strength, from one attainment to another, and from one analysis to the next. And in practical matters, which correspond to "She considers a field," she strengthens her arms to perform mitzvot and good deeds - not with slackened hands or laziness, but with all her might to fulfill the commandments of Hashem.
טָעֲמָה כִּי טוֹב סַחְרָהּ לֹא יִכְבֶּה בַלַּיְלָה נֵרָהּ׃ - "She senses that her commerce is good; her lamp does not go out at night."
The Ibn Ezra explains that "ta'amah" (she tasted/sensed) is related to "blessed is your discernment (ta'amech)," meaning blessed is your advice. That is, she resolved that it is good to engage in commerce, and therefore "her lamp does not go out at night," as she engages in it at night as well. The Metzudat Tziyon similarly explains that "ta'am" means counsel or judgment, as in "and removes the discernment (ta'am) of the elders," where the meaning is that the counsel of the elders was taken from them. Here too, her counsel is good to engage in commerce, and therefore she does not extinguish her lamp at night.
The Malbim explains according to peshat: she does not direct her business solely for profit, nor merely for the material utility derived from commerce, but rather "she senses that her commerce is good" - she seeks how through commerce she can also do good, give tzedakah, and perform acts of kindness (chesed). This merchant woman also finds opportunities within trade to bestow goodness. Therefore, "her lamp does not go out at night": she redoubles her efforts in her work and extends her hours, so that she will have additional income for tzedakah and acts of chesed as well.
By way of allegory, the Malbim explains that this refers to the soul: beyond perfecting itself, through its commerce it perfects others as well. For the essence of "good" is bestowing upon another. And as is well known, the author of Chovos HaLevavos writes that even if a person were an immense tzaddik and reached the level of a prophet, he would not attain the merits of one who brings merit to the public (mezakeh es harabbim). Why? Because everything he added was only within himself, whereas one who brings merit to the public constantly multiplies his spiritual wealth by hundreds and thousands.
The Chofetz Chaim offered a parable for this. Consider a shoemaker - a boutique shoemaker, let us say - who crafts handmade shoes. He sits and processes the leather by hand, stitches by hand, and each shoe is an exclusive masterpiece that you wouldn't find even in the most prestigious boutiques, selling for ten thousand dollars a pair. How many pairs can he make in a month? One, two, four. In contrast, another person opens a factory mass-producing shoes, and if you ask him how many he produces in a month, he will tell you tens of thousands. He sells a shoe for thirty shekels, but who earns more? The boutique artisan made four pairs and brought in forty thousand; the factory owner can bring in four hundred thousand a month. The same applies in spiritual matters: even if one who brings merit to the public is not on the same lofty personal level as that great servant of Hashem who attained spiritual heights on his own, the work of an individual cannot match the value of one who brings merit to the masses. His "mass production" - the merits he granted to the many - far outweighs even the individual attainments of a prophet.
Thus, the greatest achievement lies in bringing merit to the public. And this is what the verse means: beyond perfecting itself through its commerce, the soul also brings perfection to the masses through the goodness of its trade, yielding an ongoing profit. When a person performs a mitzvah, he fulfills it for himself. But if he encourages a friend, "Come, put on tefillin," and persuades him, and from that day forward the friend puts on tefillin every day, he has become a merchant. Until now he was a single shop - and how much can a single shop sell? Now he has branches. Ten people put on tefillin every day, and it is all credited to his account. He is no longer a single small kiosk; he has ten branches, and his income corresponds to the number of branches he opened. Every day that person puts on tefillin is credited to his account, just like someone who opened a franchise branch. That is a shrewd merchant.
This is "She senses that her enterprise is good" (Ta'amah ki tov sachrah): she perceived that the best way to expand one's trade in the service of Hashem is by bringing merit to the public, through which one generates massive spiritual volume and has the opportunity to grow spiritually far beyond someone who fulfills mitzvos only for himself. And by virtue of this, "Your righteousness shall go before you." The merits such a person possesses in the World to Come are beyond imagination or description. Of those who bring merit to the public it is said, "like the stars forever and ever." And this is "her lamp does not go out at night": at night, in the hereafter, when a person is in the grave, his candle does not go out. After death, he has a lamp walking before him, "and your righteousness shall go before you," for the mitzvos shine before him like a lamp, as it is written, "For a mitzvah is a lamp and Torah is light." The merit she brought to others will continue to illuminate for her even later on, when it is the realm of "night."
The Midrash in Shocher Tov, Psalm 136, expounds this verse in reference to Bisyah the daughter of Pharaoh. It is taught that Bisyah was a firstborn, and during the Plague of the Firstborn she too was destined to perish, but through the prayer of Moshe Rabbeinu she was saved. This is the meaning of "her lamp does not go out at night (balail)." Note that the written text (kesiv) is "balail" and the vocalized reading (keri) is "balailah." Which night is this referring to? The night mentioned in the Torah as "a night of vigil" (leil shimurim). "Her lamp does not go out at night" - her lamp refers to the soul of Bisyah, daughter of Pharaoh, which was not taken from her thanks to Moshe Rabbeinu's prayer. For Bisyah was the one who had saved Moshe, and in return, Moshe Rabbeinu saved her on that night of vigil so that she would not perish from the world.
יָדֶיהָ שִׁלְּחָה בַכִּישׁוֹר וְכַפֶּיהָ תָּמְכוּ פָלֶךְ׃ - She stretches out her hands to the distaff, and her palms grasp the spindle.
Rashi explains that kishor ("distaff") is related to the word kisharon, denoting the skill and aptitude of her deeds. This is certainly a homiletical exposition (drash), for a kishor is a spinning tool, yet it indicates that she applied her hands with the skill of her deeds. "And her palms grasp the spindle (felech)" - felech also connotes a staff or support, as in "one who leans on a staff" (machazik bafelech).
In the commentary of the Vilna Gaon, it is recorded: "I heard from my elder brother, who heard from our master, teacher, and rabbi" - namely, from the Gra. At the beginning of Sefer Mishlei, three types of people are mentioned who lack understanding, do not study, and are distant from wisdom: the simpleton (pesi), the scoffer (leitz), and the fool (kesil). As the verse states, "How long, simple ones, will you love simplicity, and scoffers delight in their scoffing, and fools hate knowledge?" This is the deeper meaning of "and her palms grasp the spindle (felech)": the holy Torah has the power to support "felech," which forms an acronym for pesa'im (simpletons), leitzim (scoffers), and kesilim (fools). Even one who is simple, even one who is a scoffer, and even one who is a fool, if he engages in Torah, he will be transformed for the good through the power of the Torah.
כַּפָּהּ פָּרְשָׂה לֶעָנִי וְיָדֶיהָ שִׁלְּחָה לָאֶבְיוֹן׃ - She extends her palm to the poor, and reaches out her hands to the needy.
According to the peshat (literal meaning), the Malbim links these two verses together: "Her hands that she stretched out to the distaff," those she reached out to the needy; "and her palms that grasped the spindle," those she extended to the poor. That is to say, she sets aside from the work of her hands charity for the destitute and acts of loving-kindness for the poor. This connects to what we saw earlier in "She senses that her enterprise is good" - she views her trade not merely as a livelihood, but as a means to do good and extend kindness to others, and here the verse portrays how she puts this into practice.
The Malbim explains: Kappayim (palms) refers to the tip of the hand and the fingers, as in one who spreads out his palms. When a person wants to perform delicate work, he does it with the fingers, whereas for coarser work, sometimes even a push with the foot suffices; any task requiring precision and delicacy is done with the fingers. Her palms she extends to the ani (the poor man). An ani is different from an evyon (destitute person) and is of higher standing: an evyon longs for everything, from the root avah (to desire), as in "my brother-in-law refuses (lo avah)" - an expression of will - and also related to evyonah (bodily appetite), meaning physical craving. The ani has not sunk to such a low degree of poverty, and therefore feels uncomfortable taking charity publicly; whereas the evyon has already hit rock bottom, has no issue accepting charity in public, and does not feel degraded by doing so.
Therefore, the palms - which are more refined and perform delicate tasks - are what she spreads out to the ani, and spreading the palms is done discreetly: slipping it into his pocket without him noticing, so he is not embarrassed. In contrast, "She extends her hands to the destitute (yadeha shilcha la'evyon)": the hand represents a less delicate, coarser action. And since the evyon does not refrain from taking in public and even comes asking openly, to him she gives openly as well, in front of everyone.
By way of allegory, the Malbim explains along the same lines: "She stretches out her hands to the distaff" - those very hands she extends to the evyon; "and her palms grasp the spindle" - those very palms she opens to the ani. In terms of the soul, the ani represents poverty of the soul - and there is no poor person except one lacking knowledge (da'at), a soul impoverished of understanding; while the evyon represents the destitution of the body.
Hands characterize action and the deeds a person performs. And what is a kishor (distaff)? The Malbim explains that it is the thick wooden staff on which spinning is done, and to which prisoners in jail were once bound, as it says, "He brings out the prisoners into prosperity (bakkosharot)" - from the place where they were tied to the kishor. The thick wood symbolizes dense, coarse matter - man's physical nature, which binds him like a prisoner to materiality and physical desires. This weighs down upon the soul: the soul yearns to soar upward, but matter is like a heavy weight pulling it down.
This is what is meant: she extends her hands - which are actions, meaning the mitzvot, good deeds, and physical acts in the service of Hashem - and through them she purifies the material realm and frees it, so to speak, from its imprisonment. And she extends these hands to the evyon, an allusion to bodily desires, to those overcome by passions and physical lust, so that by witnessing the work of her hands and her acts of charity, they too will overcome their materiality and desires just as she does.
"And her palms grasp the spindle": with her palms she spins, and spinning is a more delicate task. This represents intellectual and spiritual insights, which are not physical, unlike hands which pertain to matters of desire and physical action. The palms symbolize delicate action - intellect, wisdom, study, and deep contemplation - and these she extends to the ani, the one who is impoverished in da'at. She takes care to teach him Torah, to grant him wisdom and guide him toward spiritual understanding.
Thus, this soul performs two functions: to influence one who is attached to the physical and detach him from his materialism, and to influence one who is impoverished in da'at and increase his wisdom and fear of Heaven. It acts both to distance a person from physical indulgence and to elevate him in spirituality, and this merit will endure for her into the World to Come.
The Woman of Valor in these verses embodies diligence and giving: she rises while it is still night and provides boundless food to her household and a set portion to her maidens; she contemplates buying a field and uses her profits to plant a vineyard; she girds her loins in outward commerce and strengthens her arms in the domestic labor of the home; and she views her enterprise not merely as profit, but as a vehicle for charity and kindness, distributing it wisely - discreetly to the ani and openly to the evyon. Allegorically, all of this portrays the soul: awakening already in the night of this world, sowing deeds in the field of its soul and planting a vineyard of contemplation, advancing from insight to insight and strengthening its arms for the mitzvot, and adding to its own perfection the perfection of others - which is the most profitable enterprise of all, ensuring that its lamp will not be extinguished even in the night that follows.