A better future

Rabbi Mark Wm. Gross

There are a couple of reasons that Nov. 5 is noteworthy. For starters, that date is observed as Guy Fawkes Day (which is significant if you’re a British Commonwealth type, or anyone else who happens to like bonfires and fireworks). As the eve of the first Sunday in November, under the terms of the Energy Conservation Act of 2005, Nov. 5 is the night you “fall back” to Standard Time. And this year, it is notable because Nov. 5 coincides with 11 Marcheshvan on the Jewish calendar, marking the 41st day of the new year that began on Rosh haShanah back at the end of September.

When you write the number 41 using letters of the Hebrew alphabet with the corresponding numerical values, it forms the word אם eim signifying “mother.” Building from that, Jewish legendary tradition holds that the 41st day of the year, 11 Marcheshvan, is יום האמהות Yom ha’Imahot “The Day of the Matriarchs,” which is observed as the yahrtseit of the primal Mothers of Israel: Sarah, Rebekah, Racheil and Lei’ah.

It might stretch our credibility to believe that these four women, over three generations, all died on precisely the same date. But this creative fl ight of fantasy serves to create a conceptual equivalency between the long-ago founders of our Jewish People, highlighting the unique achievement of them all: each one, in turn, is spoken of very enthusiastically in our tradition as נביאה n’viyah, “a prophetess.”

It was Sarah who established the tradition of Biblical prophecy, as evidenced by God’s having instructed Abraham in Genesis 21:12 “Whatever Sarah tells you to do, you are to obey her.” From this verse our classical commentary deduces that Sarah was the superior of Abraham in understanding the Will of God (Exodus Rabbah 1:1).

Sarah’s niece and daughter-in-law, Rebekah, is informed by God about the destiny of the twins still in her womb (Genesis 25:3), making her privy to information unknown to the patriarch and prophet Isaac. An early rabbinic tradition characterizes Rebekah as “this unique saint” because, in all of scripture, she is the only woman to be made the intimate recipient of a direct pronouncement from the Creator (Midrash T’hillim 9:7).

Rebekah’s nieces, the sister-wives Racheil and Lei’ah, count as prophetesses because they endorsed God’s plan for the family of Jacob. When he divulged to them that God had suggested he return to Canaan, the two of them responded in a single voice: “All that God has told you, do it!” (Genesis 31:16). Had Jacob’s two wives proven to be homebodies dedicated to staying in Haran and, at this pivotal moment, told Jacob “Our hearts belong to daddy,” the Covenant dies; the story ends; and none of us would be here, discussing it now.

Etymologically, prophecy means not “fortunetelling” but “being an advocate.” And, in the case of these amazing women from long ago, each, in turn, played an active hands-on role in furthering God’s purpose for Israel. They are our Matriarchs (“principal mothers,” with a capital “M”), not because they engendered the next ensuing generation of our people but because they also engendered a vision and a value system and a code by which that people could endure throughout time.

Make the most of Nov. 5 — not just with sparklers and a clock but also with four yahrtseit candles rejoicing in the sacred legacy of יום האמהות Yom ha’Imahot.

Rabbi Mark Wm. Gross serves at Jewish Congregation of Marco Island.