Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman (Girona, Spain, 1194 – Land of Israel, 1270) writes that the Torah book we begin this week is called "The Book of Redemption" because it deals primarily with that theme, the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt. Our sages say that the Jewish people were freed from slavery through the merit of the righteous women of that generation. In their honor, I thought it appropriate to transcribe some portions of a letter the Rebbe wrote to a woman in Australia, explaining the role of women in Judaism.
Greetings and blessings,
Turning to the main topic of your letter, namely, the spread of Judaism among Jewish women, it is difficult to overemphasize that this activity is one of the most fundamental and vital efforts for the overall strengthening and dissemination of Judaism. The role of Jewish women in Jewish life was already expressed at the time of Matan Torah (the Giving of the Torah), as is well known from the commentary of our sages on the verse, "'Thus speak to the House of Jacob, and tell the Children of Israel,' the House of Jacob refers to the women" (Mechilta Yitro 19:3, cited in Rashi ad loc). In other words, before giving the Torah to the entire people of Israel, God instructed Moses to address the women first, and then the men. This underscores the primary role of the Jewish wife and mother in the preservation of the Torah. Since then, and throughout all eras, Jewish women have played a crucial role in the destiny of our people, as is well known. Furthermore, a Jewish wife is called Akeret haBait – The Foundation of the House.
In addition to the simple meaning of this term, namely, that she is the foundation of her own house, the term can be extended to include the entire "House of Israel," which is made up of many individual houses and families, since, certainly, that was the historical role of Jewish womanhood.
May it be the will of the Almighty that we may live and revitalize this role, so neglected lately,