Ladies First

When G-d told Moses how to prepare the Jewish people to receive the Torah on Shavuos, He instructed him to speak to the women first, for it was the women’s commitment that would inspire the rest of the Jewish people at the time of the Giving of the Torah—and down through the ages.

It is not surprising that the preparation for Sinai was to begin from the women and girls, for it is a fact of human nature that the tone of the household is set mainly by the woman of the house. This is why she is deemed in Torah “The Foundation of the Home,” the mainstay of the home.

First and foremost, the Jewish woman must educate herself. In addition to educating their children, all parents have a sacred duty to do everything in their power to continuously grow in their own Torah learning. This certainly includes the Jewish woman, for her personal advancement in Torah study increases the education of her whole family.