"She will bestow upon him good and not bad all the days of her life." Let us try to understand the apparent redundancy in the words "good and not bad." Deeds can be good but also bad. Giving charity in an insensitive way is one example. In a husband-wife relationship, many of the good things done may be tainted with bad. Wanting reciprocity often acts as a barrier to achieving a level of unblemished good. In our society, we are all too often exposed to the "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine" approach to social dynamics. What could be more limiting? When we explore what constitutes true goodness, it invariably involves transcending self-interest, and striving to be a totally giving person. This excerpt from More Precious Than Pearls is one of the down-to-earth, applicable insights which Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller has derived from an in-depth study of the words of "Eshes Chayil," which appears in the final chapter of the book of Mishlei. Using the teachings of Chazal, a host of commentaries, and an impressive array of other sources which she has at her command, Rebbetzin Heller examines nuances in each verse of this ancient poem written by Shlomo Hamelech. The result is a practical description of the "ideal women" with attainable goals to which the woman of today can aspire.
by Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller