Epilogue: The Meaning of Marriage

The Eshet Chayil (Woman of Valor) prayer, from Proverbs 31, is recited every Friday night in Jewish homes before the Kiddush blessing. In a previous Podcast, Eshet Chayil: What Does Feminine Valor Look Like? Rabbi Fohrman demonstrates how this proverb is really a personal commentary by King Solomon on the Book of Ruth, who was his great-great grandmother.

Each verse in Eshet Chayil somehow mirrors or responds to a part of the Ruth story — and it all proceeds in a perfect chronology. Starting with the opening phrase "Eshet Chayil" - a woman of valor - it only comes up in one other place in the entire Tanakh - in the Book of Ruth, describing Ruth herself.

This material has all kinds of fascinating implications, including an exciting idea Rabbi Fohrman brings to light in this podcast. He looks closely at two verses from the middle of Eshet Chayil (verses 21 and 22), and shows how they actually paint for us a beautiful and complex picture of the meaning of marriage.