Six months ago I began a new journey in my career as a registered nurse. Although it was totally unanticipated, I landed a job as the nurse clinician to a prominent neurosurgeon, one who is nationally and internationally sought after. Instead of providing hands-on care at the bedside in a critical care setting, I now work daily alongside a man who is profoundly brilliant and gifted, who performs cutting-edge neurosurgical procedures and is involved in significant research efforts regarding cancerous brain tumors of the most aggressive kind. The transition has been challenging and exhilarating, as well as a bit overwhelming and daunting. Going from the hospital floor to the “Ivory Tower” of the neurosurgical world I have often wondered how I actually managed to get this job. It was with these thoughts in mind that I faced my first job review last week.
Sitting down with the practice manager I received hearty congratulations as she informed me that I had achieved the highest possible review of “excellent” in every category. Although I was elated to hear this, I also found myself a bit stunned. In my five years as an RN I have received favorable job reviews, yet there has always been room for improvement and some constructive criticism involved. Amidst the happiness there was an underlying tension, an oddity of sorts, in facing the reality of achieving a “perfect” rating of excellence.
Remarkably, this same type of oddity and tension presents itself in parashah Vayak’hel, which describes the work of the women in the construction of the Mishkan;
Every wise-hearted woman spun with her hands; and they brought the spun yarn of turquoise, purple and scarlet wool and the linen. All the women whose hearts inspired them with wisdom spun the goat hair. (Exodus 35:25-26 Stone Chumash)
The only job performed by women in the Mishkan’s construction was that of spinning both the wool and the goat hair used for the inner and outer curtains. All other work was performed by men. In the opinion of Rav Eliezer (BT Yoma 66b); “there is no wisdom in women except with the distaff”. In other words, spinning, in Rav Eliezer’s view represents the sole form of true female wisdom.
Spinning involves the putting together of raw fibers in order to make thread. This symbolically upholds traditional thought regarding the character of men vs. women. Based on what might be called “barnyard logic”, or the most apparent anatomical differences, the role of men as givers and women as receivers is discerned. Although both men and women are capable of giving and receiving in various situations, in general men present raw materials and abstract ideas while women in their G-d given wisdom and character receive such raw materials and abstractions and put them to use in a practical and orderly fashion.
Thus the parashah relates; “every wise-hearted woman spun with her hands”. In a Biblical and spiritual sense the wisdom of women is encompassed in the craft of spinning. This theme is related each erev Shabbat as the husband of the home sings Eshet Chayil to his spouse, a proverb extolling the attributes of the virtuous woman, in which working with her hands and spinning are praiseworthy qualities noted not once, but twice (cf. Proverbs 31: 13,19).
Yet, in Exodus 35 this female wisdom of spinning takes on two forms. The first group of women, those who spun the yarn of turquoise, purple, and scarlet wool, are called “wise-hearted”. The second group that spun the goats’ hair are referred to as “women whose hearts inspired them with wisdom”. The first group was wise, the second group inspired. This might be compared with the difference between “acceptable” and “excellent” on a job review.
The Sages have noted this difference in emphasis and ponder the reason that greater or “inspired” wisdom is ascribed to those who spun the goats’ hair. Why is it that the women who participated in creating the plainer goat hair coverings used for the outside of the Tabernacle occupy a higher level of wisdom than those who created the threads for the intricately colorful curtains that covered the Holy Place and Holy of Holies itself?
The Talmud relates that the “inspired” women spun the hair while it was still upon the goats (cf. BT Shabbat 74b, 79a). The hair was not shorn, but instead was washed, combed, carded, and spun into thread while still attached to the living animal (cf. BT Shabbat 99a). This understanding is based on the literal words of Exodus 35: 26 which reads that the women “spun the goats” (tavu et-ha’izim) (טָווּ, אֶת-הָעִזִּים).
Many opinions stem from this Talmudic description of spinning the hair upon the live goats. Practically, this would have been a difficult task, to keep the goat still and calm, while working with hair that was extremely fine and stiff. [1] By spinning upon the living animal, the hair would not become inadvertently dirty or soiled. [2] In the opinion of Rashi and others, the women were so eager to become involved in the work of the Mishkan that they refused to wait for the hair to be shorn but immediately began the task of spinning right upon the animal itself. Another opinion understands that working with growing hair would allow all women to halachically participate in this work, even those who were impure due to menstruation or child bearing. [3]
One interesting opinion focuses upon the thoughts of the women in their spinning work for the Mishkan. Since the Tabernacle was the holiest structure ever built by man, every aspect of it should be performed with utter devotion to G-d as much as humanly possible. This would include not only extraordinary skill and attention to detail, but also working in a way that did not allow the evil inclination to interfere with the work.
Often, the evil inclination interrupts the holiest pursuits by invading a person’s thoughts. A common example of this is found during prayer when unwanted and distracting thoughts interrupt devotion to the Almighty. In order to do the work in utter devotion to G-d the women were inspired with additional wisdom. By spinning the hair upon the goat’s back they would be so completely occupied with the details of this difficult work, that no distracting or extraneous thought would enter in. [4]
All these opinions offer various facets of what a heart of inspired wisdom might look like. A woman who receives and “spins” the raw materials presented to her with skill and carefulness, with purity and eagerness, in total devotion to G-d. Yet, can it not be said that the women who spun the colored wool also had similar talents and motivations? It would seem that the key difference is that the inspired women interacted with that which was living. They didn’t disconnect their work from a living source. Of all the materials brought for the work of the Mishkan, as described in Vayak’hel, only the goats were living and animate. The wool was shorn and dyed, the skins were already processed. The silver, copper, wood, precious stones, oil, and gold ornaments were inanimate materials.
As Sforno explains, goats’ hair loses its luster once it is sheared, being disconnected from its natural source of lanolin. Therefore by combing and spinning the living and growing hair of the animal the women produced a thread of superior luster for the Mishkan. In Sforno’s view the most excellent donation to HaShem is one that comes directly from a higher source, the source of a living being vs. the source of an inanimate object. By spinning directly from the goat the inspired women produced the finest of material for the Tabernacle that was processed while connected to a living animal. [5]
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At the end of my job review the practice manager related that although I had achieved the highest rating as a “new employee” entering a new job, next year I will be expected to show additional progress in order to maintain this excellent standing. I was glad that she ended the review with these words for progress is life, stagnancy death. Leaving the manager’s office I thought about the women and the goats, and what real, godly excellence entails. How great is my desire to be a woman whose heart is inspired with wisdom, who not only “spins” with skill and intelligence, or who brings about practicality and order, but who also purposefully applies her abilities and G-d given character to “living situations” — staying connected with people and things at their source, and facing the inevitable difficulties and challenges of doing so along the way.
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[1] The thoughts of Midrash Ha-Gadol as presented in Itamar Dagan, Women who Excelled in that Skill available here
[2] The thoughts of Rabbi David Pardo as presented in ibid.
[3] The thoughts of Meshekh Hokhmah as presented in ibid.
[4] Adapted from; Internet Parashah Sheet on Vayakhel—5760 available here
[5] Sforno as presented in The Commentator’s Bible, The JPS Miqra’ot Gedolot, Exodus, edited, translated and annotated by Michael Carasik, 2005, The Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia PA, p. 317.
