The Torah of Mothers’ Day

One of my favorite holidays is Mothers’ Day. It is a day of remembering and honoring the women in our lives and the legacies they have given us. For me, it is a special time, a holy container in which I spend precious time with my two beautiful daughters and pause to remember and share memories about my mother and grandmothers.

What is the Torah of Mothers’ Day? What are the lessons and legacies we learn from the lives and stories of our Jewish Matriarchs?

What is the Torah of Mothers’ Day? What are the lessons and legacies we learn from the lives and stories of our Jewish Matriarchs? Are they similar in any way to those of our own familial and ancestral Matriarchs.

My favorite Jewish Matriarchs are Devorah, Hannah, Esther and Ruth. From these and other Jewish Matriarchs I have learned to have the courage to speak out and to stand in my own integrity; to be an upstander and not a bystander; to have compassion for others; to welcome and be kind to the stranger; to remain connected to my Jewish roots; and to lead and serve others with joy. Above all, I have learned to trust in and have faith in G-d.

Who are the women that have taught and inspired you? Who are the women whose legacies you live and will pass on?
I hope you have enjoyed a happy, meaningful and inspirational Mothers’ Day.

– Rabbi Deb Smith