First and foremost, thanks to H for reminding me that today is National EGG Day, second only in importance to Groundhogs Day. Tempting as it may be to speak about our oval friends, I will not, but seriously I will say that eggs play a huge role in many aspects of halacha ( much moreso than groundhogs ) so we as good Jews, can thank Hashem very much for the egg. I hope this finds you all well if not too partied out from the festivities of the day - anyways its time to get serious.                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Amongst the many interesting items in this parsha, is the parsha of the Sotah - the errant woman. It is a very complicated set of halachos and concepts, but it segways into a short but powerful story that I have long wanted to tell. Rashi comments that the word Sotah stems from Stiah or veering off the path of Tznius. I know that this is a very touchy subject - I am not intending to preach here, just to provide food for thought. Rav Vallach tells :                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Next to the grave of the Tzaddik Rav Yehuda Ben Atar lies the gravesight of the holy Tzadekes Suleka. Suleka was a beautiful young Jewish girl in Morocco around 1820. A young muslim man who lived in the neighborhood was stricken by her beauty and wanted her. His problem was that muslim men of course could not marry Jewish women. He devised a simple yet evil plan - all he had to do was spread a rumor that she had secretly converted to islam - once that was accepted as fact by the local authorities, it would be illegal for her to be Jewish anymore. Her life would be impossible as a Jew and he would be able to take her as a wife. He put his plan to action. Of course she denied it emphatically but all of her protests fell on deaf ears - the islamic justice system gave her two choices - return to the true peace-loving religion of islam or hang in the public square. Suleka replied without hesitation and with absolute committment, I have never converted to islam - I was born a Jew and I will die a Jew. The court was not sympathetic - she was thrown into a cold jail cell to rot while the judgement was sent to the King of Morocco for his stamp of approval. When the papers were presented to the King, the prince was in the room. He was intrigued by the case of the young beauty with the strong convictions and he decided to visit her in prison. Even in the filthy condition of the cell and in her tattered clothing, Suleka was a sight for sore eyes. The prince immediately fell in love with her. Desperate oly soul to her to save her life so that he could have her, he promised her that if she would only convert to islam, she would become the princess and eventually the queen. Her life would be the envy of women the world over - wealth, luxury and power, and a loving husband - she may have turned down the conversion option before but everyone has their price - surely she would not turn him down. To his great surprise and chagrin, she declared to him that none of what he promised was even close to being equal to her faith in the true Hashem and H-S holy Torah. Nothing could make her become a traitor to Hashem and to her people. The prince left the prison flustered and angry and did not protest when his father signed the papers sentencing Suleka to death.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Suleka was defiant yet calm and at peace with her fate as she was lead out to the city square and the gallows the next day. She was ready to die AL KIDDUSH HASHEM. The prince was waiting for her on the platform. One last time he pleaded with her to save her life emphasizing to her how happy she could be if she would only convert. She smiled and declared that she was already happy with her life. The prince gave up and signalled to the executioner to get on with the job. The hangman said to Suleka that she was entitled by law to one last request. She looked out at the crowd - her family and the rest of the Jewish community cowering in the far corner of the square, sobbing and praying for perhaps a last minute miracle, and the blood-lusting muslims laughing and hooting and cheering on the hangman. Everyone was quiet when Suleka made her final request - pins. She repeated her request when the hangman did not understand - sewing pins. No one could imagine what she would do with them as they were brought out to her. She took the pins, stepped over to the noose and stuck the pins through her dress into her legs so that her clothes would not fly loosely and expose her legs as she dangled in death. In this way, amidst the shock and absolute silence of the crowd, did the young and beautiful Suleka return her pure and holy soul to her maker.                                                                                   

 

I have been thinking alot about this story for a long time - not only because of the Kiddush Hashem aspect of it but moreso about the Tznius aspect. However, beside it being very late, I think it would be more meaningful for all if I just allowed you to think freely about this yourselves. For all of us, especially the women, regardless of the level of Tznius we are holding in, I have no doubt that Tznius is important in our lives, for our families and ourselves, and it is not limited to clothing but in fact is incredibly deep and far-reaching. My bracha to us all tonight is that we should all in our own ways hold up Suleka as a role model.                           

I wish you all a wonderful, joyous and holy Shabbos.