My daughter was chosen to play Bruriah in her class play. She acted out the scene with such feeling and authenticity that she left the audience in tears. When asked how she could portray her role so well, she answered that she thought of something really sad and used that to help propel her emotions.
Bruriah was a brilliant woman who had the capacity to learn more Torah than most. Her children passed away on Shabbos, yet she waited until after Shabbos to tell her husband, in order to honor the joy required on our day of rest.
There are times in life where we have to emote, and there are times when we have to hold back.
Today, with the news out of Israel shocking and saddening us constantly, as parents we often find ourselves needing to shield our children from the anxiety we are feeling. It is hard, but it’s a must, and we can draw strength from Bruriah’s choice.
Each story from the Torah was hand-selected to teach an eternal and timeless lesson.
When we read about the many incredible women of Tanach, such as Bruriah, it is meant to evoke real emotion in us now, and to inspire us to choose love over hate, emunah over fear, kindness over anger. The stories of our ancestors are here to help us practice self-control and to draw out reservoirs of strength we didn’t know we had. When we succeed, we are fulfilling the purpose of the Torah and the purpose of learning.
