Community Magazine November 2019

52 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE Sage Advice from Rabbi Avigdor Miller, zt”l STRAIGHT TALK What is the best way for a woman to experience fulfillment while dealing with the pressures of childrearing and housework? Question and Answer supplied by TorasAvigdor.org. (TAPE #467). Answer is taken directly from the words of Rabbi Avigdor Miller, zt”l. However, it has been slightly edited to allow for easier reading. This is a very important question, because women invest a great deal of time and effort into raising children and tending to the home.   First and foremost, whatever you do, say, “I’m doing it for the service of Hashem.” That sounds odd because people never thought of that. As you pick up a squalling baby, say, “I’m doing it because Hashem commanded, ‘You shall love your fellow as yourself’”. The baby is also your “fellow,” after all, and so tending to a baby fulfills the mitzvat aseh (affirmative command) to love and help one’s fellow. The little fellow is sad; he’s distressed and he’s shrieking, and you try to calm him. Think about that.  When you’re handing out food to your family sitting around the table – they say, “Ma, give us some bread,” and you think to yourself, “I am a  shaliah  [agent] of Hashem.”  Your daughter wants a piece of bread, and you hand it to her, whispering to yourself, “Here, Hashem is giving you the bread.”  When you’re doing anything in the kitchen, preparing food, you’re imitating one of the  middot (qualities) of Gd. After all, what is Gd constantly doing? He is feeding the world – from the biggest animal to the smallest insect. Hashem is feeding all creatures in the world, and He is the model for all the mothers who stand and labor in the kitchen. They’re feeding  their  little world! That’s how a person should think. Whatever you do in the house, even when you’re changing diapers, it’s  leshem Shamayim (for the sake of Gd).  You’re serving the Almighty.  And therefore, if a woman has the right preparation, with a little thought, she can transform all these menial tasks into  avodat Hashem (the service of Gd).   And let me tell you, she is no less than a kohen in the Bet Hamikdash . Anybody who serves Gd with a complete heart is like a kohen performing the avodah (service) in the Bet Hamikdash . You’re being  meshameish  (serving) like Leviyim sweeping in the  azarah (courtyard of the Bet Hamikdash ) .  You’re serving Gd, and everything is transformed into gold, whereas otherwise it remains nothing but tin – a waste of opportunity and a lost life.