New Britain herald., 1919-07-26
JEWISH WOMEN HAD
 KINGDOM IN HOME
Words Of the Wife Supreme in Her Realm Biblical IiCidentS
(By Noah ROSenthal.) )


 ",The test of civilization is the estl- mate of woman. ."-G. w. C.
 We may state with certainty that the grade of civilization and culture of a nation can be measured by the so- ciaI standing of the woman, her posi- tion in the family as mother and wife If this is so, how high must have been the culture and stage of civilization of the Jewish people of Biblical and Talmerdical times! Wom- en in Israel, surely, were held in high esteem. The woman reigned in her realm in her family circle, supreme. The wife was considered the mans equal companion, nay, bone Of his bones flesh of his flesh, and there fore, as the passage in the Bible runs, a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh, that is a unit, they both form one moral human being.
 What graceful forms of the fair sex appear before us from the pages Of the book of books!" What a tender, loving relationship within the family. homely, unassuming and at the same time grand and hearty The patri- archal mothers as the patriarchal fla
 
 What a domestic life full of love, sanctity and poetry do we observe here, Sarah, the faithful wife and self acrificing, loving mother. Re- bekah, the winning and obliging gen. tleness with which she met the stran- gers address and granted his re- quest calls for respect and admiration. She was given the freedom of chOOs- ing her partner in life, her mate. Isaac brought her into his mothers tent and he loved her. There in her family she rules commands to her husband as to her beloved son Jacob and her word is law to them.
 Rachel, the fair, the favorite of father and lover for whom Jacob served fourteen years and they were in his eyes as a few days, because he loved her." considers life worth living for the sake of children only and dies a pathetic death while delivering a child
 Miriam, the bashful and modest Jewish girl appears before the prn- cess with the bold and courageous proposition for the rescue of her brother, Shall I go and call to you a Hebrew nurse for the child, Moses ?" and calls on his own mother natural Iy, and saves thereby the redeemer of her people. Jachebed, the mother, and Miriam, the sister, nurse and edu- cate the lawgiver and redeemer of Israel as the sages say, "On account of the good merits of the women our ancestors were redeemed from Egypt"
 During the wandering f+the He brews in the desert the women of "the generation of the wilderness'' accord- ing to the rabbis, were better than the men; the men demanded "Let us set ahead and return to Egypt" and the women asked, Give us possession in the Holy Land;" the men made a golden calf, an idol and the women refused their jewels for that abomina- ton at the time when they contributed generously to the building of the holy tabernacle
 Deborah the Prophet.
 The promised land was gained by deeds of extra raOrdinary Valor and mili- tary skill. Israel enjoyed freedom and peace, But "Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked" disobeyed God and was in consequence, oppressed by it's neighbors. Out of it's midst rises an cause it has little interest in it's strug- gling population but because it pre-