‫בס"ד‬

Tikvas Nashim A Unique Project for Women

I put my hope in Hashem…
…Among those awaiting the morning. (Tehilim 130) Volume 1:2

Compiled by: Pnina Winzelberg

Pesach 5771 Staten Island, NY

The Essence of Emunah Rachel Shaool

The Power of Our Desire
Every day we say “Posei'ach es yadecha u'masbia l'chol chay ratzon”, "You (Hashem) open
Your hand and provide the desire of every living thing". This means that the more a person desires, the
more he feels alive. This is because he becomes happier and has tikva (hope) and his emunah (faith) in
Hashem strengthens. Knowing all this, the evil inclination does everything he can to confuse us by
instilling negative and destructive thoughts into our minds. Chazal (the Sages) say that when one
merits the level of desire, the evil inclination has nothing to hold on to. That’s why when there’s a
strong desire for something— nothing stands in one’s way (‫)אין דבר העומד בפני הרצון‬. May we merit to
work hard and succeed in achieving strong desires so we’ll be able to serve Hashem better and with
happiness, especially over the Yom Tov of Pesach— which is a great time for one to work on their
emunah and get closer to Hashem.

Did you know...? Elisheva Seldowitz The Pesach Seder

 One is not permitted to feed chometz to animals The maharal explains based on a
on Pesach even if the food was not bought but picked up Medrash that the three items
from the floor. mentioned at the Pesach Seder:
 One is not permitted to deliberately Pesach, Matzah, and Marror
smell chometz aromas on Pesach (from bakery, pizza represent the three Avos: Avraham,
shop, etc.). If it is necessary to walk by such an
Yitzchok, and Yaakov, and the four
establishment, one should try to distract himself so as not
to enjoy the aromas.
cups of wine represent the four
 Matzah can only be made from the five grains: wheat, Imahos: Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel, and
barley, rye, spelt or oats. Leah. This teaches us that it was in
 Women are not required to recline during the Seder. the zechus (merit) of the Avos and
 Women are obligated in the mitzvah of Sippur Yetzias Imahos that we were redeemed from
Mitzrayim, telling the story about leaving Mitzrayim, and Mitzrayim. Therefore, some drink
should therefore recite from the Haggadah. four cups of wine because the
 Women are obligated to eat marror as well as men, for nashim tzidkaniyos (righteous
they too suffered the bitterness of Mitzrayim. women) are compared to a
 Commercially bottled horseradish may not be used grapevine, as it says (Tehillim
for marror. 128:3): 'eshticha k'gefen poriyah
b'yarkisei veisecha', 'Your wife will
(Source: Notes on Halachos of Pesach, Rabbi Dovid Ribiat)
be like a fruitful vine in the inner
Please note: One should not rely on the above Halachos without consulting a
chambers of your home.'
competent Halachic authority (Otzros HaTorah)
 ‫בס"ד‬
Eishes Chayil Daniella Oppenheimer
‫“ —בטח בה לב בעלה ושלל לא יחסר‬The heart of her husband safely trusts in her, and he shall have no lack of spoils.”

In the Chovos Ha-levavos , Rabbeinu Bachya Ibn Pekuda explains that only Hashem is truly deserving of our
trust as it says “Happy is he who trusts in G-d.” So why then does the pasuk (verse) seem to imply that ideally a
husband should trust completely in his wife, if this goal appears to be unattainable? The answer to this question can
be found in the wording of the verse. The pasuk states that the heart of her husband trusts in her, rather than his
mind. Indeed a person is able to completely trust in another human being emotionally, trusting that the individual
always has intentions for the other’s benefit, even though the person may not always succeed in carrying out his or
her intentions. The husband of an Eishes Chayil trusts that his wife always has his best intentions in mind. Meaning
that the perfect wife is constantly thinking of the good of her husband, she is trustworthy within the limits of her
human capabilities.
As a result of her good intentions her husband will not lack “spoils.” Spoils are the goods that one wins at
war. Each of us is constantly “at war.” Our spiritual selves are fighting an ongoing battle versus our animal selves.
A woman’s power is tremendous. A woman is able to set the tone in her house with just a word or even a facial
expression. A woman can help her husband reach his deepest desires, to become a more Godly person, to win the
“war.” When we praise our husbands for the battles they have already won, we build up their self-images and
strengthen their resolve to go in the right direction. The spoils of his battle are not lost. The husband of an Eshes
Chayil will benefit tremendously by being coupled with such a partner.
(More Precious than Pearls, Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller)

Everyday Life A Lesson To Learn

Simchah (happiness) is not just a nice middah
(character trait) that enhances one's life; it is the
foundation of all spiritual success. Chazal (Shabbos
30b) teach us that the Shechinah (Divine Presence)
only rests among happiness. Without simchah one
cannot get closer to Hashem. The founder of the Bais
Yaakov movement was an amazing and inspiring
woman— Rebbitzen Sarah Schenirer, a"h. She
requested that on her tombstone should be written the
five pesukim (verses) which encompassed everything
she stood for and all that she wished to impart to
others. The very first of these five, presumably the one
most important to her, was 'Ivdu es Hashem
b'simchah', 'Serve Hashem with joy.' The next pasuk
(verse) written is 'Shivisi Hashem l'negdi tamid', 'I
place Hashem before me always.' Rebbitzen Schenirer
amazingly placed simchah as her top priority! We must
train ourselves to serve Hashem only with joy. Rav
Avraham Pam, zt"l, said: "Where can one find the city
of happiness? The city of happiness can only be found
in the state of mind!"
(Torah Tavlin, Haggadah of Pesach)
Rabbi Pinchas HaLevi Horowitz, author of Ba'al
Hafla'a, was a disciple of the great Maggid of Mezritch.
Rabbi Pinchas once asked his Rebbe how the Torah can
expect one to bless Hashem for the bad the same way as
he blessed Him for the good. The Maggid recommended
that he ask a question to another great disciple, Reb
Zusha of Anapoli. Reb Zusha lived in extreme poverty
and he suffered terribly during his lifetime. However,
when asked the question, Reb Zusha responded: "I have
never experienced anything bad in my life! Everything
Hashem did for me was good even if it seemed the
opposite. I am not the right one to answer such a
question!" This is the lesson we can learn from Koreich,
where we combine matzah and marror and eat them
together. The marror is wrapped with the matzah; the
bitterness is concealed within the liberation. We cannot
always perceive it, but even the bad— the bitter exile, is
orchestrated by Hashem for our best interests. May we
merit to see and witness the ultimate Redemption
speedily in our days!
(Seder Secrets, Rabbi Dovid Meisels)

Sponsored By: R' Pinchas & Rachel Shaool

‫ ישועה בת מרים ז"ל‬:‫לעלוי נשמת‬
These sheets are available by email and sponsorship opportunities are available.
For information, please send an email to: TikvasNashim@gmail.com
Tikvas Nashim