V is for ... VALOR

A wife of noble character, who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.

Proverbs 31:10

“Oh no, not that pesky Proverbs 31 woman,” you say. “There’s not a V word in sight in her resume’.”  Now that I’ve heard the Hebrew side of the story, I beg to differ. Many scholars are of the mind that eshet chayil—a wife of noble character— “is best translated valorous woman, for the structure and diction employed in the poem closely resembles that of a heroic poem celebrating the exploits of a warrior.” Henceforth we proclaim: V is for Valor!

In her fun book, A Year of Biblical Womanhood (pages 75, 87-90), Rachel Evans introduced me to this concept, and to her new friend Ahava, a rabbi’s wife in Israel. Apparently Jewish husbands memorize Proverbs 31, “so they can recite it to their wives at the Sabbath meal, usually in a song…It’s like their version of ‘You go, girl!’” Now how cool is that! As Ahava says, “The woman in Proverbs 31 is not some ideal that exists out there; she is present in each one of us when we do even the smallest things with valor.”

Whew—Valor is inviting, considering yesterday’s fiery forging into Virtue. We all need to know our lives touch on the heroic, to our loved ones at the very least.      

Consider yourself worth far more than rubies to those around you. The gemstoneeducation.com site tells us that rubies are precious stones, second in hardness only to the diamond. The most desirable color is a deep blood-red with a slightly bluish hue. They have the ability to fluoresce or emit visible light in daylight. And valuable Star Rubies exhibit a 3-to-6-to-12-point star pattern because of tiny ‘silk’ inclusions or imperfections.

Sop it up ladies. Bask in your worth, in your ruby-red fluorescence. Even those little imperfect qualities in your character, that you are working on, increase your value to God. And celebrate the thought that (your) husband has full confidence in (you) and lacks nothing of value. (You) bring him good, not harm all the days of (your) life (Proverbs 31: 11-12), or at least he would if he were a traditional Jew. Maybe tell your hubby what Ahava has to say. He may just get the hang of it as did Rachel Evans’ husband, in enthusiastic acclaim of her many moments of valor.

If you don’t wish to start that conversation, just know that your Maker is your husband—the LORD Almighty is his name (Isaiah 54:5), and that He appreciates your Valor now. A pat on the back for you all ladies, from your Maker or your husband or the friends by your side.      

Nancy P