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category:  Chassidut

Plural of Eshet Chayil

Good evening. Please, what is the plural of eshet chayil? Thanks

 

Shalom and thank you for your question!

We don’t know the exact word you are referring to, but it’s possible that you have in mind the famous Vision of the Dry Bones, from the Biblical prophets.

“And he led me in the valley, which was full of bones… Very dry… And he said to me” Prophesy on these bones… And a spirit shall come in to them and they shall live and stand upon their feet, a very very large host “.

According to one of the Biblical commentaries the bones belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, who calculated the time of Redemption and based on that  ran away from the Egyptian enslavement before Moses took the Jewish people out with Divine guidance and assistance , only to be attacked by the people of Gat and killed. This prophecy makes a connection between the first Redemption, from Egypt, to the future Redemption, when there will be a general Resurrection of the dead.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that we should take note of an important detail in the prophecy, it’s location. The prophet Ezekiel, who had this vision, was located ‘in the midst of the valley’, a low place, in the Babylonian exile. This physically low location symbolizes a spiritually low situation. Not only that, but the valley is full of dry bones. These were bones of people who sinned by disobeying G-d’s instructions.

The prophet continues describing the lowly situation of these people:

“And behold they are exceedingly dry…”

Their spiritual state was so low, that no moisture – symbolizing spirituality, could be found. Nevertheless G-d instructs the prophet, “And you shall tell them, these dry bones, hearken to the word of the L-rd! ” and in the end they will merit resurrection.

The spiritual meaning of this vision relates to Jews who at first glance have no ‘spirit’, that is, no revealed connection to G-d. They are considered as infants who were kidnapped and not brought up by their real parents therefore having no recognition of them. They have no inkling of the precepts of Judaism, not knowing the most basic of concepts, or even the Hebrew alphabet. Thus they are called ‘dry bones’, possessing no basic knowledge, no flesh, no sinews.

The cry of the L-rd is to those Jews who do have knowledge of Jewish spirituality: “And he said to me, Ye son of Adam, shall these bones live?” if you are a son of Adam, that is, you have concern for Judaism and your fellow Jew, (the name Adam is from the same root as’Adameh’, I shall resemble, the Supernal One,) then you you must go and” prophesy to these bones and tell them: Dry bones, hearken to the word of the L-rd!”

The prophesy ends with the promise that when G-d’s command will be fulfilled and the dry bones will be told the word of G-d, then they will be brought to life in actuality, and this is what happened :

” And the spirit of the L-rd came in to them, and they lived, and they stood on their feet, a very very large host.”

Sources

1) ספר יחזקאל פרק לז

(א) הָיְתָה עָלַי יַד יְדֹוָד וַיּוֹצִאֵנִי בְרוּחַ יְדֹוָד וַיְנִיחֵנִי בְּתוֹךְ הַבִּקְעָה וְהִיא מְלֵאָה עֲצָמוֹת:

(ב) וְהֶעֱבִירַנִי עֲלֵיהֶם סָבִיב סָבִיב וְהִנֵּה רַבּוֹת מְאֹד עַל פְּנֵי הַבִּקְעָה וְהִנֵּה יְבֵשׁוֹת מְאֹד:

(ג) וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי בֶּן אָדָם הֲתִחְיֶינָה הָעֲצָמוֹת הָאֵלֶּה וָאֹמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱדֹוִד אַתָּה יָדָעְתָּ:

(ד) וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי הִנָּבֵא עַל הָעֲצָמוֹת הָאֵלֶּה וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם הָעֲצָמוֹת הַיְבֵשׁוֹת שִׁמְעוּ דְּבַר יְדֹוָד:

(ה) כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱדֹוִד לָעֲצָמוֹת הָאֵלֶּה הִנֵּה אֲנִי מֵבִיא בָכֶם רוּחַ וִחְיִיתֶם:

(ו) וְנָתַתִּי עֲלֵיכֶם גִּדִים וְהַעֲלֵתִי עֲלֵיכֶם בָּשָׂר וְקָרַמְתִּי עֲלֵיכֶם עוֹר וְנָתַתִּי בָכֶם רוּחַ וִחְיִיתֶם וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי אֲנִי יְדֹוָד:

(ז) וְנִבֵּאתִי כַּאֲשֶׁר צֻוֵּיתִי וַיְהִי קוֹל כְּהִנָּבְאִי וְהִנֵּה רַעַשׁ וַתִּקְרְבוּ עֲצָמוֹת עֶצֶם אֶל עַצְמוֹ:


(1) ספר יחזקאל פרק לז

(י) וְהִנַּבֵּאתִי כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּנִי וַתָּבוֹא בָהֶם הָרוּחַ וַיִּחְיוּ וַיַּעַמְדוּ עַל רַגְלֵיהֶם חַיִל גָּדוֹל מְאֹד מְאֹד:

(יא) וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי בֶּן אָדָם הָעֲצָמוֹת הָאֵלֶּה כָּל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵמָּה הִנֵּה אֹמְרִים יָבְשׁוּ עַצְמוֹתֵינוּ וְאָבְדָה תִקְוָתֵנוּ נִגְזַרְנוּ לָנוּ:

(יב) לָכֵן הִנָּבֵא וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱדֹוִד הִנֵּה אֲנִי פֹתֵחַ אֶת קִבְרוֹתֵיכֶם וְהַעֲלֵיתִי אֶתְכֶם מִקִּבְרוֹתֵיכֶם עַמִּי וְהֵבֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם אֶל אַדְמַת יִשְׂרָאֵל:

(יג) וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי אֲנִי יְדֹוָד בְּפִתְחִי אֶת קִבְרוֹתֵיכֶם וּבְהַעֲלוֹתִי אֶתְכֶם מִקִּבְרוֹתֵיכֶם עַמִּי:

(יד) וְנָתַתִּי רוּחִי בָכֶם וִחְיִיתֶם וְהִנַּחְתִּי אֶתְכֶם עַל אַדְמַתְכֶם וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי אֲנִי יְדֹוָד דִּבַּרְתִּי וְעָשִׂיתִי נְאֻם יְדֹוָד: