What were the Ishah HaShunamis’s rare strengths?
Ishah HaShunamis
Very few people are described as “great” in Tanach. Among the exceptions is the woman from Shunem who is called a “great woman.” What was the source of the Ishah HaShunamis’s greatness? How did this greatness manifest? What lessons can we learn from her for our lives?
Greatness Defined
Rashi in the beginning of parshas Va’eschanan defines the middah of Hashem’s greatness as the attribute of goodness and kindness. This is the exact quality we see demonstrated by this woman in the Navi. In Melachim II chapter 4 the Navi describes how Elisha frequently passed through Shunem on his travels. This woman would continually welcome the navi into her home for meals. Eventually she even prepared a separate room in her home for Elisha’s personal comfort every time he visited this city.
It’s clear from the Navi that this renovation was her own initiative — she did so to fashion her home into a “beis vaad lachachamim — a meeting place for scholars.” Indeed the mefarshim point out the acronym of the items placed in the room — mitah shulchan kisei and ner (bed table chair lamp) spell out the word mishkan; this was a room where Elisha could meditate and connect with Hashem.
The mishnah in Avos enjoins all of us to create homes where scholars and Torah classes are part of the fabric of our homes — to create a family culture in which children are raised to view the home as a meeting place for sages. There’s a Talmudic statement that one “who is careful with lighting the candles will merit children who are Torah scholars.” What does this mean? Being careful with candles Rav Chaim Ephraim Zaitchik explains refers to a father who although tired from a long week stays up late on Friday night to learn by the candles’ light.
