The Rabbi's wife

To my brothers Meʾir and Tsvi Mizraḥi Z"L

Name of speaker: 
Naftali Mizraḥi
Gender of speaker: 
Male
Occupation of speaker: 
Carpenter
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
81
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Judeo-Aramaic
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Batya Mazor Hoffman
Year of recording: 
2018
Translator: 
Batya Mazor Hoffman

Translation: 

One day the Rabbi's wife told her husband: your wisdom is not your wisdom, it arrived from me.

He answered: after all I read the Tora, people are eager to hear my words, I am a butcher and an examiner, how is it possible that all derives from you?

She replied: let's get divorced and see. You will have a simple woman and I will find an ignorant man.

The Rabbi and his wife divorced, each one of them went their separate ways. The Rabbi married a young wife and had a child. The Rabbi's wife got married with an ignorant, simple man - a laborer. As he returned dirty and dusty from the day's work, he sat at the table and ordered her to serve him dinner. She told him, wash your hands and return to the table. The following day the man returned from his day of work, washed his hands and sat at the table. She told him: bless the Creator while washing your hands. The following day, after he washed his hands and blessed, she told him: Kadosh Baruch Hu (Almighty) He blessed us with the bread that rests before us, bless it with "Hamotzi" blessing (who brings forth bread from the earth). Every day the man learned something new from his wife. She taught him Tora, Halachot (Jewish rituals) and Tikkun Chatzot (midnight rectification), until he reached the level of the Rabbi's wisdom, her first husband.

The Rabbi married a young woman, who was preoccupied with raising a child, and asked not to be bothered. She didn't allow him to pray or go to the synagogue, until the point he stopped reading "Kriyat Shema".

One day the woman met the Rabbi who was her first husband. She asked what happened to him and what his conclusion was. He replied, "what do I say, all my teachings derived from you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn’t have had Tora". As the saying goes: every wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.