“Mirror mirror on the wall who is the fairest of them all?”

Yiddishkeit has a clear answer: the fairest of them all is the person who dedicates himself to be an eved Hashem with mesirus nefesh and love. Such a person embraces his life challenges as opportunities of continued growth and connection; he understands he has a mission to fulfill that’s unique to him. In particular he does it with a sense of enthusiasm and passion.

The Ishah HaTzarfatis who appears in the 17th chapter of Melachim personifies these traits. We’d do well to take her as a role model for our lives.

To inspire the people to return to Hashem Eliyahu Hanavi declares a famine on the land. After sustaining him in Nachal Krit for a few months with the ravens Hashem commands Eliyahu Hanavi to travel north to Tzarfas and tells him a widow there will provide for him for the duration of the famine.

Hashem tells Eliyahu “I have commanded a widow there to support you.” The commentators raise two obvious questions. One she’s never told of such a command; and two it’s Eliyahu Hanavi’s blessing that sustains them — not she who supports him!

Rashi answers that the word “there” is not a reference to the place — Tzarfas — rather it’s a reference to Heaven. Before this woman was born this was the life mission designated for her soul. Praiseworthy is the one who performs his life task with joy Mussar Haneviim notes — otherwise one is forced to realize his life’s calling through difficult challenges.

Yemei Zikaron emphasizes that each of us is born at a specific time and place unique to fulfill what we need to accomplish in This World. Unlike agents dispatched by humans who aren’t accompanied on their journey we have Hashem with us in all that we do. For this reason we can’t ever say that something is too difficult for us to accomplish since we have Hashem helping us every step of the way. Further since we are all on missions sent from Above and He is with all of us a person can’t say that his mission is more important than that of someone else.

The key factor in accomplishing one’s mission notes the Gemara is sheyiskavein libo laShamayim — acting with intent to fulfill Hashem’s Will. Indeed as soon as Eliyahu Hanavi a total stranger to her in a time of famine asks the widow from Tzarfas for some water the Navi writes “She went to bring him.” No questions asked. This good will was the merit by which she received the blessing that would provide sustenance for her and Eliyahu.

Beyond the Unknown

Eliyahu Hanavi then asks her for some bread. She responds that she is about to make bread for her and her son — and then they will die of starvation as she has no more oil or flour. Eliyahu Hanavi promises her that her oil and flour will not diminish. However he requests that she make the bread for him first. On a technical level Malbim notes if she made bread for herself and her son first the bread for Eliyahu would have had to come from a miraculous source. As the person who had stopped the rain and brought on the famine he could not be the conduit to bring down this blessing into the world.

Mishbetzos Zahav notes that this was a test for this woman to see if she would believe in the words of the prophet. In the merit of her belief in his words she was worthy of having the blessing on her flour and oil. Rav Avraham Yaakov Pam explains that this is a phenomenon that Hashem uses with us all the time. In the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy we describe Hashem as merciful slow to anger full of kindness and truth. Why do we mention truth when we are asking for unabated kindness?

Rav Pam explains that at times Hashem wishes to bestow great kindness upon us but we are not worthy. Hashem therefore sends us opportunities for us to act with mesirus nefesh pushing us beyond our comfort zones so that even according to the attribute of truth we are worthy of these blessings. How careful we must be when opportunities to give are presented that we don’t shut the door without a second thought; these very well may be angels of mercy providing us with the potential for untold blessings. The Ishah HaTzarfatis personifies this dynamic: she is ready to give even in the face of the unknown even at the expense of potentially giving up food for her family.

Vessel of Blessing

When describing the miracle the Navi notes that it is bestowed on the pitcher of flour and flask of oil; they will never be diminished such that they lose their names as pitcher and flask. The Navi does not mention that there was an increase of flour and oil. Alshich Hakadosh notes that the flour and oil did not increase miraculously. Rather when the woman poured out what she needed the same amount remained inside; the containers were the vehicles of the blessing. From here he notes that when we give tzedakah we should not feel that if we don’t see immediate blessing and increase in our wealth it means they won’t materialize.

At times we will have exactly what we had previously in our bank accounts but there will be blessing in our lives that stretches our money further. Mishbetzos Zahav notes that since the Ishah HaTzarfatis did many mitzvos with her pitcher and flask they were worthy of becoming mediums of blessing. It’s an interesting thought in the age of disposables — that our very pitchers and containers deserve a level of appreciation. Like Yaakov Avinu who returns to retrieve the pachim ketanim we need to value the possessions we’ve been blessed with and appreciate the many mitzvos that are done with them.

The Midrash on Eishes Chayil notes that the verse “she extends her hand to the poor” is a reference to the Ishah HaTzarfatis. She undertook her mission with alacrity and good will. The Midrash teaches us that in the merit of this hospitality she merited that Eliyahu Hanavi revived her son and he became the great prophet Yonah. We too need to look ourselves in the mirror and in striving to be “fairest of them all ” work to reflect her good deeds.