The Ornaments, Jewels & Accoutrements of Women
In this week’s parsha, Vayakhel, we come upon a fascinating verse.
וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ הָאֲנָשִׁ֖ים עַל־הַנָּשִׁ֑ים כֹּ֣ל ׀ נְדִ֣יב לֵ֗ב הֵ֠בִ֠יאוּ חָ֣ח וָנֶ֜זֶם וְטַבַּ֤עַת וְכוּמָז֙ כׇּל־כְּלִ֣י זָהָ֔ב וְכׇל־אִ֕ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֵנִ֛יף תְּנוּפַ֥ת זָהָ֖ב לַיהֹוָֽה׃
Men and women, all whose hearts moved them, all who would make an elevation offering of gold to יהוה, came bringing brooches, earrings, rings, and pendants*pendants Meaning of Heb. kumaz uncertain; cf. Num. 31.50. —gold objects of all kinds.
This is referring to the items that were dedicated by the Israelites to God in order to build the Tabernacle.
I was first struck by the idea that men and women came together to offer these items. (In today’s climate, where women’s faces are increasingly erased from Orthodox publications, and genders are often separated even at functions where a mechitza (divider) is not necessary, it’s interesting to recall a time when men and women could go together to serve God.)
Note, however, that multiple sources explain that actually, the reason the men and women had to go together was because women would not be permitted to offer their jewelry to God without the knowledge and consent of their husbands. The Netziv (HaEmek Davar) explains the topic this way:
ויבאו האנשים על הנשים. אם נשים הביאו באו האנשים עמם. אם מצד שהביאו חח ונזם וגו׳ שהוא תכשיטי נשים מתנת האנשים לקישוטין ואין להם רשות ליתן בלי דעת בעלים. או אם הביאו כל כלי זהב. וזהו מתנה מרובה שאסור לקבל מנשים בלי דעת בעליהם:
Then I became curious as to what exactly the women were offering to God. And now I present…a truly compelling Rashi.
וכומז. כְּלִי זָהָב הוּא נָתוּן כְּנֶגֶד אוֹתוֹ מָקוֹם לָאִשָּׁה, וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ פֵּרְשׁוּ שֵׁם כּוּמָז, כָּאן מְקוֹם זִמָּה (שבת ס"ד):
כומז was a golden ornament worn by the women upon their private parts, Our Rabbis explain the name כּוּמָז as [an acrostic]: כַּאן מְקוֹם זִמָּה, [meaning] here is the place of licentiousness. (cf. Shabbat 64a).
Obviously I now needed to look at Shabbat 64a.
״וַנַּקְרֵב אֶת קׇרְבַּן ה׳ אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר מָצָא כְלִי זָהָב אֶצְעָדָה וְצָמִיד טַבַּעַת עָגִיל וְכוּמָז״. אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר: ״עָגִיל״ — זֶה דְּפוּס שֶׁל דַּדִּין. ״כּוּמָז״ — זֶה דְּפוּס שֶׁל בֵּית הָרֶחֶם.
The Gemara interprets verses written with regard to the Midianite war discussed above: “And we have brought an offering before the Lord what every man has gotten of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, agil, and kumaz, to make atonement for our souls before the Lord” (Numbers 31:50). Rabbi Elazar said: Agil is a mold in the shape of a woman’s breasts worn over them as an ornament. Kumaz is a mold in the shape of the womb.
אָמַר רַב יוֹסֵף: אִי הָכִי, הַיְינוּ דִּמְתַרְגְּמִינַן ״מָחוֹךְ״ — דָּבָר הַמֵּבִיא לִידֵי גִּיחוּךְ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַבָּה: מִגּוּפֵיהּ דִּקְרָא שְׁמַע מִינַּהּ, ״כּוּמָז״ — כָּאן מְקוֹם זִימָּה.
Rav Yosef said: If so, that is the reason that we translate kumaz into Aramaic as maḥokh, meaning an item that leads to foolishness. Rabba said to him: This meaning is learned from the verse itself; kumaz is an acronym for: Here [kan] is the place of [mekom] lewdness [zimma].
So according to Rashi, citing the Gemara, the women were bringing golden ornaments they wore across their breasts and vaginas- to be melted down and used to create God’s Temple.
Think about how powerful that is.
Modern day society is confused about sex and sexuality. In modern times, many (falsely) assume sex is dirty. If reading the Torah in light of today’s beliefs, one might have expected Moses to decline to accept such ornaments-claiming that items worn to arouse, excite or draw attention to the beauty of a woman’s shape had no place in God’s tabernacle, even melted down. But the offerings were accepted. And they were used. Because God’s view of sex and sexuality is different from the modern view. And He understands that when the woman offers these ornaments, she is offering something precious to her- and so He accepts her offering.
This is not the only place where we see women offering their accoutrements and their offerings being accepted. The copper laver (kiyor) is made out of women’s mirrors. See Exodus 38:8.
וַיַּ֗עַשׂ אֵ֚ת הַכִּיּ֣וֹר נְחֹ֔שֶׁת וְאֵ֖ת כַּנּ֣וֹ נְחֹ֑שֶׁת בְּמַרְאֹת֙ הַצֹּ֣בְאֹ֔ת אֲשֶׁ֣ר צָֽבְא֔וּ פֶּ֖תַח אֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵֽד׃ {ס}
He made the laver of copper and its stand of copper, from the mirrors of the women who performed tasks*women who performed tasks Precise nuance of Heb. ṣove’ot ’asher ṣave’u uncertain. at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.
במראת הצבאת. בְּנוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל הָיוּ בְיָדָן מַרְאוֹת שֶׁרוֹאוֹת בָּהֶן כְּשֶׁהֵן מִתְקַשְּׁטוֹת, וְאַף אוֹתָן לֹא עִכְּבוּ מִלְּהָבִיא לְנִדְבַת הַמִּשְׁכָּן, וְהָיָה מוֹאֵס מֹשֶׁה בָּהֶן מִפְּנֵי שֶׁעֲשׂוּיִם לְיֵצֶר הָרָע, אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּבָּ"ה קַבֵּל, כִּי אֵלּוּ חֲבִיבִין עָלַי מִן הַכֹּל, שֶׁעַל יְדֵיהֶם הֶעֱמִידוּ הַנָּשִׁים צְבָאוֹת רַבּוֹת בְּמִצְרַיִם; כְּשֶׁהָיוּ בַעְלֵיהֶם יְגֵעִים בַּעֲבוֹדַת פֶּרֶךְ, הָיוּ הוֹלְכוֹת וּמוֹלִיכוֹת לָהֶם מַאֲכָל וּמִשְׁתֶּה, וּמַאֲכִילוֹת אוֹתָם וְנוֹטְלוֹת הַמַּרְאוֹת, וְכָל אַחַת רוֹאָה עַצְמָהּ עִם בַּעְלָהּ בַּמַּרְאָה, וּמְשַׁדַּלְתּוֹ בִדְבָרִים, לוֹמַר אֲנִי נָאָה מִמְּךָ, וּמִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ מְבִיאוֹת לְבַעְלֵיהֶן לִידֵי תַאֲוָה וְנִזְקָקוֹת לָהֶם וּמִתְעַבְּרוֹת וְיוֹלְדוֹת שָׁם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר תַּחַת הַתַּפּוּחַ עוֹרַרְתִּיךָ (שיר השירים ח'), וְזֶה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בְּמַרְאֹת הַצּוֹבְאוֹת. וְנַעֲשָׂה הַכִּיּוֹר מֵהֶם, שֶׁהוּא לָשׂוּם שָׁלוֹם בֵּין אִישׁ לְאִשְׁתּוֹ – לְהַשְׁקוֹת מִמַּיִם שֶׁבְּתוֹכוֹ לְמִי שֶׁקִּנֵּא לָהּ בַּעְלָהּ וְנִסְתְּרָה; וְתֵדַע לְךָ שֶׁהֵן מַרְאוֹת מַמָּשׁ, שֶׁהֲרֵי נֶאֱמַר וּנְחֹשֶׁת הַתְּנוּפָה שִׁבְעִים כִּכָּר וְגוֹ', וַיַּעַשׂ בָּהּ וְגוֹמֵר, וְכִיּוֹר וְכַנּוֹ לֹא הֻזְכְּרוּ שָׁם, לָמַדְתָּ שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה נְחֹשֶׁת שֶׁל כִּיּוֹר מִנְּחֹשֶׁת הַתְּנוּפָה, כָּךְ דָּרַשׁ רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא, וְכֵן תִּרְגֵּם אֻנְקְלוֹס בְּמֶחְזְיָת נְשַׁיָא וְהוּא תַרְגּוּם שֶׁל מַרְאוֹת, מירוריי"ש בְּלַעַז. וְכֵן מָצִינוּ וְהַגִּלְיוֹנִים (ישעיה ג') – מְתַרְגְּמִינָן מֶחְזְיָתָא:
במראת הצבאת OF THE MIRRORS OF THE WOMEN CROWDING — The Israelitish women possessed mirrors of copper into which they used to look when they adorned themselves. Even these did they not hesitate to bring as a contribution towards the Tabernacle. Now Moses was about to reject them since they were made to pander to their vanity, but the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “Accept them; these are dearer to Me than all the other contributions, because through them the women reared those huge hosts in Egypt!” For when their husbands were tired through the crushing labour they used to bring them food and drink and induced them to eat. Then they would take the mirrors, and each gazed at herself in her mirror together with her husband, saying endearingly to him, “See, I am more beautiful than you!” Thus they awakened their husbands’ affection and subsequently became the mothers of many children, at it is said, (Song 8:5) “I awakened thy love under the apple-tree”, (referring to the fields where the men worked). This is what it refers to when it states, מראות הצבאת “the mirrors of the women who reared the hosts (צבאות)” (Midrash Tanchuma, Pekudei 9). And it was for this reason that the laver was made of them (the mirrors) — because it served the purpose of promoting peace between man and wife viz., by giving of its waters to be drunk by a woman whose husband had shown himself jealous of her and who nevertheless had associated with another (cf. Numbers ch. V) thus affording her an opportunity to prove her innocence (cf. Sotah 15b). You may know that the מראות mentioned in the text were really mirrors (and that the word does not mean visions, or appearance, etc.), for it is said, (v. 29) “And the copper of the wave-offering was seventy talents etc. … and therewith he made [the sockets etc.]” — the laver, however, and its base are not mentioned there amongst the articles made from that copper; hence you may learn that the copper of which the laver was made was not a part of the copper of the weave-offering, which is the only copper mentioned as having been contributed by the people. Thus did R. Tanchuma 2:11:9 explain the term מראת הצבאת. And so does Onkelos also render it: במחזית נשיא, and this first word is the Targum translation of מראות, in the sense of mireors in old French, for we find that for the word (Isaiah 3:23) “And the גליונים”, which are mirrors, we have in the Targum the same word מחזיתא.
As Rabbi Alex Israel puts it in his piece on the topic
Rashi expresses a view proposing that sexuality, when used to enhance love between husband and wife, when utilised to further the Jewish people, is appropriate. In fact, it is more than appropriate; it is holy! Interestingly enough, Moses initially sees things differently. He demonstrates reluctance in accepting these mirrors precisely due to the fact that they were instruments of human desire. God had to push Moshe to adopt a wider view. After all, these mirrors were used for a noble purpose, a sacred purpose; for the selfsame purpose that caused God to create human passion in the first place. These mirrors find their place in the sacred space of a Mishkan. Rashi's thesis wants to find a place in the world of Kedusha for sexuality.
One of the many things I enjoy about Tanakh (and Talmud) is the amount of space given to descriptions of women’s ornaments, jewels and accoutrements. One of my favorite interpretations actually explains that jewels and cosmetics fell with the manna from heaven so that women would be able to adorn and beautify themselves for their husbands. See Yoma 75a.
Rabbi Yehuda said that Rav said, and some say it was Rabbi Ḥama, son of Rabbi Ḥanina: This teaches that women’s perfumes fell for the Jewish people with the manna because they are an item that is beaten in a mortar.
[…]
The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of “every morning”? Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said that Rabbi Yonatan said: They brought donations from that which fell every morning with the manna. This teaches that pearls and precious stones fell for the Israelites with the manna. It states: “And the rulers [nesi’im] brought the onyx [shoham] stones” (Exodus 35:27).
Rashi comments there
תכשיטי נשים - בשמים שהן דוכות במדוכה ומתקשטות בהן להיות ריחן ערב לבעליהן: Women's adornments: Spices that they crush in a mortar with which they adorn themselves, that their smell should be pleasant to their husbands.
Artscroll on Yoma 75a explains further
All the relevant verses imply that the manna resembled some form of bread, which is processed by grinding and baking rather than by pounding in a mortar and cooking. Thus, this verse, which relates that the Israelites "pounded in a mortar," does not refer to the manna itself, but to something extraneous that fell along with it- women's cosmetics, which require pounding in a mortar (Maharsha).
Cf. Ben Yehoyadah, who understands that "pounded in a mortar" indeed refers to the manna, and teaches that the manna itself possessed the qualities of those herbs and spices that are pounded in a mortar to produce the oils, rouges, lipsticks and perfumes that women normally use to beautify themselves. For the women of the Wilderness generation, eating manna produced all the desirable cosmetic effects.
There’s something very enjoyable about knowing that when I put on makeup in the morning or otherwise adorn myself, I’m following in a long tradition of women who did this.
Rabbi Hiyya believed a wife was specifically for beauty (though the Mishna did not agree with him).
מַתְנִיתִין דְּלָא כְּרַבִּי חִיָּיא דְּתָנֵי רַבִּי חִיָּיא אֵין אִשָּׁה אֶלָּא לְיוֹפִי אֵין אִשָּׁה אֶלָּא לְבָנִים וְתָנֵי רַבִּי חִיָּיא אֵין אִשָּׁה אֶלָּא לְתַכְשִׁיטֵי אִשָּׁה וְתָנֵי רַבִּי חִיָּיא הָרוֹצֶה שֶׁיְּעַדֵּן אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ יַלְבִּישֶׁנָּה כְּלֵי פִשְׁתָּן
The Gemara comments: The mishna is not in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Ḥiyya, as Rabbi Ḥiyya teaches: A wife is only for beauty, and a wife is only for children, but not for household tasks. And Rabbi Ḥiyya teaches: A wife is only for wearing a woman’s finery. And Rabbi Ḥiyya similarly teaches: One who wishes to beautify his wife should clothe her in linen garments.
Shabbat 25b includes a discussion where it becomes clear that a beautiful wife is ideal for Torah scholars.
רַבִּי אַבָּא אָמַר: זוֹ מִטָּה מוּצַּעַת וְאִשָּׁה מְקוּשֶּׁטֶת לְתַלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים.
Rabbi Abba said: That is a made bed, and a wife adorned, i.e., worthy of and suitable (Rashba) for Torah scholars.
(Note that the Rashba explains that it actually refers to the woman’s actions- she should have comely and beautiful actions, and it does not refer to her physical beauty.)
But on this site (which I am not familiar with, but which is where I found many of these sources, so I appreciate that aspect), it states
Orchos Chaim [Lunil] 2 Hilchos Kesubos explains this Gemara as follows, “So he does not desire another woman, as his inclination is greater than others’, as whoever is greater than his friend, his inclination is also greater… Accordingly, it is forbidden for a Torah scholar to allow his wife to dress unattractively even when she is in mourning, in order so she not be despised in his eyes, and he come to look at other women… It is forbidden for her to look unattractive as it causes her husband to stumble in forbidden lust.”
Or Hachaim Hakadosh Vayeitzei, “A Torah scholar needs to take a beautiful woman due to his Yetzer Hara”
Pela Yoeitz “Yofi” “It is fit for a father to take beautiful women for his sons in order so they do not look elsewhere, and so too for this reason he should purchase ornaments in order so she find favor in his eyes and he not look at other women.”
And that brings us to one of my favorite tales from the Talmud, the story of the wife of Abu Hilkiyah in Taanit 23b.
מַאי טַעְמָא כִּי מְטָא מָר לְמָתָא נָפְקָא דְּבֵיתְהוּ דְּמָר כִּי מִיקַּשְּׁטָא? אֲמַר לְהוּ: כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא אֶתֵּן עֵינַי בְּאִשָּׁה אַחֶרֶת.
They further inquired: What is the reason that when the Master reached the city, the Master’s wife came out adorned in her finery? He said to them: She dresses that way so that when I walk through the city I will not set my eyes upon another woman.
And let’s conclude with one of the more romantic episodes between Akiva and his wife Rachel, where he promised to give her a Jerusalem of Gold ornament.
It begins in Nedarim 50a.
בְּסִיתְוָא הֲוָה גָּנוּ בֵּי תִיבְנָא הֲוָה קָא מְנַקֵּיט לַיהּ תִּיבְנָא מִן מַזְּיַיהּ אֲמַר לַהּ אִי הֲוַאי לִי רָמֵינָא לִיךְ יְרוּשָׁלַיִם דְּדַהֲבָא
In the winter they would sleep in a storehouse of straw, and Rabbi Akiva would gather strands of straw from her hair. He said to her: If I had the means I would place on your head a Jerusalem of Gold, a type of crown.
And it continues when he ultimately fulfills his promise to her in Shabbat 59a-b.
וְלֹא בְּעִיר שֶׁל זָהָב. מַאי ״בְּעִיר שֶׁל זָהָב״? רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם דְּדַהֲבָא, We learned in the mishna: And neither may a woman go out on Shabbat to the public domain with a city of gold. The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of: With a city of gold? Rabba bar bar Ḥana said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Jerusalem of Gold, a gold tiara engraved with a depiction of the city of Jerusalem,
כְּדַעֲבַד לֵיהּ רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא לִדְבֵיתְהוּ. like the one that Rabbi Akiva made for his wife.
(To learn more about the Jerusalem of Gold ornament that Rabbi Akiva’s wife wore, click here.)
In sum, women’s beauty, their ornaments, adornments and cosmetics all take up a lot of space in the Tanakh and Talmud. It’s astonishing (and empowering) to see that ornaments that women wore on the most intimate parts of their body were permitted to be dedicated to God and used in the Tabernacle. The same applied to the mirrors these women used to seduce their husbands and assure the continuity of the Jewish people. In Judaism, sexuality within a committed husband-wife relationship is sanctioned and sanctified. Moreover, we have various episodes in which it is understood that a wife beautifying herself is important, as it ensures she remains attractive to her husband, and the love and desire between them will flare hot. But similarly, men should provide their wives with ornaments- as Rabbi Akiva ultimately did for his love, Rachel.
