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YOU can be a heroine too.

As we all know, as the circle of history turned, time and time again the Jewish people needed salvation.
In the specific "drama" of Purim, the heroic savior did not have a penetrating saintly gaze, or a long white beard and staff.
Esther, a graceful, modest, strong, young women emerged reluctantly and hesitantly as she took center stage, and was instrumental in bringing the Jewish people their salvation.

Today, how does the media portray a heroine to our impressionable minds and hearts? Hmm… maybe as a seductress with jet black hair and a mysterious coy smile?
Maybe a CIA agent with her hair blowing in the wind as she expertly pulls out her gun to shoot the bad guys?

In contrast, the Jewish heroines from the Torah ( and there were many!) were most comfortable in their traditional roles, yet  they VENTURED out of their comfort zones to help the Jewish people. How did they do this?
 

1. With their wisdom and intuitive intellect they devised a plan.

2. They prayed that with G-d’s help, their plan would work and had faith.

3. They did what it took (no matter the personal risk) to save the Jewish people.

So, there we have it, the formula to become a true Jewish heroine.  

We all know women we would call heroic. I'm fortunate to know a number of people I would call Jewish heroines. Just to mention a few, I know women that took over the cooking, driving, and chores for a single man that became ill. My friend who lives just down my street made room in her home and her heart for a teenager from an abusive home…and the list goes on.
 

"Ok then,” I think, “Then why the formula? Why the focus on heroines in the Torah if we pretty much have this down pat?”
In my humble opinion, the secret to becoming a true Jewish heroine is fighting our resistance.
What do I mean? This happens when there is a situation either with ourselves or involving someone we know and we would rather not get involved because we feel resistance, yet we help out anyway.

A situation where you venture outside of your comfort zone- THIS is heroism at its best!
Esther did NOT want to put herself in a situation and "go out of her comfort zone,” so to speak – where she would go from her meaningful sheltered life married to wise and saintly Mordechai, to being the wife of an immoral and cruel king.

The same could be said about Yael, the brilliant judge of the Jewish people, Rachel our matriarch who heroically gave her own fiancé to her sister to avoid embarrassing her…the list goes on….

So yes, the formula that these women devised was their wisdom in planning, their faith, and prayer. The main ingredient was their ACTION, even when it wasn't comfortable, even when they wanted to resist, they did it anyway.

Ladies-we too can achieve this level and have achieved it in the past. As a role model of mine once said, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”