Question: I was under the impression that Eshet Chayil (“Woman of Valor” traditionally recited before the meal on Sabbath Eve) came from the scriptural book of Proverbs but I was told that it also comes from a Midrash. Specifically Abraham writes a eulogy to his dead wife Sarah and says the hymn there. Is there any truth behind this?

Answer: We see in the book of Psalms that King David drew his Psalms from many earlier sources as well as his own compositions. A good example of this is Psalm 90, which is a Prayer of Moses. The Midrash says that Moses actually wrote all of the Psalms from 90-99.

Similarly, the Midrash indicates that King Solomon decided to use a text composed by Abraham to complete his book of Proverbs. It should be noted that a Midrash does not always need to be taken literally even according to the Orthodox view. Also, there may be different opinions, so it doesn’t matter much whether Abraham wrote this hymn or if Solomon wrote it. The Talmud actually says that King Hezekiah’s court compiled the book of Proverbs from King Solomon’s writings, as the Book of Kings tells us that King Solomon wrote thousands of Proverbs, many more than are found in the Bible.

All the best,
Rabbi Kolakowski