This poem, meant to be recited by a wife to her husband, was written by Ruth F. Brin as a response to the traditional Eishet Chayil. Whereas the text from Proverbs 31 praises a woman for all she does for the family, this contemporary poem emphasizes the shared responsibility of all family members in creating and maintaining “a good family.” Brin, a Jewish writer, poet, teacher, and liturgical pioneer, modernized many traditional Jewish prayers and texts based on new interpretive readings and wrote original poetry reflecting her own religious experience. This poem was published by the Reconstructionist Press in HARVEST: Collected Poems and Prayers By Ruth F. Brin and shared on Ritualwell, a project of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College that provides a platform for creating new Jewish practices and observances.
The Wife to Her Husband:
A good family is a special, a wonderful thing:
people who trust each other,
who care for each other.
A good family means people who listen
Who open their hearts and their minds to each other.
Each member of the family is an important person
Each with responsibilities to the others.
Some work in the home and some work outside it,
but all work together,
all grow and learn,
each in a different way.
A good family is a divine blessing
to be treasured and enjoyed.
With thanks in our hearts, we pray to find the ways
always to be a good family.