Yekarit Friedman: "I Wanted to Add Something Spiritual to Our Busy Lives, and This Is the Result"

To purchase the journal of Rebbetzin Yemima Mizrachi, call Hidabroot Shops at 073-2221250 or click here.

It is impossible to discuss Rebbetzin Yemima Mizrachi without mentioning Yekarit Friedman alongside. Yekarit, who has been accompanying the Rebbetzin for 15 years, is effectively responsible for the blessed project 'Parsha and Woman' - the Rebbetzin's weekly Torah portion discussions, which are sent via email to thousands of women across the country.

"The truth is, it all started small," says Yekarit. "I began attending the Rebbetzin’s lectures years ago and was so inspired and impressed that I started summarizing her talks and sharing them with friends, family, and other women I knew. Very quickly, it grew, and when I told the Rebbetzin how much joy it brought to women, she joined the initiative. Now, I attend one of her classes each week, then we meet up so she can provide additional material not covered in her lecture, ensuring the full learning she works on reaches readers who want to delve deep and receive everything."

And Yekarit is not a shadow writer hidden behind her summaries; she manages an extensive customer service system and maintains contact with thousands of women who read Rebbetzin Yemima's weekly teachings and contact her with various requests. "The more I converse, or rather, correspond with women, the more ideas for interesting initiatives come to me. This is what led me to publish the Rebbetzin's words in books that I edited, and now to launch the new initiative - a journal intended for Israeli women."

A Journal with Power

When Yekarit talks about the journal, she emphasizes that it is a journal in every sense. "Personally," she shares, "for years, I have always felt that a journal is a kind of 'certificate of achievement,' and unfortunately, I never achieve enough, and in this certificate, I always receive the grade 'fail.' I wanted a different kind of journal, one that gives strength and doesn’t lead to despair."

This desire led her to quickly release the journal with Rebbetzin Yemima. "When I approached the task, there was hardly a journal I didn’t buy or delve into. I saw journals of all kinds - for scattered people, busy mothers, business professionals. I found good things but still, the underlying principle remains: we remain more efficient..."

So what does the journal you released truly offer?

"Let me share a small story to explain the concept - I belong to a wonderful group of women who want to accomplish what’s important to them. Every day, we share our daily achievement. Most women in the group are not connected to Jewish spiritual content. On Tisha B’Av, most women treated the day as an ordinary weekday: 'I sent an important article'; 'I made a few phone calls I’d postponed for a long time'; 'I took care of myself, went to the dentist,' and I wrote: 'My achievement today was that I cried at exactly midnight about all the things missing in my life, about my teenagers, about my challenges. I cried tears for women whose pain I feel. I cried over the destruction of the Temple and felt like the stars were crying with me.' In other words, I fully embraced the essence of the day, not letting it slip away. This content was so lacking in my planning and time management."

"That’s why the journal we offer here first and foremost fills the days with meaning. Theoretically, the journal’s role is to manage the load, to write down things like plans, execution times, and meetings. In our journal, 'Year and Its Blessings,' we aim to illuminate the spiritual aspect of life, not letting it get lost in the flow of important tasks. The journal’s content signals to each woman: Did you address the presence of the four matriarchs in the Parsha this week and connect yourself to them? Or: Did you stop yourself from arguing during the week of Netzach in the counting of the Omer? Or: Did you recite the Shelah’s prayer for each of your children, even those who are yet to be born? If yes, then you touched the essence. Time didn’t just pass by you with a sticking-out tongue; it passed through you, and you knew how to capture the blessings it brings."

Who is the journal intended for? Who is the target audience?

"The journal’s target audience is diverse. It may sound very personal, but the journal is meant for my daughter, who is 15 and a half. She’s a teenager and has many questions, and I see how much she wants real content, not shallow. The journal is also intended for my neighbor, whom I know has challenges in her life with her partner and children, and I thought of her when editing specific sections. It’s meant for my friend waiting for a match for many years and small reinforcements bring her joy. Oh, and of course, the journal is intended for me. And I pray it speaks directly to anyone who reads it."

Special Pages

There are also specific pages in the journal that Yekarit mentions she connects with especially. "Personally, I really love the segulot for Sukkot. They appear so joyous and simply invite me in, to do a mitzvah. I also love the section I edited for Tu B'Av, about the girls dancing in the vineyards and offering a wife for each other with such amazing graciousness in a white garment, and internally—getting rid of the feeling of competition, offering each other a blessing for the way. I also really love the section I edited for Shavuot, about Ruth who suffered such humiliation in relationships, but Boaz treated her like a queen. Redemption will come when the daughters of Israel remember they are queens but also when young men remember that the daughters of Israel are queens. I am incredibly excited by this. I also really love the empowering words floating in the journal. For instance: 'Take, you dropped it' - and a drawing of a crown. A reminder I love especially."

And how did you decide which materials to choose and include?

Here, Yekarit emphasizes that "the Torah teachings were carefully selected from the complete study by the Rebbetzin, which I edit from her weekly on the 'Parsha and Woman' site (www.parasha.org). I had to go through hundreds of pages of excellent material. But honestly, most of the time, the Torah teachings chose themselves. They sparkled in front of my eyes and moved me to tears, and that was the criterion—interesting, moving, practical, and feminine. Of course, where there was hesitation, the Rebbetzin made the decision, and that’s how we moved forward."

The Rebbetzin’s Secret

It’s hard to talk with Yekarit without constantly mentioning the personal and unique connection she has with Rebbetzin Yemima. For her, as she notes, in the last fifteen years, the Rebbetzin has become an integral part of her life. "I can’t imagine myself without her, truly so."

What do you think is the Rebbetzin’s secret? How does she manage to captivate so many admirers from all sectors?

Yekarit has a ready answer: "She simply goes to great lengths to make us happy, to renew our strength and restore our faith on a weekly basis. She devotes hours, days, and nights to extracting these messages from the Torah portion that women deserve to hear and read, to gain strength for the long road. Strengths both for themselves and those around them. Her magic is a combination of many things, but in one word, she has an extraordinary love for the Torah and the daughters of Israel. And let’s not forget her incredible sense of humor."

On a personal note, Yekarit adds that thanks to accompanying the Rebbetzin for so many years, she leads a full and fascinating life. "I have everything," she explains, "laughter, tears, joy, and difficulty. There are times when, without the Torah, I would be truly lost. I am blessed not only to receive the Rebbetzin Yemima's special Torah but also the personal bond with her, which is certainly a privilege. She is like the older sister I never had. Someone to consult about many things. Sometimes she invents life rules just for me. Years ago, I told her with terrible guilty feelings that I lost my wedding ring. She immediately comforted me: 'Yekarit, didn’t you know that every woman must lose her ring at least once in her life?' It was so funny and surprising that it comforted me right away. And this is just a small example."

The journal is a particularly creative initiative. Are there other special initiatives in the works?

"The next initiative in the works is a large conference ahead of the anniversary of Rachel Imenu’s passing. We are planning a special conference for all the readers of 'Parsha and Woman,' which is the Rebbetzin's and my project. There are thousands of women who read the full weekly lesson of the Rebbetzin, and I want to meet them and appreciate their love for the Torah and that so much is sent out thanks to their demand. I am very excited about the conference (and truthfully, also about its pretty insane cost). It’s an endless job."

And how do you manage everything?

"It’s Hashem’s grace. He is the one who created within me a burning inner fire and connected me with Rebbetzin Yemima, establishing this strong partnership. He’s the one allowing me over the years to share with so many women the Torah that lights my path, and to be specific, the credit belongs to my husband, Adi. When I finished working on the book 'Like Water, Your Heart' for the days of Bein Ha-Metzarim, I was happy and relieved because it was a truly significant and large project that finally saw light. Suddenly, the journal idea struck me, and I couldn’t stop it; it was too strong, like an onslaught of inspiration. It was like an ongoing fireworks show in my mind, with ideas for the journal dropping every moment, too fast to write them all down in real time."

"But summer vacation was on the horizon, and I didn’t know what to do. Soon all the kids would be home (Yekarit has nine children, thank God), young and older ones, and what would I do? Summer demands so much strength from me, and when I have ideas buzzing in my head, God help us all. I am incredibly grateful to Adi, my husband, who understood the situation, and every morning said to me: 'Now you dress, go to your office and write, and I’ll ensure the house runs smoothly.' It was a huge gift for me, and thanks to Adi, I returned home every day after hours of writing and editing full of energy for the kids and the kitchen. Thank God, I kept my sanity over the summer vacation, and a wonderful journal is coming out."

So now will you rest a bit?

"Yes, now that the journal is out, maybe I’ll rest a bit. We’ll see. I have ten creative ideas every day, and it seems to me each is a bomb. Luckily, it’s impossible to realize them all. Even the Rebbetzin doesn’t have time for all my creativity. Over the years that I edit her, I’ve given birth seven times, thank God, and during the times I'm pregnant, she has absolutely no patience for me: 'Give birth already; I can’t handle all your ideas...' So maybe now Yekarit will rest a little. Until the next idea, of course."

To purchase the journal of Rebbetzin Yemima Mizrachi, call Hidabroot Shops at 073-2221250 or click here.