A Woman of Valor, called Eshet Chayil in Hebrew, is a hymn which is customarily recited on Friday evenings, after returning from synagogue and before sitting down to the Shabbat evening meal. Traditionally, this entire passage is recited by the husband before Kiddush. After the Shabbat candles are lit (but before the meal is eaten), the wife is praised and the children are then blessed. Eshet Chayil is a twenty-two verse poem with which King Solomon concludes the book of Proverbs (Proverbs 31). The poem has an acrostic arrangement in which the verses begin with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in regular order. The poem describes the woman of valor as one who are is energetic, righteous, and capable.
According to Kabbalah, the poem is a reference to the Shabbat Queen, the spiritual soul-mate of the Jewish nation.
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