The Stereotypical Jewish Mother

In honor of our last week of Megillot classes, I decided to do something a bit more lighthearted than usual. My topic for today: how the lessons we learn from the book of Rut enumerate those of the "stereotypical Jewish mother." 

The first quality is "being a reminder of responsibility." Rut cleverly reminded Boaz of what his job was, and that it had not yet been completed. He had a duty to her, and by all means he needed to complete the task. Well, a Jewish mom works the same way. Imagine the scene: the trash in our stereotypical Jewish household has not been taken out, and guess whose turn it is to take care of it? the child of the family, conveniently hiding out in his/ her room. As a grand reminder of responsibility, it's a Jewish motherly trait to muster all available lung power and cry "TAKE OUT THE GARBAGE! NOW, OR YOU'RE NOT GETTING 2nd PORTIONS AT DINNER!" As you can see, there is still an obvious care and concern for the child involved, same as how Rut brought up this topic to Boaz in a way that wasn't full of blame. Jewish mothers will pull you by your ears to get something done, but in the end they have a heart of gold. 

The next quality is "looking out for the benefit of others above oneself." Rut worked for a greater purpose- the continuation of her deceased husband's name. She had nothing to gain from this viewpoint. Jewish mothers are also often pretty selfless. If a Jewish mom can see that you really want the cookie she's holding, she will give it to you with a smile on her face. Jewish moms really want their kids to be happy and successful, regardless of how much nudging and assistance their kids require to get to that point. 

Lastly, Jewish moms (typically) work hard to instill a set of strong moral and ethical values into their kids. Rut also adhered to her own set of ingrained morals and ethics. She did what was right because she felt that it was the correct thing to do. Jewish moms try to do the same, and teach their kids to do so as well. I have heard stories of little kids who go grocery shopping with their moms, and happen to nab some candy while no one is looking. The good Jewish mom involved in this story yelled at the poor three year old and made him march back to the manager of the store, return the candy he grabbed, and apologize. That mortifying episode probably stuck in his head forever, and taught him early on that stealing is wrong. Clearly, Jewish moms want this lesson to be taught loud and clear, especially since we're the nation that is supposed to uphold Torah values. The least we can do is act like it.