Akeret haBayit in Training

What is an akeret habayit?

" Akeret is the feminine version of ikar, which is the central aspect, or the essence of something.The definite article "ha" means "the".Bayit usually means "house" or "home."

Isn't that just beautiful? Akeret haBayit is the Jewish term for "homemaker" , which is also beautiful. ~Home-maker~Akeret habayit. The Hebrew word "akeret" is itself feminine .

There is a difference between a house and a home. A house is the material aspect , but a home is the immaterial and most important part. A house doesn't automatically become a home, it requires work and effort,sometimes daily, from someone to make a house a home. This employment is most fitting for the woman.A woman takes this on as soon as she is married,(whether she knows it or not) and on a deeper and more influential way, I think, when she has children.The role the woman plays is part of the very foundation of habayit . That is why she is called an "akeret ".
But why is the home so important? Why is it so important to create an environment and culture in the home?

Let us go back to the definition of akeret habayit. The feminine word "akeret" is derived from the masculine ikar, which means the central or essence of something. That is exactly what the home is, it is the central aspect of the family, and the mother is the essence of habayit. The mother is not completely alone in this employment, because the father also plays a part in it, but overall the woman maintains and "keeps alive" the culture. The home is where the family(should) gather together, learn Torah, study, read, listen to music, play together, discuss topics, clean, cook.... This is what I mean by the culture of the home. Every family and their home is different. Some families like to listen to music, and even dance together, while some families connect more while reading together. Families are the same as countries- they have different government, customs, etc etc etc.
There is a prayer in the siddur (prayer book) called Ma Tovu- how goodly. The first sentence is taken from the Torah(first five books of the Bible), where Baalam goes to curse Isra'el, but it ends up that only blessings come forth from his mouth. (Numbers 24:5)
" How lovely are your tents , Ya'akov(Jacob);
your dwelling places , Isra'el."
One view the sages have on this verse is that the dwelling places, are the tents, are the Torah observant home. The home should be a place of prayer and Torah study, a place where G-d is the center and His name is sanctified. HaShem should be a BIG part in the culture of the home.

What is an Akeret haBayit in Training?

An akeret habayit in training's role is to learn from her mother, to help her, to contribute to the shalom(home) and atmosphere of habayit. Our roles as young ladies in training is to become all we can , to learn all we can, and to equip ourselves to the fullest, so that when we move on to our own homes we know how to create a culture and how to make a house a home. Being a young lady is a time of training for every role we may play at a future time- that of wife, mother, and home-maker. And these are all intertwined.
But we must not forget that while we are training for those things, we must also be the daughter, sister, and helper that G-d has called us to be. We must be "like pillars carved to adorn a palace" (Psalm 144:12).
I hope that this has answered questions about my blog title. Also , my signature stands for Akeret haBayit in Training.

(I used information and inspiration from an excellent post my Mom's wrote :)