EXOD540 (Continued from [[GEN1172]] Genesis 24:14 her BLOCH 213-4). The fine character of the wife must be matched by the equally fine character of her husband if the couple is to create the wholesome home environment essential to the upbringing of children. Yet the early Judaic literature on the subject appears to give greater emphasis to the moral stature of the wife. Eliezer informed Rebecca's family of Isaac's great wealth (Genesis 24:36) but did not touch on the question of Isaac's character. The lyrical description of an admirable wife by the author of Proverbs, "A woman a virtual who can find?" (Proverbs 31:10) [aka "Eshet Hayil" -- AJL], has no parallel passage along the lines of "A man a virtual who can fine?" Warnings against the influence of immoral wives (Ecclesiastes 7:26, Proverbs 9:13) are not coupled with similar censures of the damaging influence of roguish husbands. Hagiographical admonitions to young men are mostly centered on their obligations to honor their parents. On the other hand, admonitions to young women mainly relate to their roles as wives and their obligations to their husbands. Any conclusion that the stress on a wife's qualifications and duties is an indication of the prejudicial attitudes of a male-oriented society is fallacious. On the contrary, the Pentateuch lists a husband's obligations to his wife [this verse] but has no similar text mandating a wife's duties to her husband. Indeed, according to rabbinical rules, a wife who has the means to hire servants is exempt from performing domestic duties. Surely such a liberal law reflects no anti-feminist prejudice. Similarly, the fact that father and mother were placed on an equal level in the Decalogue with regard to filial obligations of parental honor dispels any notion of sexual discrimination. The biblical emphasis on the woman's qualifications for marriage was primarily due to her vital position as the first teacher in the life of her young children and her ability to influence their ethical perceptions at a most formative age. The Book of Proverbs distinguishes between the role of the father and the role of the mother in the raising of children. The father disciplines but the mother instructs (Proverbs 1:8).