From the Gemara it seems that without these meritorious deeds, women would
not receive reward. Are there not many other Mitzvos that women fulfill?
Why do they not receive reward for those Mitzvos?
(a) The VILNA GA'ON cites the Gemara in Sotah (21a) that points out that
the only way to merit permanent protection from suffering is by learning
Torah. Mitzvos also serve as protection, but a Mitzvah only protects a
person during the time that one is actually performing the Mitzvah. Torah
protects a person all the time, even when he is not learning. The Gemara
wants to know how women merit permanent protection if they have no
obligation to learn Torah.
(b) The Gemara in Kesuvos (111b) states that anyone who is involved in the
study of Torah, the Torah will revive him (when the resurrection occurs).
The Gemara wants to know how women will merit to be resurrected if they are
not involved in Torah study. The Gemara answers that they merit
resurrection in reward for their children's Torah and their husbands'
Torah.
RAV YAKOV HOMNICK (in Sefer MARBEH SHALOM, #7) points out that there are
two types of rewards. One type of reward is a specific reward that a person
receives for performing specific Mitzvos. A second type of reward is a
general reward that a person receives for the level of completion that he
reached in this world. This is the type of reward referred to in the Gemara
in Kesuvos, mentioned above, which a person receives in the World to Come,
and it is only attained in the merit of Torah. Women certainly receive
reward for the Mitzvos that they do. Our Gemara wants to know how women
receive reward for reaching a state of completion, when such a state is
only attained through studying Torah. The Gemara answers that by making
sure that their children and their husbands study Torah, women reach their
state of completion. In fact, their reward is even greater than the man's,
as the previous Gemara states, "Greater is the assurance that the Holy One
promised to women than to men," because it is the women who assure the
continuity of Torah study in the world, as our Gemara describes.