Women and Judaism: Myth, History, and StruggleLacks analyzes the historical, cultural, and mythological sources for women's status in Judaism and Western society. Moving from the earliest pre-biblical civilizations to the present, she explores the evolution of the roles of Jewish women and what they mean today. Tracing the transformation of woman's image through time, Lacks examines the shift from polytheism to patriarchal culture in the ancient Near East and shows how early Jewish views of women derived from older mythologies. She reassesses the leading female figures of the Bible in light of this influence, emphasizing the complex and often misunderstood dimensions of these key archetypes. Most important, Lacks argues that the most confining and unrealistic strictures on the role of women in Judaism arose from the subtle and selective misreading of canonical texts throughout the later history of Jewish scholarship. Lacks also reviews the great protagonists in the struggle for female equality in Judaism-from the learned Talmudic scholar Beruriah to the heroic women of the present century who have fought for and in some cases won the official right to serve as rabbis in Jewish congregations all over the world. --From publisher description. |
Contents
Glimpses and Revelations | 1 |
Eve | 30 |
The Suppressed Goddess | 62 |
Copyright | |
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Adam Adam's adultery Akiva ambivalence ancient Near East Asherah Babylonian Beruriah biblical text binical blood century clearly commentary Conservative creation daughters death demons Despite divine divorce Dumuzi earth emerged Enki Ereshkigal ervah evil father fear female feminist Genesis Gilgamesh goddess gods hair halacha hand heaven Hebrew human husband images Inanna initially intercourse Isaac Israel Jacob Jewish law Jewish women Jews Jezebel Judaism Kikuyu Laban later Leah legends Lilith Maimonides male man's marriage married Meir menstrual menstruant ment Midrashic mikvah mother myth Nammu netherworld niddah Ninhursag numbers Old Testament ordination of women origins Orthodox patriarchal priests rabbi Rabbinical Assembly Rachel Rebeccah Reconstructionist Regina Jonas religious ritual role Sabbath Sandy Sarah scholar serve sexual sion sister Song sons story subsequent suggests Sumerian synagogue Talmud Temple tion Torah traditional tree turn wife wives woman rabbi woman's voice Yahweh yetzer York