Product Description

Women rabbis are changing the face of Judaism. Discover how their interpretations of the Torah can enrich your perspective. “Rich and engaging … makes available to a wide readership the collective wisdom of women who have changed the face of Judaism.”—Judith Plaskow, author, Standing Again at Sinai: Judaism from a Feminist Perspective; professor of religious studies, Manhattan College Here, for the first time, women’s unique experiences and perspectives are applied to the entire Five Books of Moses, offering all of us the first comprehensive commentary by women. In this groundbreaking book, more than 50 women rabbis come together to offer us inspiring insights on the Torah, in a week-by-week format. Included are commentaries by the first women ever ordained in the Reform, Reconstructionist and Conservative movements, and by many other women across these denominations who serve in the rabbinate in a variety of ways. This rich resource offers new perspectives to inspire all of us to gain deeper meaning from the Torah and a heightened appreciation of Judaism. A major contribution to modern biblical commentary. The gift of choice for every young woman’s bat mitzvah, and for anyone wanting a new, exciting view of Torah. Rabbi Elyse Goldstein, one of the leading rabbis of a new generation, is director of Kolel: The Adult Center for Liberal Jewish Learning, a full-time progressive adult Jewish learning center. Goldstein lectures frequently throughout North America. She is also editor of The Women’s Torah Commentary: New Insights from Women Rabbis on the 54 Weekly Torah Portions; and The Women’s Haftarah Commentary: New Insights from Women Rabbis on the 54 Weekly Haftarah Portions, the 5 Megillot and Special Shabbatot; and author of the award-winning ReVisions: Seeing Torah through a Feminist Lens (all Jewish Lights). Elyse Goldstein is available to speak on the following topics: Women and Judaism Reform Judaism Jewish Parenting General Judaica

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #764570 in Books
• Published on: 2000-08-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 496 pages

From Booklist
It was only in the early 1970s that the first woman was ordained a rabbi by the Reform branch of Judaism. Now women are making their mark on Torah commentary, bringing their own unique interpretations to the religion's most important writings. In this book, women rabbis write their own commentaries on the 54 Torah portions. As editor Goldstein admits in the introduction, some feminists feel that the Bible is hopelessly sexist and encourage women to disregard its teachings. Other women become "skilled apologists," fixing the blame on the reader not on the Bible itself. These rabbis try to understand the writings in a new way. Employing midrash, the traditional rabbinic use of parable and metaphor to extend the text, they explore the lives and motives of Biblical women, including Leah, Tamar, Dinah, Miriam, and others. With sometimes very little to work with, the rabbis "write ourselves in, reinterpret ourselves in, or critique our absence." Throughout, the ideas raised are worthy of discussion and the writing is uniformly high in quality. The women rabbis give new life to ancient sisters. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From the Inside Flap
Here, for the first time, women’s unique experiences and perspectives are applied to the entire Five Books of Moses, offering all of us the first comprehensive commentary by women.

In this ground-breaking book, more than 50 women rabbis come together to offer us inspiring insights on the Torah, following the traditional weekly reading. Included are commentaries by the first women ever ordained in the Reform, Reconstructionist and Conservative movements, and by many other women across these denominations who serve in the rabbinate in a variety of ways.

This rich resource offers new perspectives to inspire all of us to gain deeper meaning from the Torah and a heightened appreciation of Judaism.

About the Author
Rabbi Elyse Goldstein is widely recognized as an innovative and thought-provoking teacher of Torah. One of the leading rabbis of a new generation, she is the Director of Kolel, The Adult Center for Liberal Jewish Learning, a full-time progressive adult Jewish learning center. Goldstein lectures frequently throughout North America. Her articles have been widely published in both scholarly and popular journals including Lilith, Neshama, the Journal of Reform Judaism, and the Canadian Women’s Studies Journal. She is the author of the award-winning ReVisions: Seeing Torah through a Feminist Lens (Jewish Lights).