Biblical Women Speak
Hearing Their Voices Through New and Ancient Midrash
Biblical Women Speak
Hearing Their Voices Through New and Ancient Midrash
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Publisher: Jewish Publication Society
ISBN: 9780827615144
Number of Pages: 242
Published: 01/07/2023
Width: 15.2 cm
Height: 22.9 cm
What were biblical women thinking and doing when the men around them received all the attention and glory? How did Leah, Rachel, and their handmaids negotiate the complicated family dynamics of four women vying for Jacob’s affections? What compelled Potiphar’s wife to risk her high station to seduce Joseph, an enslaved foreigner? How did the midwives and Pharoah’s daughter conspire to rescue baby Moses, right under Pharoah’s nose?
Biblical Women Speak employs midrash (interpretative techniques) to discover ten biblical women’s stories from a female point of view and provide insights beyond how ancient male scholars viewed them. Each chapter brings alive a different biblical woman, including non-Israelite characters and others who are neglected in classical rabbinic texts, such as Keturah (Abraham’s last wife), Bat Shuah (Judah’s wife), Shelomith (the infamous blasphemer’s mother), and Noah (one of Zelophehad’s brave daughters who demanded inheritance rights). After each featured text we hear a creative retelling of the woman’s story in her own voice, followed by traditional midrash and medieval commentaries and the author’s reflections on how these tales and interpretations are relevant for today.
Rabbi Marla J. Feldman’s book is an engaging invitation to enter biblical narratives, challenge conventional wisdom, and recalibrate the stories and lessons through the lens of our own lives.
Biblical Women Speak employs midrash (interpretative techniques) to discover ten biblical women’s stories from a female point of view and provide insights beyond how ancient male scholars viewed them. Each chapter brings alive a different biblical woman, including non-Israelite characters and others who are neglected in classical rabbinic texts, such as Keturah (Abraham’s last wife), Bat Shuah (Judah’s wife), Shelomith (the infamous blasphemer’s mother), and Noah (one of Zelophehad’s brave daughters who demanded inheritance rights). After each featured text we hear a creative retelling of the woman’s story in her own voice, followed by traditional midrash and medieval commentaries and the author’s reflections on how these tales and interpretations are relevant for today.
Rabbi Marla J. Feldman’s book is an engaging invitation to enter biblical narratives, challenge conventional wisdom, and recalibrate the stories and lessons through the lens of our own lives.
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Keturah: Abraham’s Last Wife
Biblical Text: Genesis 25:1–6
Modern Midrash: Keturah, The Great Mother of Many Generations
Classical Commentary and Midrash: Devoted Wife or Concubine?
Author’s Commentary: Keturah’s Missing Story-Filling in the Blanks
2. Leah and Rachel: Devoted Sisters and Bitter Rivals
Biblical Text: Genesis 35:16–21
Modern Midrash: Leah’s Eulogy
Classical Commentary and Midrash: Sisters, Wives, Rivals, and Matriarchs
Author’s Commentary: A Tale of Two Sisters
3. Bat Shua: Judah’s Unnamed Wife
Biblical Text: Genesis 38:1–12
Modern Midrash: The Woman Who Mourns
Classical Commentary and Midrash: Judah’s Family Misfortune
Author’s Commentary: Bat Shua’s Tragic Tale of Lust and Loss
4. Bilhah: The Loving Handmaid
Biblical Text: Genesis 50:15–17
Modern Midrash: A Letter to My Beloved Son Joseph
Classical Commentary and Midrash: Bilhah the Servant, Sister, Surrogate, Spouse
Author’s Commentary: Emissary of Forgiveness
5. Pharaoh’s Daughters, Part 1: Potiphar’s Unnamed Wife
Biblical Text: Genesis 39:1–19
Modern Midrash: Zuleikha, the Prison Mistress
Classical Commentary and Midrash: Potiphar’s Wife in the Joseph Narrative
Author’s Commentary: A Name and Narrative for Potiphar’s Wife
6. Pharaoh’s Daughters, Part 2: Puah, Shiphrah, and the Sacred Sisterhood
Biblical Text: Exodus 1:8–22
Modern Midrash: The Sacred Sisterhood
Classical Commentary and Midrash: The Subversive Midwives
Author’s Commentary: The Midwives’ Tale
7. Pharaoh’s Daughters, Part 3: The Princess and the Slave Girl Who Rescue Moses
Biblical Text: Exodus 2:1–9
Modern Midrash: Amat-Bat-Ra, the Servant Savior
Classical Commentary and Midrash: Princess, Protector, Prophet
Author’s Commentary: A Conspiracy of Women
8. Shelomith Bat Dibri: The Blasphemer’s Mother
Biblical Text: Leviticus 24:10–14
Modern Midrash: Testament of Shelomith
Classical Commentary and Midrash: The Biblical Tale of the Blasphemer
Author’s Commentary: A Mother’s Anguish
9. Miriam: Exiled by God, Dwelling beyond the Camp
Biblical Text: Numbers 12:1–16
Modern Midrash: Miriam’s Fringes
Classical Commentary and Midrash: Crime and Punishment
Author’s Commentary: Outcasts and Angels
10. Noah: Daughter of Zelophehad
Biblical Text: Numbers 27:1–8, 36:1–12
Modern Midrash: Noah and Elishama-A Love Story
Classical Commentary and Midrash: Five Righteous Women
Author’s Commentary: Rights Given and Taken Away
Appendix: Overview of Midrash
Glossary of Classical Sources
Notes
Bibliography
Introduction
1. Keturah: Abraham’s Last Wife
Biblical Text: Genesis 25:1–6
Modern Midrash: Keturah, The Great Mother of Many Generations
Classical Commentary and Midrash: Devoted Wife or Concubine?
Author’s Commentary: Keturah’s Missing Story-Filling in the Blanks
2. Leah and Rachel: Devoted Sisters and Bitter Rivals
Biblical Text: Genesis 35:16–21
Modern Midrash: Leah’s Eulogy
Classical Commentary and Midrash: Sisters, Wives, Rivals, and Matriarchs
Author’s Commentary: A Tale of Two Sisters
3. Bat Shua: Judah’s Unnamed Wife
Biblical Text: Genesis 38:1–12
Modern Midrash: The Woman Who Mourns
Classical Commentary and Midrash: Judah’s Family Misfortune
Author’s Commentary: Bat Shua’s Tragic Tale of Lust and Loss
4. Bilhah: The Loving Handmaid
Biblical Text: Genesis 50:15–17
Modern Midrash: A Letter to My Beloved Son Joseph
Classical Commentary and Midrash: Bilhah the Servant, Sister, Surrogate, Spouse
Author’s Commentary: Emissary of Forgiveness
5. Pharaoh’s Daughters, Part 1: Potiphar’s Unnamed Wife
Biblical Text: Genesis 39:1–19
Modern Midrash: Zuleikha, the Prison Mistress
Classical Commentary and Midrash: Potiphar’s Wife in the Joseph Narrative
Author’s Commentary: A Name and Narrative for Potiphar’s Wife
6. Pharaoh’s Daughters, Part 2: Puah, Shiphrah, and the Sacred Sisterhood
Biblical Text: Exodus 1:8–22
Modern Midrash: The Sacred Sisterhood
Classical Commentary and Midrash: The Subversive Midwives
Author’s Commentary: The Midwives’ Tale
7. Pharaoh’s Daughters, Part 3: The Princess and the Slave Girl Who Rescue Moses
Biblical Text: Exodus 2:1–9
Modern Midrash: Amat-Bat-Ra, the Servant Savior
Classical Commentary and Midrash: Princess, Protector, Prophet
Author’s Commentary: A Conspiracy of Women
8. Shelomith Bat Dibri: The Blasphemer’s Mother
Biblical Text: Leviticus 24:10–14
Modern Midrash: Testament of Shelomith
Classical Commentary and Midrash: The Biblical Tale of the Blasphemer
Author’s Commentary: A Mother’s Anguish
9. Miriam: Exiled by God, Dwelling beyond the Camp
Biblical Text: Numbers 12:1–16
Modern Midrash: Miriam’s Fringes
Classical Commentary and Midrash: Crime and Punishment
Author’s Commentary: Outcasts and Angels
10. Noah: Daughter of Zelophehad
Biblical Text: Numbers 27:1–8, 36:1–12
Modern Midrash: Noah and Elishama-A Love Story
Classical Commentary and Midrash: Five Righteous Women
Author’s Commentary: Rights Given and Taken Away
Appendix: Overview of Midrash
Glossary of Classical Sources
Notes
Bibliography
"Meeting these new role models of Jewish womanhood-some famous, others voiceless or infamous and nameless in the Torah-left me both enlightened and delighted. Reading the biblical text, rabbinic commentary, modern midrash, and Rabbi Feldman's contemporary commentary illuminated four dimensions of these remarkable women."-Maggie Anton, author of Rashi's Daughters "Rabbi Marla J. Feldman is a marvelous teacher, and in Biblical Women Speak she proves to also be a weaver of ancient, modern, and original texts that give voice to women of the Bible who were often ignored or nameless, filling a void that has existed for centuries. Accessible for both beginner and advanced students, Biblical Women Speak should be required in any class of midrash."-Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields, executive director, Women's League for Conservative Judaism "Rabbi Marla Feldman has created a dynamic and compelling conversation among the generations. Both individuals and groups will admire her captivating modern midrashic interpretations and her expert navigation of traditional texts. Feldman shows us how fresh and relevant our sacred tradition can be!"-Rabbi Mary L. Zamore, executive director, Women's Rabbinic Network "Rabbi Marla Feldman has added an imaginative, insightful contribution to our collective Jewish library. As she creatively gives voice to both familiar and lesser-known female biblical characters, she shows why their stories matter for us as contemporary readers."-Rabbi Andrea L. Weiss, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Provost, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
