The Woman Who Laughed at God: The Untold History of the Jewish People [Hardcover]

Jonathan Kirsch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2001

In The Woman Who Laughed at God, bestselling author Jonathan Kirsch takes us on a lively and at times controversial journey through Jewish history that offers answers to the complex and difficult question: "Who is a Jew?" Today, Jewish peoples are divided by differences of faith, practice, and political antagonism. For every accepted tradition in Jewish faith there are countertraditions with their roots going back to ancient times. Kirsch's illuminating work reveals that—even in ancient times—Judaism was never a single faith.

Emblematic of the varieties of Jewish expression is the biblical tale of Sarah, the pious matriarch who laughed at God when He promised her a child in advanced old age. The Torah itself confirms that Judaism has a place even for someone as lighthearted and irreverent as Sarah, and for the many other men and women whose stories are told in The Woman Who Laughed at God. We also encounter the Maccabee freedom fighters who closed the Bible and picked up a sword; dervishlike ecstatics who claimed to enjoy direct communication with God even after they had been excommunicated by a distrustful rabbinate; and courageous pioneers for whom a "kosher pig" was any pig fortunate enough to be raised in a kibbutz and slaughtered to feed hungry kibbutzniks. With drama and narrative verve, Kirsch explores the mysticism and magic that have informed a bookish faith.

Jews across the spectrum and anyone who loved Thomas Cahill's The Gifts of the Jews will be fascinated and inspired by this celebration of the Jewish faith, rich in untold stories and revelatory interpretations.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Jonathan Kirsch wants to answer the question, "Who is a Jew?" and in The Woman Who Laughed at God, he comes to some gracious, broad-minded conclusions. Kirsch rejects definitions of Judaism based on "a set of commandments literally written in stone." Instead, he offers stories of chutzpah through the ages, beginning with Abraham (who argued with God) and Sarah (who laughed at Him), demonstrating that "Judaism has been defined by generation upon generation of courageous men and women who felt both inspired and empowered to reimagine and reinvent what it means to be a Jew." Kirsch argues by telling stories--of Maccabee freedom fighters, of ecstatic mystics, of kibbutzers who feasted on "kosher pigs." Although his essential point--that diversity, not orthodoxy, is the hallmark of true Judaism--is not a new one, it still bears repeating. Kirsch, author of the bestselling The Harlot by the Side of the Road, writes with such flair, ranging over a wide variety of characters, that his lively style elevates his conventional premise. --Michael Joseph Gross

From Library Journal

Los Angeles Times book columnist Kirsch has written such well-received and popular titles as King David and The Harlot by the Side of the Road. Here he continues to counter the many books lamenting dissent and division in contemporary American Jewish life (e.g., Samuel G. Freedman's Jew vs. Jew: The Struggle for the Soul of American Jewry, LJ 8/00). While these other books suggest that only a rigid, very formally observant branch of Judaism will survive our times, Kirsch believes that there has never been an unchanging and fundamental Judaism. He approvingly quotes from the late, great American Jewish historian Jacob Rader Marcus, who once declared that when we look at the six million Jews in America we find "six million Judaisms." Kirsch uses stories from the vast history of the religion (including the story of Sarah, alluded to in the title) to show that Judaism has always been characterized by change. He believes that Jewish diversity is indicative of creativity, strength, and growth. His insights will be appreciated by Jewish and non-Jewish readers alike. Recommended for most libraries. Paul Kaplan, Lake Villa Dist. Lib., IL
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 317 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; First Edition edition (October 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670030090
• ISBN-13: 978-0670030095
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,904,070 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Religious Questions Explored, January 26, 2002

By 

Timothy Haugh (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Woman Who Laughed at God: The Untold History of the Jewish People (Hardcover)

I enjoy reading Jonathan Kirsch. Previously, I have read his book on Moses and The Harlot by the Side of the Road. I find his books to be intriguing, informative and entertaining. Very few books on religious subjects can be described by all three of these terms. But Kirsch has a non-pretentious style that draws the reader in and makes it easier to consider some of the astounding things he brings out.

Without beating you over the head with it, Kirsch is clearly writing from a Jewish perspective. As a Christian, I find Kirsch's books great background for what is the basis of Christian theology. In this book, he takes for his theme the changing shape of Judaism over the millennia. He points out how many sects of modern Judaism try to enforce a traditional religion based on the ancient practices of the Jewish people, forgetting that one of the hallmarks of the Jewish faith is how it has been able to adapt over the years and ensure the survival of both faith and people. All religions could take to heart the idea developed in this book; namely that, despite what hard-liners want to believe, religious practice evolves through time in any religion. Jews and Christians alike should search harder for what is right as opposed to falling back on what we've always done because it's what we've always done.

Kirsch offers many wonderful stories and descriptions in this book but one of my favorites is the one that is referenced in the title of the book. What happened to the days when human beings weren't afraid to question God and God wasn't offended to be questioned? Sarah laughs at God's promise of a son, Abraham debates with God over the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and Moses doubts and questions the burning bush. And these are just a few examples of challenges from people beloved by God. But these days the thought of questioning religious leaders, let alone God himself, are beyond the pale. Has this weakened us spiritually? I don't know the answer but it's one of the many questions inspired by this book.

Over time, I have come to the conclusion that books on religion are the best to read and the hardest to review. The reviewer is almost certainly to offend someone who holds passionate beliefs contrary to the author and/or the review. There is no way around this and I am sorry for it because I have no wish to offend anyone. Yet, as a person who doesn't have all the answers but considers himself to be in a state of constant exploration for the Truth, I enjoy reading nearly anything on philosophy and theology. I think any religious explorer with an open mind would enjoy this book.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Woman Who Laughed...Laughed Last? Not Necessarily!, June 14, 2004

By 

Proctor S. Burress (Lexington, KY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Woman Who Laughed at God: The Untold History of the Jewish People (Compass) (Paperback)

Approximately the first third of the book is devoted to the author's fearless exposition of Hebrew Bible's ideas and personalities. Fearless in the sense that Kirsch unfailingly reveals what is omitted in most Bible study and Jewish or Christian Sunday Schools. Many of us in Protestant and Catholic traditions recall without insight that we were part of something called the "Judeo-Christian tradition" which meant we were Christians and very little else. Here is the "rest of the story!"

Kirsch is an American treasure for telling us what we should have learned if we were paying attention and if those teaching us knew themselves. "The essential point" as Mr. Kirsch states, is that "Jewish can be defined only through its richness and diversity." His exposition of the many "Judaisms" plus the Holocaust/Shoah, Zionism, nationalism, racialism is encompassed in his rich expression of Jewish "counter traditions." He even dares to speak of "secular" Jews and those that are...can you believe it...atheists! How shocking it would have been to have heard in Sunday School that Judaism is so fragmented. He also mentions "self hating Jews" which troubles this reviewer with its implication that those very Jews who push the envelope of diversity are not as free as the rest of us to do so without being complete traitors to tradition and somehow are implicitly intellectually/psychologically challenged!

Especially revealing is the author's discussion of Zionism. Most American church people think of Zionism only in terms of "Zion Baptist Church and/or a hymnal phrase 'city on a hill.' They should read this book. Kirsch states, "That is why the Jewish fundamentalists, (he might have included Christians here)then and now, regard the ultimate sin of Zionism as 'the transformation of the Divine and Holy people into merely one of the peoples of the earth'."

Thus, Kirsch exposes the core issue still troubling the Middle East...claims to exclusivity of a single people however diversely defined from a unique American intellect. What Kirsch reveals may undermine the picture carefully drawn of Jews by American evangelicals for more than two hundred years. However, "The Untold History of Jewish People" if read and understood by others of us in the Judeo-Christian tradition may cause drastic revision of some basic ideas. The Jews exist, even flourish, due to an expansive and dynamic adaptiveness. Others in the Judeo-Christian tradition continue to fragment and feel threatened in a changing world while preaching an unchanging "Word" which may have never been the intent of the people who authored the book in which it is contained!

Yes, Mr. Kirsch, so very much of history is indeed "untold." Thanks for telling us in such a lucid manner.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars nothing but good things to say..., February 14, 2006

By 

G. Gantz "G." - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Woman Who Laughed at God: The Untold History of the Jewish People (Compass) (Paperback)

great writer, great overview of jewish history, great book overall! for anyone looking to start learning about the history of jewish people, this book is a great primer. i truly enjoyed reading this book and finished it over a single weekend. after reading THE WOMAN WHO LAUGHED... i feel competent and confident in picking up other books that delve deeper into more specific aspects of history.

i highly recommend this book...