How has a legal tradition determined by men affected the lives of women? What are the traditional Jewish views of marriage, divorce, sexuality, contraception, abortion? Women and Jewish Law gives contemporary readers access to the central texts of the Jewish religious tradition on issues of special concern to women. Combining a historical overview with a thoughtful feminist critique, this pathbreaking study points the way for “informed change” in the status of women in Jewish life.
Women and Jewish Law
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“An essential resource and entry point for understanding the construction of women’s roles in traditional Judaism.”
—Judith Plaskow, author of Standing Alone at Sinai
“With great precision and clarity, Biale ferrets out for us the inner meaning of the law, traces its development, and explores its relevance to Jewish women’s lives today.
—Blu Greenberg, author of On Women and Judaism
“[Biale] open[s] up the halakhic process to women, providing the reader who is unfamiliar with the original Hebrew texts with her first encounter of learning.”
—Hadassah
—Judith Plaskow, author of Standing Alone at Sinai
“With great precision and clarity, Biale ferrets out for us the inner meaning of the law, traces its development, and explores its relevance to Jewish women’s lives today.
—Blu Greenberg, author of On Women and Judaism
“[Biale] open[s] up the halakhic process to women, providing the reader who is unfamiliar with the original Hebrew texts with her first encounter of learning.”
—Hadassah
About the Author
Rachel Biale grew up on Kibbutz Kfar Ruppin in Israel. She earned an M.A. in Jewish history at UCLA and an M.S.W. at Yeshiva University. She lives in Berkley, California, where she is a practicing psychotherapist.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Seeing Women's Issues from all sides,
By A Customer
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This review is from: Women and Jewish Law: The Essential Texts, Their History, and Their Relevance for Today (Paperback)
Ms. Biale's book, not only explains relevent laws and how they effect Jewish women (marriage, divorce, abortion, niddah)... she also takes the time to cite the teachings of the great Rabbis, allowing all sides- from right to middle to left- to be heard. This presentation is a fascinating read and allows you to consider all of the evidence and create your own, informed opinions.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well researched,
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This review is from: Women and Jewish Law: The Essential Texts, Their History, and Their Relevance for Today (Paperback)
I much enjoyed this book. It is well-researched and argues its case equally well. The author points out how so many of the halakhic decisions were originally made to protect women from aggressive males within the patriarchal system of those times. It ends, however, with the cry for those rulings to be reconsidered in light of the "fact" that women no longer need or want to be protected.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
The life of any traditional Jew, whether a man or a woman, is guided, even dictated, by the mitzvot (the commandments). Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
precoital mokh, hashhatat zera, ervat davar, word ervah, positive mitzvot, term niddah, ketubah payment, unhealthy discharge, sterilizing potion, effecting marriage, menstruant woman, niddah period, positive mitzvah, certain mitzvot, word davar, pikuah nefesh, consent the soul, halakhic literature, halakhic discussion, betrothed virgin, halakhic sources, lenient position, halakhic problems, bet din, biblical legislation Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Bet Hillel, Rabbenu Tam, Shulhan Arukh, Rabbi Meir, Bet Shammai, Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbenu Gershom, Even Ha-Ezer, Mishneh Torah, Rabbi Akiva, Moses Isserles, Bet Din, Rabbi Yohanan, Baraita De-Niddah, Ibn Ezra, Orah Hayyim, Rabbi Joseph, Iggeret Ha-Kodesh, Moses Sofer, Rabbi Hiyyah, Rabbi Judah, Ben Azzai, Rav Huna, Jacob ben Asher, Middle Ages New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The life of any traditional Jew, whether a man or a woman, is guided, even dictated, by the mitzvot (the commandments). Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
precoital mokh, hashhatat zera, ervat davar, word ervah, positive mitzvot, term niddah, ketubah payment, unhealthy discharge, sterilizing potion, effecting marriage, menstruant woman, niddah period, positive mitzvah, certain mitzvot, word davar, pikuah nefesh, consent the soul, halakhic literature, halakhic discussion, betrothed virgin, halakhic sources, lenient position, halakhic problems, bet din, biblical legislation Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Bet Hillel, Rabbenu Tam, Shulhan Arukh, Rabbi Meir, Bet Shammai, Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbenu Gershom, Even Ha-Ezer, Mishneh Torah, Rabbi Akiva, Moses Isserles, Bet Din, Rabbi Yohanan, Baraita De-Niddah, Ibn Ezra, Orah Hayyim, Rabbi Joseph, Iggeret Ha-Kodesh, Moses Sofer, Rabbi Hiyyah, Rabbi Judah, Ben Azzai, Rav Huna, Jacob ben Asher, Middle Ages New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 22
books:
See all 22 books this book cites
3
books
cite this book:
- Jewish Woman in Jewish Law by M. Meiselman on 8 pages
- On Being a Jewish Feminist by Susannah Heschel on 5 pages
- Guide to the Perplexed by Maimonides on 4 pages
- Sex Laws and Customs in Judaism by Louis M. Epstein on 4 pages
- The Jewish Woman by Aviva Cantor in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
See all 22 books this book cites
- The Vanishing American Jew: In Search of Jewish Identity for the Next Century by Alan M. Dershowitz in Back Matter
- Coming Home: A Woman's Story Of Conversion To Judaism by Linda Shires in Back Matter
- Here Comes the Bride: Women, Weddings, and the Marriage Mystique by Jaclyn Geller in Back Matter
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