Customer Reviews

The Women's Torah Commentary: New Insights from Women Rabbis on the 54 Weekly Torah Portions

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When you picture a rabbi, do you picture a young, beardless, mother of three? You should. As Rabbi Goldstein writes in the introduction, Abraham Geiger wrote in 1837 that "our whole religious life will profit from the beneficial influence which feminine hearts will bestow upon it." Rabbi Elyse Goldstein, a 1983 HUC-JIR grad, is the leader of the Kolel Adult Center for Liberal Jewish Learning program in Toronto , a program that is so successful that they are building their own building. She wanted to be a rabbi since the day of her Bat Mitzvah ceremony. She knows that divrei Torah by women provide a unique perspective. I predict that her book will be the bat mitzvah gift book of choice in this decade. Over fifty, YES FIFTY, women rabbis teach the reader with inspiring commentaries, and NOT JUST feminist commentaries on the parsha's that deal with the Hebrew matriarchs. No, this is in the weekly Torah portion format, starting with Bereshit/Genesis' first chapter (Bereshit) and ending with Davarim/Deuteronomy's last chapter (Vzot Habrachah/The Death of Moses). The week by week format is an asset, and makes it an excellent resource. And not only does the book contain enlightening commentaries, but there are nearly half page biographies for each of the rabbis who provide the commentaries. These bios provide as much enjoyment as the commentaries, since they provide a profile of each woman's path to the rabbinate. The Foreword is by Rabbi Amy Eilberg (JTS, 85). In it she lays the groundwork for women in the rabbinate (beginning with Regina Jonas in 1935, Sally Preisand in 1972 and Sandy Sasso in 1974) and its feminization. Some of my favorite commentaries were Rabbi Lori Forman's (JTS, 88) Bereshit discourse on the creation of Eve; Rabbi Rebecca Alpert's (RRC, 76) Shmot drash on Tziporah; Rabbi Karyn Kedar's (HUC, 85) Ve-era commentary on the many names on God; Rabbi Ilene Schneider's (RRC, 76) Shemini discourse on Kashrut, Food, Women , and Eating Disorders; Rabbi Gila Colman Ruskin's (HUC, 83) insight into Ekev- Circumcision, Womb, and Spiritual Intimacy; Rabbi Barbara Rosman Penzer's (RRC, 87) commentary on Serach daughter of Asher in Vayechi; and Rabbi Helaine Ettinger's (HUC, 91) drash on Tazria, niddah, and brit milah. And, of course, there are 47 more.

Is part of your Sabbath preparation or observance picking up a book and reading a short (5-10 minute) essay about the parasha of the week --- or would you like it to be? If so The Women's Torah Commentary (Rabbi Elyse Goldstein, ed., Jewish Lights, 2000) may be just what you could use. The book has 54 essays --- one for each Torah portion. Each essay in this anthology is written by a different ordained woman Rabbi, or one who is soon to be ordained.
The book provides a distinctly feminist analysis. The editor wanted writers who "would sing the song of women - to speak in a woman's voice." And from what I've seen, there seems relatively little of the male-bashing that sometime mars feminist analysis, especially of the Humash.
Many essays deal with women characters, but since we are often told very little about them, the writers often reach into midrash to flesh these characters out, and then add some imaginings of their own to the mix to draw their lessons. This is seen for example in the discussion of the unnamed wife of Noah, and in the treatment of Asenath, the wife of Joseph.
Of course, many readings have no women present, but that does not stymie a feminist analysis. One imaginative treatment is of parasha Pekudei, where the author draws a parallel between the construction of the mishkan (desert Tabernacle), and the human birthing process.
Not every essay is a gem. The one on Tzav stuck me as uninspired, with the reference to women little more than pasted in. Still, there is a ringing affirmation of Eve's conduct, an intriguing connection drawn between kashrut and eating disorders, a fine comparison on the Rachel/Leah and Jacob/Esau struggles, and an inspiring piece on "Community as a Sacred Space" to name just a few of the winners.
You might think that a book of commentary with the same overall analytical approach (feminist) in most essays would start to sound the same after a while, but the approaches, themes, and writing styles provide a great deal of variety. There is a significant emphasis on transformation and growth, which is not surprising since women who choose to become rabbis are often people seeking to make a significant change themselves.

The book ends with 35 pages of biographical notes, in which each contributor provides a quote on how or why she came to be a Rabbi.

The Women's Torah Commentary: New Insights From Women Rabbis On The 54 Weekly Torah Portions is a massive compendium of interpretations by more than fifty female rabbis that substantially broadens the scope of a true understanding of the sacred text of the Torah. Scarcely a generation (30 years) ago it was unheard of for women to be ordained as rabbis; now a comprehensive, extensive, and exhaustive commentary contains their point of view to inspire all faithful believers. A complex, thought provoking, scholarly, and fascinating analysis The Women's Torah Commentary is a superbly presented and very highly recommended addition to Judaic Studies reading lists and reference collections.

Good points of view, but not all-encompassing analysis. Not militantly feminist, but focuses on a woman's perspective. A nice companion to the commentary one normally finds.

I found this commentary quite incomplete when using it at Torah study. Will have to buy a more comprehensive Women's Torah Commentary, as this one misses many areas of interest in the portions it should cover. I was, in general, disappointed with it.

My review will be short and to the point. If these radical feminist women "rabbis" are so pretentious and arrogant as to claim that the Holy Torah was the work of some male chauvinist pigs - God forbid - then, I must ask, why bother re-writing it and re-interpreting it at all? Just call it what it is, and let it go! What a pitiful waste of time it was to spend all that time explaining a text that was written by some lowlife male Rabbis who obviously hated women with a passion!
The truth is, of course, that those Rabbis were smartly spending all their time explaining a truly Divine document - and all those fanciful "interpretations" penned by the 50 or so women "rabbis" were indeed a truly pitiful enterprise and a waste of time and ink.
H.K.