judaism

Barbara L. Thaw Ronson's book, 'The Women of the Torah: Commentaries from the Talmud, Midrash and Kabbalah,' covers, in biblical sequence, the scriptural passages that relate to the women in the bible, the matriarchs: mothers, wives, daughters. 'The chosen excerpts, clearly documented, seek to illuminate the question of what is may mean to truly feminine, truly wise -- how actions which appear to be malevolent, or at the very least, misguided, when superficially viewed, may, in fact, have been engineered to produce the greatest good.'

Despite the title (Women of the Torah), this book is in fact divided into two sections -- one dealing with the women of the Torah, the first five books; the second section deals with the women throughout the rest of the writings of the prophets, histories, and the rest of scripture.

These stories are seen through the lens of Talmudic, Midrashic, and Kabbalistic commentaries. Talmud, Midrash and Kabbalah are means of interpretation, explication and development of scripture, each with a different focus. Midrash is essentially commentary on non-legal subjects, from an oral tradition; Talmud deals with both legal and non-legal subjects, and is a major encyclopedic text-book of law and lore; Kabbalah is an essentially mystical framework looking for meaning.

Ronson has arranged her book in a manner familiar to students of Talmudic and Midrashic study, by first showing the verses under examination from the Torah or scripture, followed by the commentaries in a running dialogue with each other. For instance, in her first chapter on Sarah, it is organised as such:

Genesis
Chapter 11:27-30
Commentaries
Midrash
Talmud, Sanhedrin
Talmud, Megillah
Rashi
Genesis Rabbah 39
Pesikta Rabbati 43

Each commentary develops the basic verses further, to explain meanings, to develop unknown details, and to bring a fullness to the text that isn't readily apparent in the scriptural text itself.

This manner of presentation will likely seem confusing to those who are more familiar with narrative exegesis, or even a verse-by-verse or passage-by-passage interpretation. In typical Jewish study fashion, the commentaries are at some times seemingly off topic, and often tangential, and one is left wondering how the commentators can make authoritative statements such as they do.

The section on women of the Torah covers Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah, Tamar, Jochebed, Miriam, and the daughters of Zelophehad (with references to Eve, Amatlai, Milcah, Naamah, Edith, Hagar, Dinah, Serach, Bathyah, and Zipporah). The section of women in the other writings includes Rahab, Deborah and Jael, Naomi and Ruth, Hannah, Abigail, the woman of Tekoah, the Shunammite woman, Huldah, and Esther (with references to Orpah, Delilah, Zeresh, the wife of Korah, Peninnah, and Bathsheba).

Even a simple maidservant at the Red Sea saw more of the Divine than the Prophet Ezekiel in all his visions... -- Zohar III 94a, Mechilta Beshallach

This is a valuable book, that will take some work to wade through, but there are rewards for those who stay the course.