Lifecycles: Vol.2; Jewish Women on Biblical Themes in Contemporary Life

Feminism and Judaism have intersected to produce many creative and exciting books that have written women into the Bible and Jewish history. This book takes that approach one step farther by exploring the ""permeable boundary between autobiography and biblical texts."" The 50 contributors--women rabbis, writers and scholars--engage the Bible in a highly personal manner, covering human themes found both in the first five books of the Bible and in women's lives today: roots and beginnings, family and home (Genesis); freedom and holiness (Exodus); food, sacrifice, health, the body, sexuality (Leviticus); community and transition (Numbers); leadership and law (Deuteronomy). Combining midrash and gender analysis to interpret texts, the essays include innovative pieces written in the form of traditional Torah interpretation, touching personal revelations, attempts to reconcile tradition and feminism, and accounts detailing the comfort and direction Torah can provide. This is the second volume in Jewish Lights's projected three-volume series connecting women and Judaism (the first volume focused on women and ritual). Orenstein, a senior fellow at the Wilstein Institute of Jewish Policy Studies in Los Angeles, and Litman, an expert in Jewish women's studies and contemporary theology, invite readers to examine ""a variety of models for understanding life themes and `living off Scripture.' "" In doing so, they ""empower women to speak and respect their own words of Torah."" (Apr.)