Women and Judaism: New Insights and Scholarship

by Frederick E. Greenspahn

Overview

Although women constitute half of the Jewish population and have always played essential roles in ensuring Jewish continuity and the preservation of Jewish beliefs and values, only recently have their contributions and achievements received sustained scholarly attention. Scholars have begun to investigate Jewish women’s domestic, economic, intellectual, spiritual, and creative roles in Jewish life from biblical times to the present. Yet little of this important work has filtered down beyond specialists in their respective academic fields. Women and Judaism brings the broad new insights they have uncovered to the world.
Women and Judaism communicates this research to a wider public of students and educated readers outside of the academy by presenting accessible and engaging chapters written by key senior scholars that introduce the reader to different aspects of women and Judaism. The contributors discuss feminist approaches to Jewish law and Torah study, the spirituality of Eastern European Jewish women, Jewish women in American literature, and many other issues.
Contributors: Nehama Aschkenasy, Judith R. Baskin, Sylvia Barack Fishman, Harriet Pass Freidenreich, Esther Fuchs, Judith Hauptman, Sara R. Horowitz, Renée Levine, Pamela S. Nadell, and Dvora Weisberg.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814732182
Publisher:	New York University Press
Publication date:	11/01/2009
Series:	Jewish Studies in the Twenty-First Century , #5
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Frederick E. Greenspahn is Gimelstob Eminent Scholar in Judaic Studies emeritus at Florida Atlantic University. He has written/edited 16 books, including When Brothers Dwell Together: The Preeminence of Younger Siblings in the Hebrew Bible (OUP '94) and Essential Papers on Israel and the Ancient Near East (NYU Press, '00) . He is a former President of the National Association of Professors of Hebrew and was, for 5 years, editor of its journal, Hebrew Studies.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction: Reading Mysteries: The Origins of Scholarship on Jewish Mysticism
Hartley Lachter
I. Jewish Mysticism Takes Shape
1 Ancient Jewish Mysticism
Michael D. Swartz
2 The Zohar: Masterpiece of Jewish Mysticism
Eitan P. Fishbane
3 Abraham ben Samuel Abulafia and the Prophetic Kabbalah
Elliot R. Wolfson
4 New Approaches to the Study of Kabbalistic Life in 16th-Century Safed
Lawrence Fine
II. Becoming Modern
5 Mystical Messianism: From the Renaissance to the Enlightenment
Matt Goldish
6 Hasidism: Mystical and Nonmystical Approaches to Interpreting Scripture
Shaul Magid
7 Christian Kabbalah
Allison P. Coudert
III. Contemporary Concerns
8 Kabbalah at the Turn of the 21st Century
Jody Myers
9 Gender in Jewish Mysticism
Hava Tirosh-Samuelson
Epilogue: Kabbalah and Contemporary Judaism
Pinchas Giller
About the Contributors
Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

All essays are well written and copiously footnoted. The introduction and epilogue suggest frameworks to approach the study of Jewish women in the context of history and gender studies as they stand today."-Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter,

"Each chapter stands on its own, but the volume as a whole illustrates just how far study into women in Judaism has come in the past decades, and just how important that work is for understanding Jewish history and tradition. Summing Up: Highly recommended."-CHOICE,

"Women are half of the Jewish population and they have always played an important role in Jewish life, but, until recently, they have been largely left out of history. Their important contributions to the development of Jewish values and culture remained unknown. Now, scholars are bringing these accomplishments to light."-Jewish Book World,

"Its ten essays are by leading scholars, including Sylvia Barack Fishman, Judith Hauptman, and Chava Weissler. They are all clearly written, present a survey of academic work done in each area, and offer many interesting insights... This book covers a vast range of material in an engaging way."-The JOFA Journal,

“These essays shine a clear and helpful light, enabling the reader to watch women from the time of the Bible onward step out from the shadows of history. An enriching and enlivening collection.”
-Rabbi David Wolpe,author of Why Faith Matters

Editorial Reviews

"The volume (Women and Judiasm)functions well for teaching, offering overview essays of recent scholarly developments and case studies of particular sources and genres."

Journal of Jewish Studies - K. Hannah Holtschneider

"These essays shine a clear and helpful light, enabling the reader to watch women from the time of the Bible onward step out from the shadows of history. An enriching and enlivening collection."

Rabbi David Wolpe

"In clear language accessible to lay readers, each informed essay provides tantalizing glimpses of the newly discovered lives of Jewish women, past and present. This volume offers a cogent and nuanced overview of current scholarship, outlining its broader implications for the field of Jewish Studies and setting the stage for future research. Ideal for both the university classroom and adult study."

Dr. Ellen Frankel

In clear language accessible to lay readers, each informed essay provides tantalizing glimpses of the newly discovered lives of Jewish women, past and present. This volume offers a cogent and nuanced overview of current scholarship, outlining its broader implications for the field of Jewish Studies and setting the stage for future research. Ideal for both the university classroom and adult study.”
-Dr. Ellen Frankel,CEO and Editor-in-Chief, The Jewish Publication Society

"The volume ( Women and Judiasm ) functions well for teaching, offering overview essays of recent scholarly developments and case studies of particular sources and genres."-K. Hannah Holtschneider, Journal of Jewish Studies

“These essays shine a clear and helpful light, enabling the reader to watch women from the time of the Bible onward step out from the shadows of history. An enriching and enlivening collection.”
-Rabbi David Wolpe,author of Why Faith Matters

From the Publisher