New commentary looks at the Torah from a woman's point of view

How many people know that when the Torah describes Abraham mourning the death of Sarah, it's the only time in the entire text that a man mourns a woman? Or that Adam and Eve were equal partners in crime? Or that women most likely were instrumental in constructing the Temple? Too few. That's why the Reform movement will soon publish a commentary on the Torah that gives the woman's perspective.

"The Torah: A Women's Commentary," a project of Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ), the movement's women's division, is a collaboration of 80 biblical scholars, archaeologists, rabbis, cantors, theologians and poets from across the religious spectrum -- all of them women who came together to present a new perspective on the Bible.

"The goal of this is to bring women's voices to the forefront," said Shelley Lindauer, WRJ's executive director. "History has been written by men; men were the ones who wrote the history of the Torah, and women's voices got pushed to the background. We want to hear more about what the matriarchs said, some more about the women characters in the Torah."

The volume won't be released until the WRJ Assembly and the Union of Reform Judiasm (URJ) Biennial conferences in San Diego in December 2007. However, the Reform movement will introduce a chapter from the book next month. During the week of Nov. 18, when Parshat Chayei Sarah is read, about 250 Reform congregations -- approximately 5,000 people in all -- will participate in a study program based on the "Women's Commentary."


http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=16662

Reminds me of Elisabeth Cady Stanton's http://www.sacred-texts.com/wmn/wb/index.htm">"The Woman's Bible" except hopefully this effort will be welcomed instead of condemned.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

Get over yourself.

I type that in reflexively. And I don't expect that to change. You are going to either going to have to get used to it, or enjoy making nasty remarks - whatever works for you is fine with me.

Bryant

No wonder we don't get along.

I want people to look at my blog. Should I be ashamed of that? I don't understand what I'm doing that's so wrong? My blog doesn't make any money - I have an amazon wish list but have never gotten anything and don't really expect to.

I don't understand what your objection is. Obviously having a blog in the first place means I want people to read what I write.

Bryant

Vanity is just tacky.

You either get used to that or you don't - I really don't care.

Bryant

I'm not Jewish, but there's a lot I can learn about my faith, too, (Christianity) from the Jewish community. Thanks for posting this.