2003
ISSUE 62
11
Dr. Carol Meyers
,
Duke University –
a groundbreaking archaeologist of
Zippori in Israel; author of
Discovering
Eve,
using social-scientific methods
to reconstruct the lives of women in
ancient Israel; and editor of
Women
in Scripture.
Dr. Tikva Frymer-Kensky
,
University
of Chicago — a noted biblical scholar
specializing also in Near Eastern
studies; author of
In the Wake of the
Goddess
–
the best way to understand
the relation of Israel’s religious trans-
formation in light of the Gods and
Goddesses of the Ancient Near East.
Dr. Judith R. Baskin
,
University of
Oregon — an historian of rabbinic
interpretation and author of the land-
mark study, Jewish
Women in
Historical Perspective,
as well as
Women and Word: Jewish Women
and Jewish Writing
.
Dr. Carol Ochs
,
HUC-JIR/NY, a
philosopher whose book,
Women
and Sprituality
,
was among the earli-
est to address the need for asking
new questions and rediscovering our
sources; her latest book,
Our Lives as
Torah
not only asks new questions,
but helps us envision new, meaning-
ful ways to live our lives in response
to the possible answers.
The following members of the
Advisory Board, who will also be
contributing essays and comments,
helped shape the project as a
whole:
Dr. Judith Plaskow
,
who first invited
all of us to stand again at Sinai.
Dr. Rachel Adler,
HUC-JIR/LA, whose
award winning book,
Engendering
Judaism
,
shows how we can stand at
Sinai together as women and men and
how transforming that is and must be.
Rabbi Laura Geller
,
the first woman
rabbi to break the glass ceiling and
lead a major congregation, who
writes on feminist issues for a wide-
range of publications.
Rabbi Ruth Sohn
,
who influenced
us through her work with
Sh’ma
mag-
azine, and through many essays,
including the marvelous one in
Reading Ruth
.
Dr. Ellen Umansky
,
best known for
her book on
Four Centuries of Jewish
Women’s Spirituality
.
Dr. Sherry Blumberg
,
who brings an
educator’s perspective to our project.
Rabbi Andrea Weiss
,
HUC-JIR/NY,
who represents the new generation
of scholars on the Bible and who, as
a student in my first class at HUC-
JIR/LA, went on to be ordained and
pursue a doctorate in Biblical Studies,
is a source of much
nachas
to me.
Andrea and
Rabbi Judy Schindler
,
another former student, together rep-
resent our future. Both Andrea and
Judy have been with the commentary
project from its inception, first as stu-
dents and now as mature professionals
ready to keep us attuned to the
needs of the younger generation.
Rabbi Sue Levi Elwell
,
who has
been teaching and writing about
Jewish women’s history and feminist
spirituality for the past twenty years,
directs the Pennsylvania Council of
the UAHC, and whose most recent
book is
The Open Door, A New
Haggadah
(
CCAR 2002).
Cantor Sarah Sager,
with her heav-
enly voice and perhaps no less
heavenly vision of what we can and
must attempt with this commentary.
Tamara Cohn Eskenazi
LISTENING TO OUR MOTHERS:
THE WOMEN OF REFORM
JUDAISM WOMEN’S
COMMENTARY ON TORAH
by Dr. Tamara Cohn Eskenazi
Professor of Bible, HUC-JIR/LA
We often proclaim, “
Shema
Israel.” It is, of course, the watch-
word of our faith. “Hear O Israel!” But how often do we really
hear? Really listen?
Listening to Our Mothers: The Women of Reform JudaismWomen’s
Commentary on Torah
began because the women of Reform Judaism
decided to listen to the voices of our mothers.
First it was Cantor Sarah Sager listening to the hidden voice of Sarah,
her matriarchal namesake. With a powerful address titled, “Sarah’s
Hidden Voice: Recovering and Discovering Women’s Spirituality,”
Cantor Sager charged the WRJ Assembly at the 1993 Biennial to
reclaim the Torah. Her very words were, “If we are really serious
about women’s spirituality, about liberating the concepts of God and
community, about integrating the Torah of our tradition into the Torah
of our lives, then there is something very concrete that we can do.”
The WRJ Women’s Commentary on the Torah
takes place in the long
line of classical tradition, from Rashi, to Hertz (author of the most
influential Jewish Torah commentary in the English language for
decades; he also happened to be my great-uncle), to Plaut (the
Reform Movement’s commentary, which appeared in 1981).
What kind of a commentary is it to be?
Our guidelines identify three important criteria for the commentary:
Contemporary
:
The commentary will incorporate new approaches
not found in traditional commentaries (including literary criticism,
sociology, feminism). The commentary will present new research and
information about the Bible and the biblical world and will address
topics important for our world today.
Jewish
:
The commentary will focus on issues important to Jews as
well as integrate insights from important Jewish sources (along with
other available sources)
Women
:
The commentary will delve into matters that concern women.
In addition, the commentary will showcase the scholarship of women,
using the insights of women scholars to shed light on the Torah.
While the primary mission of the commentary is geared toward
women, we envision this commentary as one that can provide insight
and inspiration for both men and women, especially Jews but non-
Jews as well.
The WRJ Women’s
Commentary on Torah Sisterhood
In addition to the distinguished leadership of WRJ, together with
Ellen Rosenberg, Executive Director, and Eve Roshevsky, Staff Executive,
Department of Religious Living, the Advisory Board is comprised of
prominent figures who share the capacity to explore new ways of
thinking about women and Judaism; each of them is a pioneer,
shaping her field in fresh, innovative ways.
(
continued on page 13)