Ellen Frankel (1) (1951–)

This was much more engaging than I expected it to be.

I was given this as a gift by someone looking for something, I suppose, to give a feminist Jew. I don't know why, but it didn't strike my fancy at first, and I put off reading it. Then, recently, I found myself without reading material and started thumbing through it and then drawn in to it.

If one is at all familiar with Talmud and its traditional structure with arguments, different voices, and give and take -- that's what this reminds me show more of.

Each chapter of Torah is summed up, and then questions about the chapter are asked by "Our Daughters." These may be the sorts of questions you have asked yourself. Questions are then answered by our mothers, sage advice given by our bubbes, or Rachel or Sarah may step in and give us their point of view.

All in all this is an engaging and refreshing take on the Torah. And since it is divided into parshot, perfect for Torah study! show less

Among the stories illustrated with artwork, is "Reb Eisik'sTreasure" by Jiri Langer, translated by Stephen Jolly, in which Reb Simche Binem tells a story about Reb Eisik Yekls of Cracow, a poor scholar, who, after dreaming three times about a treasure under the (only) bridge in Prague travels there and, when he explains to the guard commander why he is there, the commander derisively says that if he believed in dreams he'd dig near the fireplace of Reb Eisik Yelks in Cracow. Reb Eisik uses show more some of the money to build a synagogue called "Reb Eisik Yekls-Shil." The story ends with this quote:
But Reb Simche Binem, who used to relate the story to every novice who came to study with him, would always add:
"So you see, my boy, there is something of inestimable value which you will always be seeking as in a dream, and which you will probably never find in the whole wide world. Very likely you will not even find it here with me, and yet there is one place where you could find it . . . ."
Jiri Langer's Nine Gates is listed as the source of the story; further research on the author is rewarding. show less

Feminist commentary on the weekly Torah portions done as imagined women's voices from Jewish tradition.
Some stories told are:
* for Terumah: "The Sabbath Loaves: A Cautionary Tale" (pp. 131-2). In this version, the rabbi who yells at the couple is condemned to death by an angel.
* for Akharei Mot: "The Mouse Seeks a Wife" (p. 178). A mouse wants to marry the sun, then the cloud, then the wind, then the wall, before finally realizing that a mouse is most worthy.
* for Va-Etkhanan: "The Orange show more on the Seder Plate" (p. 256). This explanation is a that "Susannah Heschel was challenged about a woman's right to rabbinic ordination: 'A woman belongs on the bimah,' jeered a man in the audience, 'as much as an orange belongs on a the seder plate.'" show less

Fascinating. A great accompaniment to the standard King James Bible and an excellent research tool.