Biblical Women Speak

What were biblical women thinking and doing when the men around them received all the attention and glory? How did Leah, Rachel, and their handmaids negotiate the complicated family dynamics of four women vying for Jacobs affections? What compelled Potiphars wife to risk her high station to seduce Joseph, an enslaved foreigner? How did the midwives and Pharoahs daughter conspire to rescue baby Moses, right under Pharoahs nose?Biblical Women Speak employs midrash (interpretative techniques) to discover ten biblical womens stories from a female point of view and provide insights beyond how ancient male scholars viewed them. Each chapter brings alive a different biblical woman, including non-Israelite characters and others who are neglected in classical rabbinic texts, such as Keturah (Abrahams last wife), Bat Shuah (Judahs wife), Shelomith (the infamous blasphemers mother), and Noah (one of Zelophehads brave daughters who demanded inheritance rights). After each featured text we hear a creative retelling of the womans story in her own voice, followed by traditional midrash and medieval commentaries and the authors reflections on how these tales and interpretations are relevant for today. Rabbi Marla J. Feldmans book is an engaging invitation to enter biblical narratives, challenge conventional wisdom, and recalibrate the stories and lessons through the lens of our own lives.