Torah Study

By Julie Pelc Adler In every generation, Jews have understood the significance of the Torah in their lives. We have studied, written, and taught about the meaning of Torah and its relevance to contemporary circumstances. With the publication of The Torah: A Women’s Commentary in 2007, the teachings of women scholars and Jewish professionals on the significance of Torah in their lives is now available in a scholarly compendium. One of the unique additions in this commentary is the Voices section: “In addition to the more traditional modes of interpretation, this Commentary includes poetry, an innovative mode of expanding and extending the Torah text. In the Voices section at the conclusion of each parashah, we have collected poetry, along with selected prose pieces, to invite you to consider how issues and themes in each Torah portion reflect and illuminate women’s lives and experiences.” (Sue Levi Elwell, “The Poetry of Torah and the Torah of Poetry,” The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, page x.) Today’s Ten Minutes of Torah is excerpted from The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, Voices on Parashat R’eih, page 1140. Based on Deuteronomy 16:13-15.

By Carol Ochs In every generation, Jews have understood the significance of the Torah in their lives. We have studied, written, and taught about the meaning of Torah and its relevance to contemporary circumstances. With the publication of The Torah: A Women’s Commentary in 2007, the teachings of women scholars and Jewish professionals on the significance of Torah in their lives is now available in a scholarly compendium. The “Contemporary Reflections” section in The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, “enable us to hear women’s voices that reckon with divine revelation… each essay shows the significance of Torah as a record of God’s revelation to Israel: it is a repository of Jewish memory, however incomplete, from which we, as individuals and as members of contemporary Jewish communities, can attempt to hear and understand the voice of God.” (Ellen Umansky, “Women and Contemporary Reflection,” The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, page ix) Today’s Ten Minutes of Torah is excerpted from The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, pages 1084-1085.

By Silvina Chemen In every generation, Jews have understood the significance of the Revelation of Torah in their lives. We have studied, written and taught about the meaning of Torah and its relevance to contemporary circumstances. Until the publication of The Torah: A Women’s Commentary in 2008, the teachings of women scholars and Jewish professionals on the significance of Torah in their lives had not been shared in such a dedicated work. The “Contemporary Reflections” section in The Torah: A Women’s Commentary “enable us to hear women’s voices that reckon with divine revelation….each essay shows the significance of Torah as a record of God’s revelation to Israel: it is a repository of Jewish memory, however incomplete, from which we, as individuals and as members of contemporary Jewish communities, can attempt to hear and understand the voice of God.” (Ellen Umansky, “Women and Contemporary Reflection,” The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, page ix) Today’s Ten Minutes of Torah is excerpted from The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, pages 985-986. The story in parashat Pinchas about Zelophehad's five daughters--Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah (Numbers 27:1-11)-encapsulates the challenges that women faced and what they had to do in order to affirm their rights with dignity. Numbers 26 describes a census taken of all males over the age of 20 (v. 2). As part of the list of the various clans, we read that "Zelophehad... had no sons, only daughters" (v. 33). As the census was concluded, God instructs Moses: "Among these shall the land be apportioned as shares" (v. 53). "Among these" refers to the males listed in the census; hence, we can conclude that Zelophehad's daughters were not counted in the census and also were not to receive any land as inheritance.

by Howard Lev From novels to movies to the stage, it is the male who is traditionally depicted, as learned. The woman cleans the house, raises the children, and even has a proper double-chin. In the short story, Yentl The Yeshiva Boy, by Isaac Beshevis Singer, Yentl, a young woman, is so desperate to study and discuss the sacred texts, she disguises herself as a boy. If Yentl had been a member of my temple, she would not have had to wear a disguise to pray and study. The women of Temple B'nai Torah have a voice; they can quote, interpret, and read the sacred text with ease.