Women in Judaism have affected the course of Judaism over millennia. Their role is reflected in the Hebrew Bible, the Oral Law (the corpus of rabbinic literature), by custom, and by cultural factors. Although the Hebrew Bible and rabbinic literature present various female role models, religious law treats women in specific ways.

Israelite women faced numerous challenges, including issues of infertility, widowhood, and social marginalization. The accounts of Hagar, Leah, and Tamar reflect the struggles and resilience of women in the face of adversity.

From biblical times to the present, Jewish women have given hope, meaning and strength to the Jewish community. These twelve remarkable Jewish women have shown extraordinary leadership, changed the course of Jewish practice, offered comfort and hope, and injected creativity into the Jewish world.

The foundational accounts of Hebrew women begin with the matriarchs: Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachel. Sarah, the wife of Abraham, is noted for her faith and the miraculous birth of Isaac in her old age.

Oct 27, 2016 · In a book mostly written by men and about men, what is the role of women? Over 90% of the people named in the Hebrew Bible are men. Finding out about women’s experiences is not an easy task, but scholars have been able to …

In the medieval mystics’ theology of sefirot, some of God’s ten attributes are female. The sefirah known as Malkhut or Shekhinah is the primary female manifestation of God, and to a certain extent the existence of such a manifestation made femaleness praiseworthy.

Sep 5, 2023 · For many people, thinking of women in Jewish history most readily summons to mind the likes of Hadassah/Esther, Bruryah, Henrietta Szold, Hannah Szenes, Anne Frank, and...

Dec 6, 2024 · Women play a pivotal role in Hebrew Israelite communities, acting as anchors of faith, family, and leadership. Their contributions extend far beyond the home, as they serve as examples of obedience to Yahuah's commandments, nurture families, and guide their communities with wisdom and strength.

Nevertheless, scholars have been able to combine a careful reading of the biblical text with anthropological and archaeological data, and with comparative evidence from the larger biblical world, to reconstruct certain features of ancient Israelite women’s culture.

Encyclopedia of Jewish and Israeli history, politics and culture, with biographies, statistics, articles and documents on topics from anti-Semitism to Zionism.