Holtz, Barry, Ed. Back to the Sources: Reading the Classical Jewish Texts. Simon and Schuster, 1986.
An excellent introduction to the key types of Jewish texts: Bible, Talmud, Midrash, medieval commentaries, philosophy works, kabbalah, Hasidic texts, and the prayer book, each chapter is written by a different scholar.
Goldstein, Rabbi Elyse. ReVisions: Seeing Torah Through a Feminist Lens. Jewish Lights Publishing, 2001.
The author, a leading feminist teacher and writer, reads and re-reads the Torah through the work of other scholars and her own innovative analysis in order to understand and re-vision biblical teachings on maleness and femaleness, men and women.
Goldstein, Rabbi Elyse. The Women's Torah Commentary: New Insights from Women Rabbis on the 54 Weekly Torah Portions and The Women's Haftarah Commentary: New Insights from Women Rabbis on the 54 Weekly Haftarah Portions, the 5 Megillot & Special Shabbatot. Jewish Lights Publishing, 2000 and 2004.
Two acclaimed collections of essays on the weekly Torah portions and weekly and special haftarot (prophetic readings), all by women who are rabbis.
Orenstein, Rabbi Debra and Rabbi Jane Litman, Ed. Lifecycles, Volume 2: Jewish Women on Biblical Themes in Contemporary Life. Jewish Lights Publishing, 1998.
Rather than focusing on specific Torah portions, these essays explore from a feminist perspective the themes—e.g. family, freedom, work, faith—that emerge from each of the five books of the Torah.
Stein, David E.S., revising editor; Carol L. Meyers, Adele Berlin and Ellen Frankel, consulting editors. The Contemporary Torah: A Gender-Sensitive Adaptation of the JPS Translation. Jewish Publication Society, 2006.
Edited to appeal to readers interested in an historically based picture of social gender roles in the Bible, as well as those who have become accustomed to gender-sensitive English in other aspects of their lives. The editors sought language more sensitive to gender nuances, to reflect more accurately the perceptions of the original Bible readers.
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