...Who has made me a woman
by Elyse Goldstein
Each month, at the time I see I have gotten my period, I cover my head and say,"Baruch atah Adonai, elohainu melech ha-olam, she-asani ishah." "Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the world, who has made me a woman." 1
ברוך אתה יהוה אלוהינו מלך העולם שעשני אישה.
(Although I have up until now used the traditional Hebrew which refers to God in the masculine, I am experimenting with various feminist revisions.)
Here is one feminine version:
ברוכה את השכינה שאשתני אישה.
B'rucha At hash-Chinah she-astani ishah.
Praised are you Shekhinah, who has made me a woman.
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1. This prayer is a play on a traditional prayer yoked out of context. Traditionally, upon rising, men thank God for not making them women -- she lo asasani isha. Women thank God for making them according to His Will. Here, the author transforms the negative prayer into a positive statement for women and uses it at the moment of menstruation as an affirmation of womanhood.
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