by Temima Goldberg Shulman
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are that of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the Union for Traditional Judaism, unless otherwise indicated.
In the story of Israel’s nation building, men live with existential fear. Moses fears that the Israelites won’t listen to him; he will be irrelevant and defeated. So consuming is the fear that seemingly his fear of man appears greater than his fear of God. Pharaoh fears he will be discovered to be mortal, and thus only defecates in the predawn [Exodus 7:15, Rashi, citing Shemot Rabba 9:8]. Israelite men fear for their gender with Pharaoh’s edict to drown all Israelite boys. They may also fear that their sexuality is stripped away through the cruel policies that solidified the first Jewish genocide.
But the women, voiceless as they mostly are in the text, seem to embody strength and defiance.
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Temima Goldberg Shulman is a Jerusalem-born, award winning writer and teacher based in New Jersey. She has taught Bible and Jewish law at New Jersey Jewish high schools and in Israel. She has worked as a daily reporter, a book review columnist, and as an Israel correspondent, interviewing the likes of Yaakov Agam and Yizhak Rabin. As a community activist, 13 years ago she turned her attention to women's issues and healthy sexuality.
Today she writes and speaks about these issues, their origins in the Bible and Talmud, and their application and relevance to modern Jewish life. She is founder and director of the Midrasha in Manhattan, a house of study and culture for Israelis, opening 2017.