For thousands of years, the Torah—The Five Books of Moses—has been at the center of Jewish life. It contains our history, our culture, and has been scrutinously studied by learned men since its creation. Hard to believe, but it’s only recently that women have been involved in the study and discussion of Torah. In her stunning book, The Five Books of Miriam, Ellen Frankel finally gives the women of the Torah their due…as they discuss the Five Books of Moses from the women’s perspective in a round-table setting. Hear Miriam’s thoughts on Moses, slavery, death, sex and much more. Rachel, Leah, Sarah, Esther, and Eve make appearances as well, as do many other nameless women who helped build Judaism into what it is today.
The Five Books of Miriam is broken down by book (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). In each section, the women of the Bible discuss lessons, quotes, meanings, men, and much more. While this book can be read front to back, it would be much more beneficial to use as a guide while reading the Bible or to help stimulate conversation in a book club.
As Passover approaches, it’s so important to remember the sacrifices these women had to make…the lessons they helped teach and the stories they helped create. Miriam herself may be the unsung “Passover Hero”, and what better way to honor her than to tell her story in her own words?
NEXT WEEK: “Sisters…sisters…there were never such devoted sisters…”, that is until man-eating lobsters, sea monsters, and vicious flesh-craving sea life reek havoc on a quaint English island and utterly destroy all hope of happiness. Oh, what is a girl to do?
Looking for a new book to read? Check in every Friday for a “Bee Happy” post, where I share reviews of books I’ve read or other book-themed lists.
The Hob-bee Hive 