Religion

An engraving print of the Biblical ancestor Lamech and his two wives, Zillah and Adah.

Zillah: Midrash and Aggadah

Zillah was a wife of Lamech. According to one tradition, Zillah was designated to bear children, but in another tradition she was said to solely provide intercourse for Lamech. Nonetheless, she bore two children.

Zilpah: Bible

Zilpah was given as a wedding gift to Leah by her father Laban on the occasion of Leah’s marriage to Jacob. Through the initiative of Leah, Zilpah became a secondary wife to Jacob and bore him two sons, Gad and Asher.

Zilpah: Midrash and Aggadah

The Rabbis count Zilpah among the six Matriarchs. She was Leah’s handmaiden and she and Leah were originally intended to marry Esau; when Leah married Jacob instead, he was also given Zilpah. Midrashic accounts place Zilpah in different, minor roles.

Zipporah: Bible

Zipporah is the wife of Moses, given to him in marriage by her Midianite priest father. She heroically saves Moses and her sons from a random attack from an angel by cutting off her son’s foreskin; the explanation for this act is unclear. However, Zipporah is shown as fiercely devoted to her husband, even though he neglects her.

Zipporah: Midrash and Aggadah

Zipporah was the wife of Moses. The Rabbis ascribe many traits to her; they considered her different than other women, in a positive sense, in both appearance and deed.

Zillah: Bible

Zillah is one of the first women mentioned in the Bible. The unusual appearance of Zillah and two associated females in the male genealogies of Genesis 1–10 may be linked to the special role of her children.

Zeresh: Midrash and Aggadah

Zeresh was the wife of Haman, portrayed by the midrash as even more wicked than her husband. Of all of Haman's advisors, she was his best counsel.

Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef

Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef was the Sephardi chief rabbi of Israel and the leader of the Shas political movement.

Yalta

Yalta is a character in the Babylonian Talmud, the wife of Rabbi Nahman, and the daughter of the exilarch. She is depicted as a strong-willed, free-spirited woman.

Marjorie Wyler

Marjorie Wyler was a Jewish Theological Seminary professor for over half a century and was involved in numerous public service and Jewish organizations. Furthermore, her involvement in religious broadcasting, coupled with decades of public relations work, made her an advocate for the ethics of social justice inherent in Judaism.

Women's Tefillah Movement

The Women’s Tefillah Movement grew out of a need for Orthodox Jewish women for more meaningful and participatory roles in prayer services that remain within the boundaries of Jewish law and practice. With the growth of “partnership minyanim,” the number of Women’s Tefillah Groups has diminished somewhat, but they are still important places within Orthodoxy especially for young girls celebrating becoming a Bat Mitzvah.

Women's League for Conservative Judaism

Women’s League for Conservative Judaism (WLCJ), founded in 1918, is the national organization of Conservative sisterhoods. Throughout its history WLCJ has foregrounded women’s education and engagement in order to enrich the spiritual and religious lives of Conservative/Masorti women and to empower them as leaders in their homes, synagogues, and communities.

Women of the Wall

Women of the Wall (WOW) is an international community of women who, since 1988, have sought the freedom to conduct women-led Torah services in the women’s section at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. WOW’s legal claims and political strategies raise questions about women’s rights to equality within Judaism and under Israeli law, the nature of religious toleration for non-Orthodox Jewish movements, and Israel’s identity as a Jewish and democratic state.

Four 6-8 inch tall terracotta figurines of women holding hand drums

Women with Hand-Drums, Dancing: Bible

Several biblical passages mention women (e.g., Miriam) celebrating victory with drums, dances, and song. Examining those passages in light of archaeological materials and comparative Near Eastern texts indicates that women, rather than men, were percussionists in ancient Israel and likely participated in religious and secular musical activities.

Woman Wisdom: Bible

In some of the books of the Hebrew Bible, “wisdom” is personified as a female character. Her portrayal often draws comparisons to goddesses outside of the Hebrew Bible, although there is debate over whether Wisdom was worshipped as a goddess. Nevertheless, the stories of Woman Wisdom are significant for their use of a woman’s voice in male books.

A painted illustration of King Solomon surrounded by three of his wives.

Women of Solomon: Bible

Solomon, third king of Israel, is said to have had a harem that included 700 wives and 300 concubines. Many of those women were not Israelites and refused to adopt Israelite traditions and religion, reinforcing a common Biblical motif about foreign women.

Women in Samson's Life: Midrash and Aggadah

The three women in Samson’s life were Gentiles: the woman from Timnah, the woman from Gaza, and Delilah. In the midrash, rabbis used Samson’s situation to denounce involvement with foreign women.

Wise Woman of Tekoa: Midrash and Aggadah

The A type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules).midrash includes the wise woman from Tekoa among the twenty-three truly upright and righteous women who came out of Israel (Midrash Tadshe, Ozar ha-Midrashim [Eisenstein], 474).

Wise Woman of Abel Beth-Maacah: Bible

The second of two “wise women” portrayed in 2 Samuel lived in a fortified city in northern Israel. More straightforwardly than the story of the wise woman of Tekoa (2 Samuel 14), this narrative depicts what must have been typical leadership activities of a woman in this accepted position against the larger political tensions of David’s reign.

Wise Woman of Tekoa: Bible

The midrash includes the wise woman from Tekoa among the twenty-three truly upright and righteous women who came out of Israel. The Rabbi’ note that because the residents of Tekoa frequently used olive oil, they were wise. The woman’s wisdom was therefore linked to the blessing of olive oil and, in the opinion of the Rabbis, reflected the wisdom of all the area’s inhabitants.

Wise Woman of Abel-beth-maacah: Midrash and Aggadah

The wise woman from Abel-Beth-Maacah is identified in midrashim as Serah, daughter of Asher. The rabbis attribute great wisdom to her. She instituted a negotiation with Joab, then spoke to the people, who behead Sheba son of Bichri in order to induce Joab to leave.

Wifebeating in Jewish Tradition

The most useful source to study wifebeating is responsa literature, which includes a variety of attitudes towards the phenomenon. While some sources declare wifebeating unlawful, others justify it under certain circumstances.

Wife of Job: Apocrypha

While the Wife of Job has a limited role in the biblical narrative, the apocryphal Divrei Lyov transforms her into a central character of the plot. Unique to the apocryphal account, Job is cited as having two wives, Utzit and Dinah, whereas the midrashic account has Job marrying only one woman.

Wife of Job: Bible

In characterizing her husband’s unconditional devotion to God as an act of cowardice, Job’s nameless wife is the one who opens the possibility of speaking against God. Much like Eve, Job’s wife prompts her husband to doubt God’s use of divine powers and, in doing so, she deepens his knowledge and opens his eyes.

Wife of Job: Midrash and Aggadah

Job’s wife is the subject of a moral critique by the midrash for advising her husband to commit blasphemy. Different midrashim account for the possible outcomes and motives of her actions.

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