Five Books of Miriam: A Woman's Commentary on the Torah

Weaving together Jewish lore, the voices of Jewish foremothers, Yiddish fable, midrash and stories of her own imagining, Ellen Frankel has created in this book a breathtakingly vivid exploration into what the Torah means to women. Here are Miriam, Esther, Dinah, Lilith and many other women of the Torah in dialogue with Jewish daughters, mothers and grandmothers, past and present. Together these voices examine and debate every aspect of a Jewish woman's life -- work, sex, marriage, her connection to God and her place in the Jewish community and in the world.

The Five Books of Miriam makes an invaluable contribution to Torah study and adds rich dimension to the ongoing conversation between Jewish women and Jewish tradition. Weaving together Jewish lore, the voices of Jewish foremothers, Yiddish fable, Midrash, and stories of her own imagining, Frankel creates a vivid exploration into what the Torah means to women. Here are Miriam, Dinah, Lilith, and many other women of the Torah in dialogue with Jewish daughters, mothers and grandmothers, past and present.

Together these voices examine and debate every aspect of a Jewish woman's life-work, sex, marriage, her connection to God and her place in the Jewish community and in the world. Ellen Frankel is an acclaimed storyteller and writer, popular lecturer and accomplished scholar. She is the author of many books, including The Classic Tales: Four Thousand Years of Jewish Lore.

A stunning combination of scholarship and creative imagination. The voice of Jewish women, silenced for three thousand years, begins to emerge in this book. -Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People Weaving together Jewish lore, the voices of Jewish foremothers, Yiddish fable, Midrash, and stories of her own imagining, Frankel creates a vivid exploration into what the Torah means to women. Here are Miriam, Dinah, Lilith, and many other women of the Torah in dialogue with Jewish daughters, mothers and grandmothers, past and present.

Together these voices examine and debate every aspect of a Jewish woman's life-work, sex, marriage, her connection to God and her place in the Jewish community and in the world. Ellen Frankel is an acclaimed storyteller and writer, popular lecturer and accomplished scholar. She is the author of many books, including The Classic Tales: Four Thousand Years of Jewish Lore.

A stunning combination of scholarship and creative imagination. The voice of Jewish women, silenced