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Words On Fire

One Woman's Journey Into The Sacred

Contributors

By Vanessa L Ochs

Formats and Prices

Price

$46.00

Format

Trade Paperback

Format:

Trade Paperback $46.00

This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around July 16, 1999. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.

When Vanessa Ochs begins to suspect her various physical ailments are due to her leading an ”unsanctified life,” she decides to travel to Jerusalem with her family to explore the sacred books of Judaism. Armed with a list of institutions and the names of women who specialize in teaching these sacred texts, Ochs sets out on a journey of discovery. She forges a personal relationship with her mentors, women who are determined to disprove the claim of Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus: ”The words of the Torah should be burnt rather than taught to women.” As her year in Jerusalem draws to a close, Ochs begins to find a way to reconcile her feminist views with her quest to live a life according to laws shaped by the ”sexist” views of traditional Judaism.Part scholarly investigation, part anecdotal memoir, Words on Fire is an accessible portrait of a remote world and a fascinating, firsthand account of the clash between feminism and Judaism.

On Sale
Jul 16, 1999
Page Count
368 pages
Publisher
Avalon Publishing
ISBN-13
9780813367187

Vanessa L Ochs

About the Author

Vanessa L. Ochs author of Safe and Sound, has written as well for the New York Times, New York Newsday, Tikkun Magazine, Lilith, and numerous other publications. A recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, she teaches Judaism in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia and is the editor of the Sacred Day series of CLAL, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership.

Learn more about this author