Description
The author applies the fields of gender studies, psychoanalysis, and literature to Talmudic texts. In opposition to the perception of Judaism as a legal system, he argues that the Talmud demands inner spiritual effort, to which the trait of humility and the refinement of the ego are central. This leads to the question of the attitude to the Other, in general, and especially to women. The author shows that the Talmud places the woman (who represents humility and good-heartedness in the Talmudic narratives) above the character of the male depicted in these narratives as a scholar with an inflated sense of self-importance.
Chapter
Chapter One. The Woman’s Spiritual Place in the Talmudic Story: A Reading of the Narrative of Mar Ukba and His Wife
An Introduction to the Discussion of the Narrative
The Text of the Narrative
The Reading of the Narrative
Why Was Mar Ukba Insulted?
The Leitmotiv of the Heel
On the Feminine and Masculine Associations in the Narrative
Chapter Two. Rabbi Akiva and the Daughter of Ben Kalba Savua: On the Conception of Love in the Spiritual World of the Talmudic Story
The Narrative of Akiva and His Mate, according to the Version of Ketubot 62b-63a
The Versions of the Narrative
The Love of Akiva and His Mate
Structure of the Narrative
The Waves of Opposition and Their Significance
Is This a Romantic Love Story?
Against Boyarin’s Political Reading
Appendix A: On the Nature of Relationship between Akiva and His Mate in the Later Versions
Appendix B: On the Character of Ben Kalba Savua in the Later Versions
Appendix C: On the Character of “That Old Man” in the Later Versions
Appendix D: On the Conversation with the Women Neighbors in the Later Versions
Chapter 3. “Internal Homeland” and “External Homeland”: A Literary and Psychoanalytical Study of the Narrative of R. Assi and His Aged Mother
The Complex Relationship between Halakhah and Aggadah, as Background to a Reading of the Narrative
The Text of the Narrative
A Proposed Psychoanalytical Reading
On the Transformation of the Text from the Land of Israel to Babylonia
Chapter 4. The Female Breast and the Mouth Opened in Prayer
The Narrative of the Intervention by the Mother of R. Ahadboi in the Study Hall Quarrel
A Discussion of the Elements of the Narrative
Baring One’s Breasts as an Act of Protest
Baring One’s Breast as a Spiritual Expression
Baring One’s Breasts as an Act of Entreaty
Exposing One’s Breasts in the Midrashic Picture: A Gesture of Love and Giving
Chapter Five. A Reading of the Creation Narrative: Femininity and Masculinity in the Prism of the Bible and the Midrash
The Mythological Background and Gender Aspects
In the Beginning God Created
Creation Ex Nihilo or Ex Materia?
The Midrashic Sources, and Their Relation to the Proposed Dialogic Reading
On Building God’s Palace in the Garbage in Gen. Rabbah
On the End of the Creation Passage: The Elements of the Sabbath and Sanctity
Buber’s Comments on the Creation Passage
The Gender Significance of the Moderation in the Biblical Portrayal
The Dialogic Significance of the Creation Episode: Love as a Procreative and Creative Force
Chapter Two. Rabbi Akiva and the Daughter of Ben Kalba Savua: On the Conception of Love in the Spiritual World of the Talmudic Story
Chapter 3. “Internal Homeland” and “External Homeland”: A Literary and Psychoanalytical Study of the Narrative of R. Assi and His Aged Mother
Chapter 4. The Female Breast and the Mouth Opened in Prayer
Chapter Five. A Reading of the Creation Narrative: Femininity and Masculinity in the Prism of the Bible and the Midrash
Gender and Dialogue in the Rabbinic Prism
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