Targum/Feldhein 239 pages
Still waters run deep, a cliche which begins to describe this
book. Jews associate very well with the well, especially so
Jewish women, whose history is so entwined with this symbolic
entity.
To sum up my feelings about this beautiful book already at
the beginning of this review, I would have you look at the
meaningful cover, designed by Targum's Diane Liff, which
suggests water in a well reflecting a light from above.
To tell the truth, when asked to review this book, I thought
I could skim through it, pick out some passages here and
there, and dish it up to you. Not so. This is a book for
deeper thinking, reflection.
Interesting, that word, reflection, so significantly captured
in the title and the jacket cover. Both invite you to dip in,
drink, and watch the ripples spread in velvety water circles.
Drink, read, and contemplate what you have read before
reading on. And then, perhaps return for some more of that
first refreshing taste.
I prefer to take my time with this book, and review it even
before I have finished reading it, which I want to do at my
own pace. I want to digest this `heavy water' that oxygenizes
my heart, soul, intellect.
Rebbetzin Pavlov is a world-known lecturer on Jewish
subjects, the author of Mirrors of Our Lives: Reflections
of Women in Tanach and of many articles for Torah
publications. She is also the founder of She'arim College of
Jewish Studies for Women, a seminary with a unique approach
to study. How is that? As teacher, Reb. Pavlov has the
students make their own discoveries as she leads them gently
but skillfully through the process of learning through
understanding, asking, resolving, internalizing into one's
own psyche and soul.
The one graduate of this baalas tshuvah seminary whom
I know well and whose life I have been involved in ever since
she married one of the star talmidim of Yeshivas Ohr
Somyach who was a frequent visitor in our home, exemplies
those goals, and methods of reaching them. I have seen her
growing through various stages, different challenges in the
jobs she found, and always asking, seeking a more precise
truth within her.
Here it was a teaching job that was not up to her standards
of Yiddishkeit, there it was a writing job that demanded a
watering down of educational material, and again, a different
job that also required adaptation which she was unprepared to
make because of compromises that were not up to her standard
of honesty, integrity, and her intuitive feeling of what was
right. And so she asked, listened, reflected — and
acted accordingly.
Never mind who she is. Never mind that she could have made
lots of money at these jobs. Suffice it to say that I believe
she is a model product of this school and what it stands for:
a Jewish woman in this modern world finding and defining her
role in the light of Jewish history and the talents at her
disposal.
So much for my introduction. Now for the Introduction,
or Preface, which captured my attention right away with its
appeal. Have an excerpted taste:
"When I was a child, I learned Jewish history. I felt small
in the face of the courage I read about — the bravery
and self-sacrifice of the Jews who lived before me. They were
often given terrible choices: to be true to their Torah or to
their instinct to survive . . .
"I was amazed by how many Jews chose spiritual commitment
over physical survival. I wondered how they lived under such
oppression, forgoing an easier life if it meant conversion. I
marveled at the strength of their beliefs and their trust in
G-d . . . "
And you, the reader, haven't you pondered over this and
asked the question the author now poses?
"Mostly, I wondered if I would have such strength of
conviction. Would I, given a choice of conversion or death,
choose Torah? . . . Would I opt for an easier life in this
world over eternal life in the next?"
Sometimes, she notes, we are given the choice; other times,
"the knife, the gun, the bomb chooses the Jew and his death
sanctifies G-d's name. In these moments, G-d Himself selects
the person and his `mission'. Yet, there is still choice
— we choose to live in Israel, to ride a bus . . . to
go to public places . . . knowing that there is danger . . .
"
And the bottom-line message: "Life is more about struggle
than joy and, in fact, joy comes to punctuate the struggle,
and not the other way around. The darkness is the backdrop
against which we see the light.
"In fact, without the struggle . . . " Read on,
yourselves.
After the Preface comes the directions: "How to Read This
Book."
"Learning Torah is like digging a well — the deeper we
go, the more water we find . . .
"Those who have dug before us provide guidance and skill for
this venture . . . In fact, as we learn, we find ourselves
in a dialogue with them. What do you think, Rashi? And
you, Ramban? We ask and we listen to their answers . . .
We resolve and debate. We engage in a conversation that
traverses centuries . . .
"It is this sense of dialogue that I wanted to convey when I
wrote this book . . . In each essay, I present Torah
concepts, as a teacher would to her students, aiming to
provoke, elicit questions, and work out life lessons
together."
Which brings us to the Table of Contents. Some chapter names
as a come-on:
SHAME: A JEWISH APPROACH / INITIATIVE: THE LEGACY OF LEAH /
LONGING FOR GUIDANCE / TRUSTING G-D IN THE DARK OF THE NIGHT
/ GOD HIDES, WE SEEK and WATER FROM THE WELL, to mention just
a few of the essays.
Before I end up quoting the entire book, let us turn to the
first essay: "Laughter is a Serious Business." Sounds
interesting, intellectually stimulating?
The author explores the dynamics of laughter and its Jewish
history, beginning with Avrohom, Sorah and Yitzchok. She
leads us through the commentaries on the Torah text, first
analyzing Rashi, dealing with grammatical structures (the
difference between tzchok and s'chok —
irony vs. laughter) , injecting something from R' Hirsch and
eventually arriving at the Eishes Chayil who "laughs
at the time to come."
This book represents a pleasant, very stimulating learning
experience. Written well, clearly, with a light but sure
hand, it is not ponderous but has appeal for all women, even
if they are busy housewives wishing to take time out for
something refreshingly cerebral and meaningful.
I would like to end with a personal reflection: Both
Rebbetzin Pavlov and this graduate product I mentioned
before, and the book, reflect the ultimate Jewish woman's
trait of tzniyus, modesty, unassumption (is that a
word?), simplicity, wisdom that is not taken for granted but
acquired through a women's intuitive thinking process as
drawn up from the well of our sages' teachings. There is
reticence, discretion, a quietness from inner strength.
Jewish women who know their place and are proud of it. The
power of wise Jewish women throughout history.
Still waters running oh, so deep.
