It is apt that a volume devoted primarily to gender-related themes in Biblical and Talmudic passages is dedicated to the memory of a young woman scholar/educator (1975-2007) who was active in Jewish women's spiritual quest. Wimptheimer (Jewish studies, Northwestern U.) compiles 11 contributions in English and Hebrew by Samuels, other academics, and lay scholars. Themes addressed include male dominance since Genesis, the theory of the complementarility of man and woman, and gendered readings of the Feminine heroic (Bat Sheva means "under oath to God") in Exodus and passages relating to marriage and birth control. The function of prayer and the eye for an eye concept of justice are also discussed. Not indexed. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

WISDOM OF BAT SHEVA

IN MEMORY OF Beth Samuels Z"L

KTAV Publishing House, Inc.

Copyright © 2009 Barry Wimpfheimer and Ari Tuchman
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-60280-127-1

Contents

Editor's Preface Barry S. Wimpfheimer...................................................................................................1Introduction Ari Tuchman................................................................................................................5A Literary Study of Numbers in Genesis Beth Samuels z"l.................................................................................13Quantum Mechanical Divine Providence and Rational Prayer Ari Tuchman....................................................................43What's the Matter with Women? Gender in the Thought of Maharal of Prague Aryeh Bernstein................................................77Equality or Equivalence: A Very Brief Survey of Lex Talionis as a Concept of Justice in the Bible Alan Tzvika Nissel.....................111Midwives and Moral Reasoning, Love and Law: A Gendered Reading of the Book of Exodus Andrew Rosenblatt..................................147Trigger Words and Simultexts: The Experience of Reading The Bavli Zvi Septimus..........................................................163Women of the Exodus - An Excerpt Shera Aranoff Tuchman and Sandra E. Rapoport..........................................................187Tefilah: Feeling the Presence of God Avi Weiss..........................................................................................207From Fast to Feast in the Book of Zechariah Andrea Wershof Schwartz.....................................................................237Interrupting Birth Control: Re-reading a Famous Beraita Barry S. Wimpfheimer............................................................247

Chapter One

A Literary Study of Numbers in Genesis

Beth Samuels z"l

Numbers represent the intellectual building blocks of our world, laying the foundation for both practical and philosophical pursuits. Scientific equations require numerical validation and quantified measurements to provide meaning in understanding the universe. Even the consonance and harmony in musical chords have been discovered to be related to numerical harmonics. Historically, from the time of the Pythagoreans (500 B.C.), numbers have also had significance as abstract concepts in addition to being simply quantifiers. The Pythagoreans developed a detailed number symbolism that attributes a distinct characteristic to each digit. In their theory, "one," the generator of all other numbers, represents reason; "two," the first even or female number, signifies opinion; "three," the first odd or male number denotes harmony by joining one and two; "four" represents justice, from the squaring of accounts, etc. This perspective upholds the centrality of numbers not only in the physical world but in the spiritual world as well. It is no surprise that the Pythagorean motto was "All is number."

Given this significance of numbers to the human condition, it is natural to assume that numerical approaches can also play an important role in illuminating fundamental ideas contained within the Torah. While numbers given in the text may occasionally appear superfluous at first glance, with further exegesis their importance can be uncovered. There are various ways to study the numbers found in Genesis, each reflecting the awareness that numbers are more then just arbitrary dates, years, quantities, or measurements. The modern Biblical scholar U. Cassuto (d. 1951) analyzes the years mentioned in the genealogical passages of Genesis (chs. 5,11) in his Perush al Sefer Bereishit. He notices the pattern of sixty and seven in the years listed and compares these numbers with those found in Canaanite mythology from the same period. He suggests that the seemingly arbitrary numbers subscribe to a trend common in other cultures of that time. Gematriya is another method of numerical interpretation that considers numbers as representing words with the corresponding numerical value. For example, the midrashic collection Gen. Rabbah (43:2) explains that when Abraham is described as gathering 318 men with him to battle (Gen. 14:14), he is actually only taking his servant Eliezer, whose name has the numerical equivalent of 318.

In this work, I apply a literary-thematic approach to examining numbers that are interspersed throughout the narratives in Genesis. By viewing the Torah as a divine masterpiece in which every single word is deliberate, each number must also be recognized as being significant. Numbers serve as key words, signifying underlying themes that link together stories. The creation story at the beginning of Genesis in which numbers first appear introduces unique characteristics associated with each number. Subsequent stories are in turn analyzed by focusing on the numbers and their associated qualities to provide deeper insight into the narrative themes. This article concentrates on analyzing the numbers "one" "two," and "three" and applies their thematic representations to the stories of Adam and Eve, the tower of Babel, the Patriarchs, and Joseph and his brothers.

Introduction

The creation story with which the Bible begins provides the critical text for defining numerical themes:

And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light "day," and the darkness He called "night;" and there was evening and there was morning; one day. (Gen. 1:3-5)

The first specific creation on Day One is that of light. Considering that the sun, moon, and stars are not created until the fourth day, many commentaries interpret this light as a spiritual illumination. Rashi (R. Shlomo Yitshaki d. 1105) quotes from Gen. Rabbah 3:9 that the text deliberately describes the day as ehad, one, and not rishon, first, which would have been grammatically consistent with the language used for other days. The usage of the word ehad emphasizes God's "one-ness." God was one and alone on this day; neither the angels nor any other thing existed. The midrash in Pesikta Zutrati explains that the word ehad is used as a reflection of how Israel in the future will describe God in the "Shema" prayer: "the Lord is our God; the Lord is one" (Deut. 6:4). While God's one-ness is the obvious basis for monotheism, it also reinforces that the entire world emerged from a unified and holy place. Based on these perspectives, the number "one" is introduced as representing spiritual illumination, godliness, and unity.

And God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide water from water." And God made the firmament and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament "heaven," and there was evening and there was morning, a second day. (Gen. 1:6-8)

On Day Two, God separates the upper and lower waters. Day Two is the only day on which God does not comment, "ki tov" it was good. Several opinions in explanation are offered in Gen. Rabbah 4:8. According to Rabbi Yohanan, hell is created on this day, and according to Rabbi Hanina disagreement is created. In contrast to Day One, Day Two brings something separate from godliness into this world. Day Two divides the upper sphere and...