This is an extraordinary collection of midrash written expressly for teenage girls. Not long after the world was created, Lilith, the first woman, was expelled from the Garden of Eden. She built an ark, a magic box, in which future biblical women could hide their most prized possessions. And so, Lilith's Ark became a place for women to share their own experiences of adolescence with future generations of girls...The women of Torah grew up at a time when gender roles were rigidly defined and girls were considered women at an early age. Still, the Torah hints that young biblical women faced challenges similar to those that teenagers encounter today: first loves, burgeoning identities, developing sexualities, and blossoming spirituality. Building on textual sources, Deborah Bodin Cohen has created a collection of midrashim about the teen years of 10 women in Genesis that will resonate with 21st-century readers. "Lilith's Ark" melds text, biblical commentaries, and historic details about the ancient world with the experiences of modern girls and women and the author's own imagination. This is a discussion guide for each story enriches the reading experience. This is a book that will speak across time to the anxieties and aspirations of today's growing girls.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
Unfortunately midrash is pretty much all we have for Biblical women:
Deborah Bodin Cohen does an excellent job of reviving Biblical women from obscurity. Women like Hagar, Dinah, and Asenath who have received little mention are brought to life and given voices of their own. As Biblical scholar Esther Fuchs has pointed out, the majority of Biblical women disappear from the stage as soon as they have completed their mission of furthering various male agenda, e.g. bearing sons, putting a king on the throne, saving a man from being raped, etc. Deborah, Jael, and Huldah are... more info
Wonderful contribution to Jewish literature:
This lovely gem of a book is a welcome addition to the wealth of Jewish literature, providing young Jewish women with powerful Biblical role models by telling their stories in a relevant and engaging way. I remember feeling alienated from Biblical literature as a teen, since most of the stories centered on men. The female Biblical heroines got short shrift in those days, which distanced me from an appreciation of my heritage. Rabbi Cohen's contribution of Lilith's Ark is a wonderful resource for youth group... more info
A 2007 Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Book for Teens:
This wonderful story collection tells the story of ten of our biblical foremothers from Lilith to Asenath (Joseph's wife.) Each story begins with a "Hint from the Torah," a phrase about each woman as it is related in the Torah. Then there is a midrashic tale of the woman's experience and final the woman puts a symbol of her story into the ark so that future generations will come to know her. The midrashic stories are beautifully written and fully expound on the stories we and our children have come to know... more info
A unique and power work of creative art:
With Lilith's Ark: Teenage Tales of Biblical Women, Rabbi Deborah Bodin Cohen has created voices for the teenage young women of the Torah. Not unlike, The Red Tent, Lilith's Ark, brings us back to our ancient past, melding Torah text, Midrashic Commentary and modern psychology. The ten women represented in the book, and connected by Lilith's Ark passed from generation to generation, teach lessons of self confidence, strength, passion, following dreams and journeying to the unexpected. Each of the... more info
