Sarah Laughed: Modern Lessons from the Wisdom and Stories of Biblical Women

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Sarah Laughed: Modern Lessons from the Wisdom and Stories of Biblical Women

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Overview

In this vivid collection, Judaic scholar Vanessa Ochs brings the legends of the biblical matriarchs to new life. Intimate, familiar and wise, the heroines in Sarah Laughed are revealed to be inspiring role models for women today. From Eve's rebellious taste of wisdom to the righteous anager of Job's wife, each woman's story is retold in imaginative prose and accompanied by real-life rituals that can help us gain insight into various aspects of our everyday lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780827609280
Publisher:	The Jewish Publication Society
Publication date:	01/01/2011
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	250
Sales rank:	287,460
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 6.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Vanessa L. Ochs, Ph.D., is the Ida and Nathan Kolodiz Director of Jewish Studies at the University of Virginia. The recipient of a writing fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, she has written several books, including Words on Fire, and dozens of articles for national newspapers and magazines. She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.

	Introduction	xi
Part I	Being Wise
Chapter 1	Eve: Tasting Wisdom	3
Chapter 2	Hagar: Envisioning a Positive Outcome	15
Chapter 3	Miriam: Inspiring Others	25
Part II	Living in a Woman's Body
Chapter 4	The Daughters of Tzlofhad: Speaking Out in a Man's World	37
Chapter 5	The Woman of Valor: Repairing the World in Your Own Way	47
Chapter 6	Esther: Setting One's Own Standards of Beauty	57
Part III	Being a Friend
Chapter 7	Dina: Embarking Upon New Relationships	69
Chapter 8	Jephthah's Daughter: Being There for Friends	79
Chapter 9	Naomi and Ruth: Revising Mother-Daughter Relationships	91
Part IV	Being a Parent
Chapter 10	Sarah: Protecting Your Dreams	105
Chapter 11	Rebecca: Raising a Family in Partnership	121
Chapter 12	Yocheved: Letting Children Go	131
Part V	Healing
Chapter 13	The Woman Who has Given Birth: Waiting for the Right Time	143
Chapter 14	Job's Wife: Healing by Expressing Anger	155
Chapter 15	Vashti: Taking Care of Yourself	165
Part VI	Being in the Divine Presence
Chapter 16	Leah: Feeling Blessed	177
Chapter 17	Hannah: Seeking God	187
Chapter 18	Women Who Bake Cakes for the Queen of Heaven: Worshipping as Women	199
	Afterword: An Invitation	211
	Acknowledgments	213
	Notes	215
	Index	219

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Editorial Reviews

Ochs offers readers a rare treat—fine scholarship combined with inspirational connections to life in the modern world.”—Jewish Book World

Jewish Book World

With warmth, erudition and a very contemporary sensibility, Ochs offers reflections on the lives of Old Testament matriarchs that should appeal to women across religious lines. Director of Jewish Studies at the University of Virginia, Ochs uses her own research with unobtrusive grace to shed light on gaps in the biblical stories. While focused on the narratives, she chooses to combine an inspirational self-help message with Jewish lore and the testimony of modern female friends. Most often, she is successful, as when she discusses well-known figures like Sarah, laughing in reaction to the news that she will bear a child in her old age. "Sarah's laughter gives us perspective on our yearning. We can hear her laughter when we hold on to our dreams and when we decide it's time to relinquish them." Even when she grapples with enigmatic or tragic women, like Jephthah's daughter, Ochs finds parallels between their stories and the dilemmas of her modern readers. Divided thematically by topics such as friendship, parenting and healing, the chapters include translations from the Hebrew, a "midrash-like" commentary on the story and practical rituals designed to bring home the diverse lessons of this appealing book. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Ochs (Jewish & religious studies, Univ. of Virginia) has written an ardently and unstoppably upbeat reconsideration of some of the women who appear in Hebrew Scripture. Her approach blends semi-fictionalized retellings with her own contemporary reflections on the meanings of the "stories" she retells or elaborates from Scriptural sources. More traditionally minded Jews and Christians alike may be surprised to find, for instance, Jephthah's daughter celebrated for her self-sacrifice for her friends' sake, but Ochs's point has more to do with reshaping old interpretations to find uplifting models for contemporary women than pleasing conservative authorities. For most collections. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Sarah Laughed: Modern Lessons from the Wisdom and Stories of Biblical Women

Sarah Laughed: Modern Lessons from the Wisdom and Stories of Biblical Women

Paperback(Reprint)

Paperback(Reprint)

Related collections and offers

Overview

Product Details

About the Author

Table of Contents

Customer Reviews

Related collections and offers

Overview

Product Details

About the Author

Table of Contents

Related Subjects

Customer Reviews