One Hundred Philistine Foreskins
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"One Hundred Philistine Foreskins centers on the life of Temima Ba'alatOv, known also as Ima Temima, or Mother Temima, a charismatic woman rabbi of extraordinary spiritual power and learning, and an utterly original interpreter of the Hebrew Bible. Temima is revered as a guru with prophetic, even messianic powers-- one who dares to raise her woman's 'naked' voice even in the face of extreme hostility by the traditional establishment. Moving between two worlds-- Temima as a child in Brooklyn and Temima as an adult in Jerusalem-- the story reveals the forces that shaped her, including the early loss of her mother; her spiritual and intellectual awakening; her complex relationship with her father, a ritual slaughterer; her forced marriage; her 'ascent' to Israel; and her intense romantic involvements with charismatic men who launch her toward her destiny as a renowned woman leader in Israel"--
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“What does it mean for a woman to be excommunicated, to be put into herem?” Temima calmly posed the question to Kol-Isha-Erva who had conveyed the news of this latest assault and then took down the words of her teacher. “Not to be counted in the minyan? Not to be called up to the Torah? Not to be honored with leading the blessing after the meal? To be banned from the study hall? To be isolated and excluded and treated with contempt? To be ignored in public? To be considered unclean and impure? To be regarded as weak and inferior and light minded? To be kept out of sight and confined to the harem?
Is it at all surprising that over the centuries no one has really taken the trouble to put women into herem? I shall send word to the Oscwiecim pretender that I am honored among women to be singled out for official recognition and, yes, somewhat befuddled as to why he even bothered.”
Want to understand my relationships to Judaism? Read this book, featuring Temima Ba'alatOv, and the “Toiter Rebbe,” the 11th in a long rabbinical line beginning with R' Nachman of Brastlav. Tova Reich is a genius.
It is not for everyone. Actually, it is not for most people, due to the thatched interweave of biblical/talmudic/midrashic/halakhic/hasidic/israeli and ashkenazi cultural references that make up much of the emotional and intellectual force of the work. I often have trouble with Jewish feminist revisionings that lack a competence with the original source texts, choosing to skim and take only what is validating or can be molded towards an intended message, without care and attention to the depths of meaning contained within Jewish texts, and without honesty as to their true meaning. What is gained when we pretend that a passage or teaching is inclusive, when it is not, peaceful rather than hateful? This book is so much deeper. Tova Reich is yeshiva educated with serious yichus. She knows what she's talking about, and is ready and able to confront the entirety of Jewish textual tradition, with honesty and imagination.
If you know the utter joy and devastation that is forming a relationship to womanness or femininity in a religious jewish context, and are not afraid of those who parody that painful sacred, this book is for you.
