Words of wisdom, from my late friend Gwen. “You have green hair.” Of course, I’ll explain. Gwen was part of our life in North Carolina. Back then, we lived “in the buckle of the Bible Belt,” as my spouse Charles likes to say. Our neighborhood was built on the old Billy Graham farm. There was…
Category: Feminism
Abishag the Shunammite
Abishag the Shunnamite. Find her story in the first biblical Book of Kings, chapters 1 and 2. Who is Abishag? Abishag is a beautiful young woman. King David’s courtiers hire her to arouse the king sexually. Some interpreters say: the courtiers think a sexually potent king is politically potent. (Of course interpreters think that’s part…
Trafficking Biblical Women
Sex trafficking. It’s in the news. A Q-Anon theory that sex trafficking is rampant. And only Trump can stop it. After all, “he” arrested Epstein and Maxwell. Anyone can argue that this is factually false. (See below.) But I’m not going to talk facts. Well, maybe briefly. But then I’m going to look at human…
Women Teach Men
Biblical men learn from Biblical women. Here are two examples of women solving problems, personal or political, where the men around them copy their style. You can see the examples easily, if you do a close reading. First, think of the Torah as a great work of literature. Then, imagine the author carefully crafted each…
Bathsheba Wants to Rule
Bathsheba. You may know her as a Biblical Babe. But she is so much more. And her goal is to rule. Now I don’t resonate with this life goal. Or with people who will do whatever it takes to achieve it. But Bathsheba is a royal figure, great and terrible all at once. Just like the…
Women's March 2019: March On, Vancouver Women!
March On Vancouver sponsored our local Women’s March, January 19, 2019. They planned a multi-cultural set of speakers on a range of issues. Why did they ask me? To welcome a representative from the Jewish community. And because I am a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada. Thus, I’m aware of the political issues…
Jeremiah's Mother God Says: I Knew You in the Womb
Jeremiah, the Biblical prophet, describes the day God called him. At first glance, the call seems ordinary. A kind of (stereo) type-scene. God says, “You’re a prophet.” But Jeremiah says, “No.” Then God physically touches Jeremiah. And Jeremiah begins to speak. But an unusual detail stands out. (That is, of course, how type-scenes work. Almost…
Matriarch of a Certain Lineage: Rebecca
Rebecca. Matriarch of the Jewish people. That’s right. Matriarch, not patriarch. Her story shows that Torah is not a patriarchal document. Or, at least, not extremely patriarchal. Not exclusively so. We meet Rebecca at a well. Eliezer has just arrived in town. His mission? To find a wife for Isaac, his boss’s son. Preferably from…
Sarai in Egypt: Fight Like a Girl
Sarai, the fighter. Unsafe in Egypt (Gen. 12:10-20). So what does she do? She “fights like a girl.” I remember that phrase from childhood. It meant, I think, that men fight honourably. With fists. And a little shoving. But not with scratching, hair pulling, or eye-jabbing. Only girls do those. Somehow, boys were expected to learn…
Sexual Assault: What Happens in Noah's Tent?
Sexual assault. It’s hard, sometimes, to prove it happened. Emotions run high. Memory highlights some details, and, thus, leaves out others. Often, alcohol is involved. So, that’s the setting Torah uses for a little teaching story. It takes place right after the flood. When the waters have washed away human evil. Leaving eight good people alive. “Good”…