The Abandoned Wife, Torah, and Jewish Survival in Lamentations Rabbah and “Agunah”.

Abstract

Dinah’s role as a Torah interpreter and writer in “Agunah,” mirrors not only that of the abandoned woman in the midrash, but of Baron herself. This paper begins with a modern midrash written by Danah Fulbur, a woman who challenges women’s exclusion from contributing their voices to the ever-growing tapestry of Torah. While the men who authored midrashim freely used woman in parables, comparing them to objects of all kinds, Fulbur illustrates how these parables highlight not only the objectification of women, but also their inability to share their own Torah insights and parables. In “Agunah,” Baron breaks through this glass ceiling by subverting a midrash that parabolizes the pain of an abandoned woman. Baron portrays how every parable is not merely a parable, but a live story, both literal, metaphorical, and dynamic. Through adding her own voice of interpretation to the midrash, Baron welcomed the next generation of women to continue using their voices to both challenge, and redeem, the Jewish people. [from Conclusion]