Rightful Places
Rightful Places
When, today, a woman’s right
to wear a prayer shawl
or read from the Torah
or blow a shofar at the Kotel
is actually the focus of a bill submitted to the Knesset,
who can be surprised
that Judith’s story
is excluded from the Tanakh?
For if Judith—
brave,
articulate,
smart,
powerful,
pious,
latter-day
Hanukkah heroine
Judith—
had been granted admission
to those holy pages,
how on earth,
all these centuries later,
could anyone possibly justify
denying her daughters
our own rightful place?
Erika Dreifus writes poetry and prose in New York. Visit her online at www.erikadreifus.com and follow her on Twitter @ErikaDreifus, where she comments on “matters bookish and/or Jewish.”
The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lilith Magazine.
One comment on “Rightful Places”
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I love this Erika! It is beautifully written and so true. I believe one of the main reasons her story was excluded is that there was no intervention from God. She was a brave and smart and saved her people using her wits (along with wine, cheese, and beauty). But Maccabees is also Apocryphal and we have a huge celebration in their honor, so we should include Judith! Thanks for sharing!