Weaving together Jewish lore, the voices of Jewish foremothers, Yiddish fable, midrash and stories of her own imagining, Ellen Frankel has created in this book a breathtakingly vivid exploration into what the Torah means to women. Here are Miriam, Esther, Dinah, Lilith and many other women of the Torah in dialogue with Jewish daughters, mothers and grandmothers, past and present. Together these voices examine and debate every aspect of a Jewish woman's life -- work, sex, marriage, her connection to God and her place in the Jewish community and in the world. The Five Books of Miriam makes an invaluable contribution to Torah study and adds rich dimension to the ongoing conversation between Jewish women and Jewish tradition. Editorial Reviews From Library Journal In this wonderfully imaginative book, Frankel (The Classic Tales, Aronson, 1995), the editor-in-chief of the Jewish Publication Society, presents a chorus of women's voices?from Miriam "the problem," Leah "the namer," Lilith "the rebel," and Eve to "our daughters" ("today's Jewish women and the women of the generations yet to come"), our mothers, and our bubbes ("those who have lived long and seen it all"). The voices speculate and give valuable historical background on the Five Books of Moses as they are presented in the normal order of synagogue readings. What a lively and revelatory exchange it is, and how refreshing it is to hear the points of view of the usually silent women of tradition and the Old Testament. Highly recommended for Judaica collections.?Marcia G. Welsh, Guilford Free Lib., Ct. Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Booklist One of the great contemporary knocks against the Bible is that it is filtered through a masculine lens--both the writings and the interpretations. Frankel attempts to remedy this situation by offering biblical commentary from a female perspective. Her framework is a bit gimmicky: she introduces her cast of characters, everyone from Lilith, the first woman, and Hager, the servant woman who bore Abraham's son and mothered the Arab nation, through various commentators, including ancient and contemporary rabbis. After each character or group states its point of view in the first person, the five books of Moses (here renamed Miriam) are presented in portions, as they are read weekly in Jewish houses of worship, and commented upon by the various characters. Important questions are asked, and thoughtful answers supplied from differing perspectives. Why did Abraham pretend Sarah was his sister and offer her to Pharaoh? Why are menstruating women considered unclean? Each portion is short enough so as not to overwhelm the reader, but the commentary gives plenty to think about and reminds us how fully human the people of the Bible were. An excellent addition to public library religion collections. Ilene Cooper --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.