A: Rationale and Preliminary Research

 

The role of women in Judaism is hard to define. There are many differing opinions among women of the same faith, as well as opinions of multiple types of Judaism to acknowledge. Many disagreements have developed among Jews as to what the Bible or Talmud says about the role of an ideal Jewish woman. These disagreements are sometimes very specific, such as the different interpretations of a single literary figure, known as Lilith. Lilith is introduced in the Bible as a female demon, known for stealing babies and men. However, more recent revisionist history has depicted Lilith as a feminist symbol for equality between men and women. From these distinct points of view on this single characters, the question then arises: How do different interpretations of the Jewish literary figure Lilith serve to demonstrate opposing opinions about Jewish feminism?

 

The different interpretations of Lilith are important to research because focusing on a small disagreement between Jews on the topic of women’s rights may help to better understand larger conflicts, such as how to peacefully reconcile feminism with Judaism in general. Often, women are in conflict with their religious beliefs and their feminist ideals in Judaism. Thus, it is interesting and important to study something that may be a key point in fixing this problem on a larger scale.

 

In order to answer the question “How do different interpretations of the Jewish literary figure Lilith serve to demonstrate opposing opinions about Jewish feminism?” I will first define the two opposing views about Lilith in Judaism. The fist view examined will be the Orthodox view, which sees Lilith as a demon. The second will be the modern feminist view of Lilith as a symbol of sexual equality and feminine liberation. Next, I will investigate the ways in which these opposing depictions are used to demonstrate the beliefs of each group. (not yet completed)