Voices of the Matriarchs: Listening to the Prayers of Early Modern Jewish Woman » (None)

Chava Weissler is professor of religion studies at Lehigh University, where she holds the Philip and Muriel Berman Chair of Jewish Civilization.

Finalist for the National Jewish Book Award for 1998

With Voices of the Matriarchs, Chava Weissler restores balance to our knowledge of Judaism by providing the first look at the Yiddish prayers women created during centuries of exclusion from men's observance. In Weissler's hands, these prayers (called thkines) open a new window into early modern European Jewish women's lives, beliefs, devotion, and relationships with God.

Publishers Weekly

A heartfelt tkhine--a plea to God--to bless the Sabbath bread as it is placed in the oven provides a fitting opener for this book in which Weissler (Religion, Lehigh) delves into the prayers of Jewish women in early modern Europe. Her study reveals a nearly lost genre of Jewish literature. She recovers and showcases the words of Yiddish women who prayed faithfully and frequently for blessings during everyday occurrences, such as the lighting of the Sabbath candles, and when preparing for the holidays, especially for the Days of Awe--Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Weissler examines the tkhine not only as lovely prose but as a reflection of the devotional lives of 17th-19th century Jewish women. Individual chapters focus on tkhines for pregnancy, childbirth, candle lighting and death, and a number of tkhines are reproduced in all their beauty and simplicity: "May it be Thy Will, Lord our God, God of our Fathers, to bring on the coming month for our good and blessing." Weissler deftly blends historic poetry and scholarly text in this look at an important facet of Jewish history. (Nov.)