The Five Books of Miriam: A Woman's Commentary on the Torah

by Ellen Frankel

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.

Genres: Jewish, Judaism, Religion, Nonfiction, Judaica, Feminism, Spirituality

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Melissa Conner · Rating 3 out of 5]

For thousands of years, the Torah—The Five Books of Moses—has been at the center of Jewish life. It contains our history, our culture, and has been scrutinously studied by learned men since its creation. Hard to believe, but it’s only recently that women have been involved in the study and discussion of Torah. In her stunning book, The Five Books of Miriam, Ellen Frankel finally gives the women of the Torah their due…as they discuss the Five Books of Moses from the women’s perspective in a round-table setting. Hear Miriam’s thoughts on Moses, slavery, death, sex and much more. Rachel, Leah, Sarah, Esther, and Eve make appearances as well, as do many other nameless women who helped build Judaism into what it is today.

The Five Books of Miriam is broken down by book (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). In each section, the women of the Bible discuss lessons, quotes, meanings, men, and much more. While this book can be read front to back, it would be much more beneficial to use as a guide while reading the Bible or to help stimulate conversation in a book club.

It’s so important to remember the sacrifices these women had to make…the lessons they helped teach and the stories they helped create. Miriam herself may be the unsung “Passover Hero”, and what better way to honor her than to tell her story in her own words?

Read more at: http://thehobbeehive.wordpress.com

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, unique commentary on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Amusing at times, profound at times. A bit weird at times--I don't always agree with the author. But it mingles Rabbinic tradition with current scholarship and puts them in dialogue with popular interpretations and questions.

[Allison Madwatkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a very interesting read. It goes through the 5 books using different female figures to comment on the stories. Each section starts with what the traditional (orthodox?) belief is, and then the modern feminist view is, and then there is debates from different female figures.

[Randi · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was interesting not only to get a parsha by parsha commentary of the Torah, but to get it in the voice of different Jewish women. Much more engaging than I thought it might be - not at all pedantic.

[Molly Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

SOOO good. It offers another view of the Bible from the viewpoint of it's women.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous commentary for reading the Torah, sparking conversation and exploration about important themes, including the difficult texts for women.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fun book.

“Fun” is probably the least expected word when reviewing a commentary on Torah. But this commentary is unique. Its written as a dialogue between the women who appear in these scriptures: Rachel, Leah, Miriam and so many others. Other characters are The Rabbis and The Sages in Our Own Time. Perhaps the best character is Lilith, Adam’s first wife who was sent away for not being obedient to him, according to Jewish tradition. Her comments on scripture often made me chuckle.

I have often heard it said that Christians and Jews approach scripture differently. Christians go to scripture to end the discussion while Jews go to begin the discussion. That is apparent here. There is no turning away from the violent and sexist portions of scripture. The women speaking here often remind us they were kept silent in the stories. There is no fear of criticizing the Rabbinic interpreters when they were wrong and there is also no fear of modern scholarship.

This is an excellent book which I will return to in the future.

Also, apparently the used copy I bought was autographed, so that’s cool.

[Cassondra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was much more engaging than I expected it to be. I was given this as a gift by someone looking for something, I suppose, to give a feminist Jew. I don't know why, but it didn't strike my fancy at first, and I put off reading it. Then, recently, I found myself without reading material and started thumbing through it and then drawn in to it. If one is at all familiar with Talmud and its traditional structure with arguments, different voices, and give and take -- that's what this reminds me of. Each chapter of Torah is summed up, and then questions about the chapter are asked by "Our Daughters." These may be the sorts of questions you have asked yourself. Questions are then answered by our mothers, sage advice given by our bubbes, or Rachel or Sarah may step in and give us their point of view. All in all this is an engaging and refreshing take on the Torah. And since it is divided into parshot, perfect for Torah study!

[Josh Fisher]

Second time reading. So much more than just a Jewish women's commentary on the Torah, Frankel weaves together a cacophony of voices—some men, but mostly women—into a rich dialogue of various perspectives. Many entries start with a question, answered by a cast of characters both biblical and historical, sometimes agreeing with one another and sometimes not. The Rabbis teach one thing; Wily Rebecca retorts another; the Sages provide context here; Hagar the Stranger objects there; Miriam the Prophet speaks up; Lilith the Rebel often gets the last word. There are poems and folktales and *recipes* sitting side by side with biblical scholarship and history, all engaging with the text in its own unique way. This isn't just some cheap gimmick or cute stylistic choice—this is how the Bible ought to be read, an affirmation of the multitudinous ways of knowing available to us, both rational and beyond rational, and of the value and necessity of differing perspectives. An actual masterpiece

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reminds me round-the-kitchen-table discussions among grandmothers, great aunts, mother and aunties, and sisters and cousins. Everyone has a point of view, no two exactly alike, all different in some way from the view of the men -- who are outside, drinking over the raised hood of a car. This is like the hidden heart of the Torah or Old Testament. Yes, there were women even way back then!

[Andy Oram · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this book was quite important when it was originally published in 1996. Since then, so much Jewish feminist scholarship has reached the general public that the book doesn't quite have the same punch. The author cleverly offers multiple voices, but her choice to scatter her insights portion by portion leaves them fragmented and suggestive.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enlightening. I like the device of using "characters" to answer questions about the first five books of the bible. The answers always correspond to the voice being used: rabbi, mother, teacher, preacher, etc. There is very little narrative. It's all about the answers from a woman's point of view.

[HobbesR · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book with a woman's perspective on the Torah. I would recommend it to any man and woman looking to look at the bible with a woman's eye and perspective.

[Teddy Goetz · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up. This book is profoundly impactful and important and should be in the core canon for anyone exploring Judaism. It feels a bit of the time in which it was written (1996 publication) when it comes to the binary understanding of gender (even though not canonical in Judaism…) but is a fast, pithy read and written in something approaching play format. Very digestible. Highly recommend.

[Benjamin Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s likely that a lot of people wouldn’t like this book, but I enjoyed the way that the writer embodied different characters in the scripture to ask questions about Torah. If you are a fan of midrash and questions I think you will enjoy this.

[Eva]

2.5. Skipped around a bit if I’m being perfectly honest

[Kat Clyde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as part of my reading project for 2025. I learned some different perspectives regarding the Torah/Tanakh and Jewish folklore.

[Jenni K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this is book was a heavy yet compelling read. Definitely would recommend to read together with a group or study guide.
There is so much to take in
The author does an interesting pattern as discussion on each topic

Maybe to own the book would be better than to borrow from a library. The need to renew because it was a slower and more thorough read

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this book after my month of Jewish study at BCI and absolutely loved it. Franker summarizes the parshat under "the Torah teaches," and then brings in various perspectives "the rabbis" (aka the old guard), "our daughters," "the sages of our own time," the voices of female biblical women and so many more. I think Frankel did an excellent job of keeping the voices of these biblical women closely related to their texts. I really need to read this book again; I'd particularly love to do so in a study group at my synagogue. Time to be proactive?

[Tzipporah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite Torah commentaries. The incorporation of so much of the jewish tradition into this book combined with the unique and creative way of expressing and arguing these ideas made it very appealing. I also appreciated that many of the arguments are left unresolved, left up to the reader to decide for themselves.