Subversive Sequels in the Bible: How Biblical Stories Mine and Undermine Each Other

by Judy Klitsner

Judy Klitsner pairs biblical stories to show how a later text will often comment on, or even subvert, an earlier one.

The author draws on her fluent command of Hebrew commentary and her broad reading of ancient and modern exegesis, and creates a rare dialogue between feminist and traditional Bible commentary. Using the method of parshanut (interpretation) and her own unique approach to biblical texts, Klitsner draws bold, surprising parallels between biblical passages, revealing previously unexcavated layers of meaning. The result is a series of fresh and original readings of familiar narratives, accessible to both novice and experienced readers of the Bible. With her fresh, original readings of familiar narratives, Klitsner illustrates the dynamic nature of biblical attitudes regarding issues of ongoing relevance, such as the self, gender relations, and relations between Jews and non-Jews.

Genres: Jewish, Nonfiction, Judaism, Old Testament, Judaica, Religion, Biblical Studies

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Judy Klitsner (JudyKlitsner.com) is the author of the new book, Subversive Sequels in the Bible. A senior faculty member at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, Judy Klitsner has been teaching Bible and biblical exegesis for nearly two decades. Klitsner is a popular lecturer in Israel, the U.S., and Europe. In her teaching and in her writing, Klitsner weaves together traditional exegesis, modern scholarship, and her own original interpretations that are informed by close readings of the text."

Reviews

[Talia · Rating 5 out of 5]

So. Cool. Klitsner's way of reading the Bible is mind-blowing and thoroughly sourced, yet accessible to those who aren't academics or Torah scholars.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't finished this, but not because it's bad, rather it's a book I need to be in the mood to think for and so that's rare these days since it's summer and all. But I read most of it and really, really enjoyed it. For anyone who appreciates a more literary perspective on Biblical stories, this is a well written, structured and organized take that has some really great insight.

[Doug Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

One way to gain insight into challenging biblical passages is to "place them in conversation with" parallel passages. Klitsner, a Jewish biblical scholar, illustrates this technique with several well chosen examples.

Her first exanple involves Genesis 22, in which Abraham is asked to sacrifice his son Isaac, and the book of Job. There are a number of parallels between these texts, including:

(a) both Abraham and Job are said to fear God (Ge 22:12; Job 1:1).
(b) both Abraham and Job either suffer great loss or are threatened with great loss for which they are not responsible.
(c) both compare themselves to "dust and ashes" (Ge 18:27; Job 42:6).
(d) both are old and contented when they die (Ge 25:18; Job 42:17).
(e) Abraham had a nephew named Uz and Job lived in the land of Uz.
(f) Abraham had a nephew named Buz and Job's friend Elihu was a Buzite.

The Abraham-Job connection been exploited in the past--e.g., one familiar midrash on Genesis 22 proposes that God tested Abraham after prompting from the adversary, as in Job 1. One contrast between the two texts is that Abraham is not recorded as having protested God's directive to sacrifice Isaac, while Job protested vehemently about his situation. From thie contrast, we might infer that there is more than one proper way to respond to such a trial. (Richard Middleton's book Abraham's Silence explores this topic.) On the other hand, we also might infer that Abraham did in fact protest, but the text doesn't choose to tell us about it.

Another example comes from the tower of Babel incident in Genesis 11. Not much is said about what precisely the people at Babel were doing wrong, but a parallel between Genesis 11:3-4 and Exodus 1:10 suggests an answer. These are the only two biblical passages with the pattern, "Come let us do x, lest y happen," and in both cases, bricks are being used in a construction project.

In Exodus 1, the workers were slaves, suggesting the possibility that in Genesis 10, the builders of the city and tower were slaves being coerced to work on a project meant to "make a name" for the group while squelching all opportunity for individual expression and initiative--something along the lines of the Borg collective from Star Trek.

A third example is Abraham's rather mysterious encounter with the priest Melchizedek in Genesis 14. Klitsner sees a parallel with Exodus 18, where Moses is mentored by another priest, his father-in-law Jethro. This parallel suggests the idea that Melchizedek in Genesis 14 is acting as a mentor to Abraham, an idea I had not previously considered.

The last part of the book considers male/female relationships in some detail, with comparisons involving Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Barak and Deborah/Jael, Manoah and his wife in 1 Sam 13, and Elkanah and Hannah.

I found this book to be stimulating and full of interesting insights. I highly recommend it to serious Bible students.

[Andy Oram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even the most familiar stories of the Jewish Bible have so many quirks and historical commentaries that a reader can always learn something new and relevant, as Klitsner demonstrates in this book, oriented more "toward process than toward conclusions." The first three chapters are a kind of warm-up to establish the author's method, after which she launches into her most pressing endeavor: to show the evolution of woman's roles and rights after the early low point in which Eve is condemned to pain and subservience. Throughout the book, Klitsner exhorts readers toward a more involved, more just engagement with the world, using the stories of the Bible as broad guides and as inspiration. Although I started with some skepticism toward the parallels drawn by Klitsner, feeling that (as she herself admitted), they might have "stretch marks" that indicate dubious connections, I developed enthusiasm for her scholarly backing and a type of argumentation well rooted in Talmudic as well as modern practices.

[Erik Champenois · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Subversive Sequels in the Bible" covers Biblical sequels - though not all of them are subversive - and how they echo, mirror, or reverse their predecessors. Klitsner is most convincing in her initial chapter, which shows how the Book of Jonah clearly reverses the story of Noah and the flood, in the process teaching us lessons about mercy and the capacity for moral reform. The other chapters are relatively less clearcut and sometimes felt incomplete due to a focus on canonical reading and literary exegesis rather than critical historical and contextual factors. Half of the book covers women in the Bible, making the case that at least some women sought to undo the gender inequality of the second creation account (Genesis 2) in favor of the gender equality of the first (Genesis 1).

[Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic, close read of the stories of the Hebrew Bible to discover ways they can speak to and respond to each other. Very creative and well argued. I loved the universalist and feminist readings she was able to find in the texts. Highly recommend.

One thing to keep in mind is that while this is a scholarly book (but don't worry, it's very approachable!), it doesn't deal with any source criticism. It treats the Bible a literary unit and mines the different voices it contains for signs of development and progress designed to point is towards working out our own progress (or salvation) in our own lives.

[A. Housewife · Rating 3 out of 5]

I utterly zipped through this in one day. I first read about the idea of subversive sequels in a thr lehrhaus article (I think) and the idea caught my attention. I appreciate the author's frame of studying Torah this way, rather than getting caught in the argument of Biblical criticism vs. literal approach. Not all of the cases spoke to me but many of them did and I folded down a number of pages. I believe this clarified a methodology of learning Torah that I will be making use of in my future learning. It is impossible to go back once you've seen it, and it helps navigate complexities, ambiguities, and contradictions in the text in a very satisfying way.

[John B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful view on women

We get stuck in our mundane walk of life and the ever present realities shapes our views on life. But, the word of God like a boulder thrown into a still pond of our minds creates not ripples but waves. This is what Judy Klitsner brings out in her exegesis of women in the Bible.

[Jessie Fischbein · Rating 4 out of 5]

My friend handed me this book over Pesach and I read it in one sitting in one day! Not all of the examples were compelling to me but I really like the approach. Got me thinking about how what I wrote about all the stories of Moshiach in my book Scandals in the Bible can be looked at as a bunch of Subversive Sequels to each other.

[Sophie Amalya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jaw dropping and groundbreaking. Written just so beautifully and readably, with an acute personal touch. Am severely impressed at the work of a woman who is clearly an extremely intelligent, learned and creative individual. Sung to my English Lit student’s heart.

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some fantastically insightful interpretations of biblical narratives, and some interpretations that are a real stretch.

[Dara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent scholarship

Note: good source on individuality, women
Afterward good source for innovation in textual understanding

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

A study in "inter-textuality," written for the lay audience. Klitsner ties stories in the Torah with stories later in Tanakh, in ways that one hasn't thought about them before. Fascinating.

[Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great concept and I learned a lot. Not for the average person.

[Lsilberman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author does a nice job tracking the growth of women from the relatively passive Sarah, whose husband doesn’t bother praying to G-d to cure her barrenness because he doesn’t even care whether his heir comes from his wife or his concubine, to the barren Hannah, who takes matters entirely into her own hands, doing her own praying for a child, and deciding to dedicate that child to G-d by giving him to serve in the Holy Temple without even consulting her supportive husband, who accepts her decision without G-d clobbering him over the head “sh’ma b’kolah/listen to her [Sarah's] voice” style. This book presents the idea that many biblical stories of all kinds are improved in later biblical stories.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting, and for the most part very readable, take on intertextuality, the idea that different texts in a tradition (in this case, different stories in the Hebrew Bible) comment on and challenge each other.

[Jay LeVine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful connections, great way to stretch your brain about some biblical stories you thought you knew or had given up trying to understand.