Around Sarah's Table: Ten Hasidic Women Share Their Stories of Life, Faith, and Tradition

(4.5 stars) This book, with its stories about ten different women, paints a vibrant picture of what it's really like to be a modern Hassidic woman. Too often the Hassidic and Hareidi communities (particularly the women) are horribly stereotyped, with people believing such things as how they're all unhappy, oppressed, seen as little more than brood mares, and denied an education. And while obviously the way of life for women in this world isn't exactly the same as it is for a woman in one of the non-Orthodox denominations, as we learn through these stories, these women are anything but unhappy, ignorant, and oppressed. Their whole lives revolve around the Torah and the various commentaries (such as Midrash, Gemara, and Rashi), but they're not letting their husbands and other men in their lives do all of the learning for them. They come to Sarah's table every Tuesday to learn Torah insights and wisdom by themselves. Being able to learn and interpret these sacred texts, as opposed to a hundred years ago when the vast majority of Hassidic women really weren't given a thorough education (but neither were women in the non-Jewish world), is very important for them. Not only do they need to be well-versed in these texts to teach their children, they also need this knowledge so they can empower themselves. This really is a very empowering book for women, what with seeing the possibilities for being an educated involved self-aware empowered woman in the frum world. Each of the women has her own personal issues, many of them shattering the myth that women in this community are nothing but housewives and baby-makers. Klara, for example, is a high-profile lawyer, Reva started her own publishing house for religious children's books, and Sarah met her husband in real time, on an aeroplane, instead of through a shidduch. The dilemmas they deal with could also be related to by any woman; for example, Erica is dealing with being a stepmother, Glicka and her family are struggling with a much-reduced station in life after their business went sour, Ora almost died in her twenties due to nephritis, and Reva is dealing with her diabetic husband's health condition. There were times that my sense of cultural and moral relativism seemed strained (such as the idea that wearing a wig instead of covering your hair with just a hat or scarf is a guarantor of future blessings, and, especially, the Orthodox belief that the Oral Law was Divinely revealed at Sinai, and thus even Midrashim that seem quite preposterous, even disturbing and offensive, to many a modern person, are to be taken literally and inerrantly). However, I had to remind myself that these women's sensibilities, beliefs, and choices are radically different from mine. It doesn't make them inferior or bad, just radically different. Tolerance does run both ways, even when I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable at phrases like "Torah values" and "Torah Judaism" (the subtle implication being, to many

Around Sarah's Table (2001) is a set of 10 vignettes about Lubavitcher Hasidic women in modern American society. The ten women featured in this book are participants in a shiur (Torah class) held at lunchtime on Tuesdays in Sarah's home within Borough Park in Brooklyn. These women read a weekly parsha (portion), containing one or more quotations from the Torah and some commentary, and then discuss the lesson. Shaina is a convert to Hasidic Judaism from a Reformed family and has not had much contact with other Hasidic women. She and her husband have adopted two Down's Syndrome children and Shaina is running herself into the ground trying to do everything for her children. Shaina is a writer of children's stories and Reva, her publisher, strongly suggests that she spend some time away from her children, so Shaina arranges for a sitter so that she can attend the shiur. Reva started a small publishing house to provide stories suitable for instructing her own children in Hasidic values and has since expanded to an international operation. Her husband has always encouraged her efforts, but lately he has been much troubled by his diabetes. His condition is serious enough to require shots and other medical assistance and the burden of his care has fallen mainly on Reva. She is feeling overwhelmed by her responsibilities. Tamar is a mother and homemaker who is concerned about a husband for her daughter Abigail. Her older children have been successfully married to compatible mates, but Abigail has not yet met a man that suits her. Moreover, a suitable mate for her younger son Ephraim has been found, but it is not appropriate for a young man to be married before his older sister. Rachel is a resident of Williamsburg, the oldest Jewish community in Brooklyn. Her husband is a world-renowned authority on mikvahs (pools for ritual immersion). Rachel travels with him and teaches simple matters to young women who know little about mitzvahs (commandments). After years of performing such teaching, she suddenly realizes that there is much more that she can do to educate these young women. Glika was born and raised in the only Torah home in Milan, Italy. Hasidic Jews from all over the world stayed with their family when visiting Milan. Due to this exposure, Glika's name and character were known to many people in many places. When it came time for her to marry, her family chose a man from Toronto, Canada, and she went to live with him in that city. They were happy and had many children, but one day the family business failed and they had to move to New York. Glika feels helpless and wonders what she can do to help her family. Levana is a good wife to her husband, mother to her children, and daughter to her mother. Lately she is being overwhelmed by the demands put on her by her family, but she feels that she should try to do as much a possible for them. Her friends tell her that she should let them do more for themselves and she wonders if she should take this a

I did NOT want to put this down! Really truly an interesting and enlightening view of Hasidic Judaism. As a Christian, the insight is invaluable. READ THIS!

From the very first page, I felt as though I actually "entered into" the lives of these women, and was a part of Sarah's Table. What a privilege to peek into the minds and hearts of these good people. Each has her own baggage to carry around, like the rest of us, yet their weekly meetings give support, love and the appropriate words of Torah to lighten their load. I cannot recommend "Around Sarah's Table" enough!

What Amy Tan did for the world of Chinese women in "The Joy Luck Club," this book does for Hasidic women's culture. Riva Zakutinsky and Yaffa Leiba Gottlieb (both Hasidic themselves), have given the public a highly-readable, intimate window into a world that would otherwise be inaccessible to most outsiders. The result is an excellent book that will make you laugh, cry, and truly realize how the common humanity we all share can shine through outward differences. I plan to recommend this book to my neighbors, my local libraries, and readers of my Hasidism FAQ. Like "Joy Luck Club," it would make a great movie, too. If I were a film producer, I'd jump at the chance!The ten women who gather around Sarah's Table every Tuesday for lunch and Torah study are very religious Jews, but definitely not plaster saints. (Is that a mixed metaphor?) They struggle daily with the same types of life challenges facing women (and men) the world over: caring for developmentally challenged children, coping with a serious illness in the family, becoming a step-parent, balancing home and personal life with a career. Oh yes, some of these women DO have careers outside the home. For example, there's Shaina, author of a series of Jewish children's books. And Reva, Shaina's publisher, whose husband encouraged her to start her business. Not to mention Klara, the attorney, whose strict Hasidic observance led her to open her own law firm rather than "sell out" to pressures to conform. Of special interest to the outside world will be the chapter on Tamar, who is seeking the right "match" for her older daughter. As you will learn from her story, Hasidic matchmaking is not the same thing as an "arranged marriage." Naturally, Hasidic parents expect their children to marry Hasidim, and a matchmaker may help introduce a prospective couple to each other. But the man and woman decide for themselves whether to marry or not. This dates all the way back to the biblical story of Rebecca, who was asked if she wanted to marry Isaac. (See Genesis 24:57-58) Everyone, according to Hasidic teachings, has a destined match literallly made in heaven. Sometimes, however, we make the wrong choices here on earth. And sometimes, finding one's true soulmate can mean going to the ends of the earth -- as Klara's Polish mother learned in a tiny town in Russia.One problem with the book is that the glossary assumes too much Judaic knowledge on the part of non-Jewish readers. While the more obscure Yiddish and Hebrew words are defined in the glossary, common ones like "Shabbos" (Sabbath) and "yeshiva" (academy of Jewish study) are not. And there is no pronunciation guide. Maybe these terms can be taken for granted in Brooklyn where the authors live, but they require explanation in areas where there are few Jews. (I myself live in a Midwestern town where people think my first name is "Robbi" and have no idea what a RABBI is -- until I say "Jewish minister.") I was also annoyed to see the