Lilith's Ark Teenage Tales of Biblical Women

I love retellings of biblical accounts because different authors bring to light aspects that might not have been considered. "Lilith's Ark" is a book of interconnected short stories that examine the common thread between women in the Book of Genesis. I am a Christian, and I was extremely impressed with this book. Deborah Bodin Cohen is a gifted writer who explores how women relate stories to one another and share similar joy, pain, and love. Women from every generation experience the same insecurities and happiness. I do not necessarily agree with the Lilith story or the Adam and Eve interpretation. Lilith is not in Scripture. Eve was created to be an equal "helper" for Adam, (symbolized by God fashioning her out of Adam's rib). In Cohen's story Adam hides information from Eve and is domineering. However, all of the other stories were outstanding. My favorite stories were those about Rachel and Leah: each sister gets to tell her own story, and the reader learns of the love and the tension between them. Leah is one of my favorite biblical women, because she is visually impaired like me. God loves all His children, and His compassion and love for Leah always moves me to tears. It is through her lineage that Christ came into the world! Dinah's story was heartwrenching but also hopeful. I loved Tamar's tale a lot because she is gutsy and insists upon her rights. The Bible, contrary to popular opinion, is not a "women-bashing" book. God's Word introduces strong female role models whom God uses to fulfill His purposes. Ms. Cohen also does an exceptional job with the story of Asenath, Joseph's wife. Although the Bible does not say that Asenath was Dinah's daughter, I thought the story was probable and very creative. Ms. Cohen also has an outstanding discussion guide in the back of the book. The author asks relevants questions for today's adolescent girls. "Lilith's Ark" is a wonderful teaching tool that could be used in classrooms and worship services. People of all faiths can enjoy such an eye-opening book. Happy reading and God bless.

This lovely gem of a book is a welcome addition to the wealth of Jewish literature, providing young Jewish women with powerful Biblical role models by telling their stories in a relevant and engaging way. I remember feeling alienated from Biblical literature as a teen, since most of the stories centered on men. The female Biblical heroines got short shrift in those days, which distanced me from an appreciation of my heritage. Rabbi Cohen's contribution of Lilith's Ark is a wonderful resource for youth group leaders and religious school teachers who work with adolescent girls. The discussion questions and extensions which accompany each story are of tremendous value to these busy professionals in facilitating discussion groups. It would also make an excellent bat mitzvah gift to increase the recipient's understanding of the heritage she has inherited. This book belongs in any collection accessible to teens and those who love and work with them. (Abbe Krissman, parent, grandparent, and former teacher)

This wonderful story collection tells the story of ten of our biblical foremothers from Lilith to Asenath (Joseph's wife.) Each story begins with a "Hint from the Torah," a phrase about each woman as it is related in the Torah. Then there is a midrashic tale of the woman's experience and final the woman puts a symbol of her story into the ark so that future generations will come to know her. The midrashic stories are beautifully written and fully expound on the stories we and our children have come to know from reading and studying Torah. There is much here for exploration and discussion. There are never enough story books for young girls about biblical characters. This is a wonderful addition to the shelf as it not only tells the story of a woman from the Hebrew Bible, it also provides a discussion guide for each story and ideas for how mother-daughter book groups could use this book. It includes ideas for creating their own ark and discussions about what to place in it. I highly recommend this book to Jewish libraries. With the rise of such titles as Rosh Hodesh: It's a Girl Thing and The JGirl's Guide, young women of today will have a healthy understanding of life during biblical times and how it was not so very different from our own. REVIEWED BY KATHY BLOOMFIELD (NEWTON, MA)

With Lilith's Ark: Teenage Tales of Biblical Women, Rabbi Deborah Bodin Cohen has created voices for the teenage young women of the Torah. Not unlike, The Red Tent, Lilith's Ark, brings us back to our ancient past, melding Torah text, Midrashic Commentary and modern psychology. The ten women represented in the book, and connected by Lilith's Ark passed from generation to generation, teach lessons of self confidence, strength, passion, following dreams and journeying to the unexpected. Each of the lessons is important to the young women of today who are growing up in a intimate world of tremendous expectation and pressure and a global world where terrorism trumps rationalism. Rabbi Bodin Cohen teaches that our ancestors, Lilith, Eve, Sarah, Hagar, Rebekah, Rachel, Leah, Dina, Tamar and Asenath, encountered the same fears and dreams of every woman. The Torah is not a relic of the past, rather stories of our lives and the lives of our daughters. Lilith's Ark is a wonderful resource for teenage Rosh Hodesh Classes, Bar and Bat Mitzvah Divrei Torah writing and sermons. I have used it in teaching parents and children alike and it always creates an atmosphere for interesting, provocative discussion. The stories are written with beauty and the heroine's with strength and honesty. In Lilith's Ark, Rabbi Deborah Bodin Cohen has written a book that should be on every rabbi's bookshelf, every parent's bookshelf and every teacher's bookshelf. It is a unique and powerful work of creative art.

According to the author, "Lilith's Ark is a midrash, a story that grows from the Torah text and the imagination." Each chapter features a different biblical character-- starting with Lilith and Eve and continuing with Sarah, Hagar, Rebekah, Rachel, Leah, Dinah, Tamar and Asenath. After each woman tells her story she places an item in the ark that represents an important aspect of her life. The ark is then passed on to the next generation. The stories are engaging, sensitive and thought provoking, similar to The Red Tent and The Harlot at the Side of the Road, but more appropriately written for teens. For each chapter there are "Discussion Themes"; "Discussion Questions", a section called" Extending the Exploration," which guides the reader toward more study and thought, and a section called "A Mother- Daughter Dialogue," which stimulates meaningful discussions between teens and adults. Also, an extensive discussion guide appears at the end of the book. This book could form the basis for a Mother-Daughter or Parent-Teen study group. Each month a different chapter could be read and discussed. The discussion questions encourage participants to share their thoughts and insights, helping teens and adults gain a better understanding of each other. For ages 12 and up. Reviewed by Diane Levin Rauchwerger