In much of Western literature and Greek mythology, women have an evident lack of purpose; a woman needs to either enter or leave a relationship in order to find herself and her own identity. Matthew S
In much of Western literature and Greek mythology, women have an evident lack of purpose; a woman needs to either enter or leave a relationship in order to find herself and her own identity. Matthew Schwartz and Kalman Kaplan set out to prove that the converse is true in the text of the Hebrew Bible. Examining the stories of women in Scripture -- Rebecca, Miriam, Gomer, Ruth and Naomi, Lot's wife, Zipporah, and dozens more -- Schwartz and Kaplan illustrate the biblical woman's strong feminine sense of being crucial to God's plan for the world and for history, courageously seeking the greatest good for herself and others whatever the circumstances. Empowering, illuminating, and fascinating, The Fruit of Her Hands makes a singular contribution to the fields of biblical and women's studies.
Rabbi Daniel Lapin
— founder and president of Toward Tradition
"With commendable courage, Kalman Kaplan and Matthew Schwartz defy convention to proclaim the timeless truth of God's plan for men and women."
Rabbi Byron L. Sherwin
— Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies
"This informative, provocative, insightful, and eminently readable book both depicts and celebrates the women of Hebrew Scripture. Their independence, interdependence, courage, integrity, wisdom, and commitment are presented as an expression of covenantal biblical values, as a source of emulation for us today as we seek models for personal identity and interpersonal relationships, and as a much-needed alternative to the undesirable models rooted in Greek mythology and to the demeaning portrayal of women in Western philosophy epitomized by Aristotle's definition of a woman as a castrated man. As this fine work demonstrates, the wisdom of the Bible continues to address the challenges of yesterday and today with moral relevance, powerful poignancy, and remarkable psychological insight."
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