The One: God's Unity and Genderless Divinity in Judaism

This article examines the cultural ways in which traditional Judaism understands the relationship between an individual and Divinity. The article shows that this understanding has deep gendered dimensions. Grounded in feminist critiques of theology, as well as in Jewish studies and cultural studies,...

Description complète

Enregistré dans:  
Détails bibliographiques
Auteur principal: Lahav, Hagar (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
Vérifier la disponibilité: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
En cours de chargement...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Publié: Sage 2007
Dans: Feminist theology
Année: 2007, Volume: 16, Numéro: 1, Pages: 47-60
Sujets non-standardisés:B Kaballa
B Jewish Culture
B Mitzvah
B Hebrew
B genderless
B Judaism
B Faith
B Gender
B God
B Divinity
Accès en ligne: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Édition parallèle:Électronique
Description
Résumé:This article examines the cultural ways in which traditional Judaism understands the relationship between an individual and Divinity. The article shows that this understanding has deep gendered dimensions. Grounded in feminist critiques of theology, as well as in Jewish studies and cultural studies, the article shows that the conceptualization of God-person relationship, in both Orthodox and Kaballic Jewish streams, is based on a hierarchical division to three different spaces. These spaces are: Mitzvah (Commandment, Duty, Law), Grace, and Desire or Will. The Mitzvah is perceived to be the highest space and is represented as 'manly'. The intermediate space-Grace-is represented as a 'good woman' or as 'mother'. This space is characterized by a sacred yearning, as well as by lack of stability and continuity, paralysis, and even death. The lowest space is the space of Desire and personal will, which is culturally represented by a child or a whore-woman. This space is characterized by an attitude of disregard, resistance and fear. The article demonstrates how this cultural division of Divinity in to three, contradicts the declared Jewish position that God/Divinity is 'One, Sole and Unique' (Echad, Yachid ve-Meuchad), and points at the inherent need of genderless conceptualization of Divinity in Judaism.
ISSN:1745-5189
Contient:Enthalten in: Feminist theology
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/0966735007082516