Power and Patriarchy: The Judith Story
Rabbi Josh Knobel and Rabbi Sari Laufer in conversation
Rabbi Josh Knobel and Rabbi Sari Laufer teach about Hanukkah hero Judith.
Despite being written down just about 75 years after the first Hanukkah, the story of Judith is a Hanukkah story that predates the Maccabees. Medieval art lovers will know Judith from the paintings of her holding the severed head of Assyrian general Holofernes and the sword she used relieved him of it. Her infiltration of an enemy camp and the bravery she showed inspired the Jews to repel Holofernes’ invading army.
While on Hanukkah, we celebrate the story of Judah Maccabee and the Maccabean revolt, Judith’s story is its thematic prototype. Judith’s story came to be overshadowed by that of the later revolt, but the way in which she uses power—not the power derived from structural advantages of men, but the referent power of her relationships with others—serves as a fascinating entry into a discussion of strength, power, and patriarchy.
December 16, 2022 | 22 Kislev, 5783