Expanding the Palace of Torah

JOFA members need no introduction to Tamar Ross, who has graced our conferences as a spellbinding presenter for many years, beginning with the first conference in 1997. Associate Professor of Jewish Thought in the Department of Philosophy at Bar-Ilan University and teacher of Jewish thought at Midreshet Lindenbaum, Ross can justly be called one of the major theoreticians of of the Orthodox Jewish feminist movement. This book examines the theological implications for Orthodox Judaism of women’s changing status in the modern world. How has the women’s revolution challenged Orthodox Judaism and how has Orthodox Judaism responded to these challenges? As a strong believer in the authority of the halakhic way of life, but one who acknowledges the patriarchal orientation of the tradition, Ross puts forward a model of what she terms “cumulative revelation” to incorporate a more pluralistic view of Divine Revelation that can accommodate many of the challenges of feminism, by “expanding the Palace of Torah” (a phrase she draws from Rav Kook). Ross explores the consequences of the development of a critical mass of female Torah scholars on the halakhic process. Interestingly Ross sees Israel, not America, as the future powerhouse of Orthodox feminism. Ross’s wide ranging familiarity with halakha and Jewish philosophy, with general feminist readings, both secular and Christian, as well as with legal theory, makes this book a challenging read, but an immensely valuable one for close study.