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Grumbles and Growls: Feminist Theory of Judaism, 1971-1985 Torah cannot long remain within the faith. If anything, Torah expresses what Plaskow terms a “partial record of the ‘Godwrestling’ of part of the Jewish people” 37 that can never be fully eschewed. We have just traced the initial stages of a discussion, staged in fringe magazines, mainstream publications, and anthologies, which chart the course of future discourse. We can characterize Adler, Ozick, Plaskow and the others as matriarchs, forging new paths for future generations. Adler’s growls inspired a movement. Ozick transformed that movement into an intellectual project. Greenberg began a conversation about feminism’s relationship with halakha more broadly. Finally, Plaskow and Adler pushed that project succinctly in the theological direction. In each text, we witness the development of a dynamic women’s voice for change, in each text a call for renewal. Yet while they inform each other, these texts also emerge from a historical context. The development of the discourse from initial anger to later, more productive interaction with Judaism parallels the evolution of Judaism itself. By 1983, all denominations had addressed women’s legal inequality. That Plaskow and Adler began to articulate themselves in theological terms bespeaks the formative impact of these changes. This heralded the beginning of a second wave of Jewish feminist 37 Plaskow, Standing Again at Sinai, 33. 111
Quaestio thought, one characterized by the emergence of feminist theologies, and with them woman-centered analyses of Judaism. Thus, feminism’s interaction with Judaism began with rebellion. Yet despite their dissatisfaction with the faith, our protagonists each grappled with the ramifications of Torah and its male-constructed commentary. There exists tension between the desire for radicalism and the yearning for accommodation, a longing for community despite its patriarchy. 38 For Adler and Ozick, this means seeking new halakhic interpretations to assist Jewish-feminist reconciliation. And although Plaskow questions the efficacy of such tactics—even the very capacity of halakha to rectify women’s subordination—she too wrestles with the implications and importance of Torah; Plaskow clings to tradition even as she purges its patriarchal focus. 39 The academic Rochelle L. Millen concludes, “law…together with liturgy and language constitutes the foundation upon which the multistoried building of Jewish feminist theory continues to be constructed.” 40 If something is rotten in Eden, then Torah, broadly speaking, is equally the cause and the solution to Judaism’s patriarchal woes—ultimately, there is little alternative. 38 Rive-Ellen Prell, Women Remaking American Judaism, 9. 39 Tamar Ross, Expanding the Palace of Torah, (Lebanon, NH: Brandeis University Press, 118). 40 Rochelle L. Millen, “Her Mouth is Full of Wisdom,” 43 112
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