Tamar Kadari

Tamar Kadari is a senior lecturer in Midrash and Aggadah and former Dean of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. She teaches at the Schechter Institute and Bar Ilan University. Her synoptic edition of Midrash Song of Songs Rabbah, based on extensive manuscript research, was launched in 2014 on the Schechter website. She is the author of Minkhah L'Yehudah: Julius Theodor and the Redaction of the Aggadic Midrashim of the Land of Israel (Jerusalem: Schechter/Leo Baeck, 2017), a study of a major figure in the modern study of rabbinic literature and his influence on the modern study of midrash. She is the academic advisor for and author of the introduction to Dirshuni: Contemporary Women’s Midrash, Brandeis University Press (2022). Her articles have appeared in leading scholarly journals. Tamar is also a sculptor whose work has been exhibited in galleries in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Articles by this author

Deborah 2: Midrash and Aggadah

Deborah, one of the most extraordinary women in the Bible, is presented as an extremely righteous and praiseworthy woman in rabbinic literature. Though some traditions criticize her pride, perhaps wary of how she transgressed gender norms, most of the rabbinic texts about Deborah are filled with praise.

Dinah: Midrash and Aggadah

Dinah was the only daughter of Jacob and Leah, and the Rabbis present her as possessing many positive qualities, as was fitting for the daughter of the progenitors of the Israelite nation. The rabbis also offer many different explanations for the rape of Dinah, trying to understand the troubling story.

Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab: Midrash and Aggadah

Elisheba is mentioned only a single time in the Torah she-bi-khetav: Lit. "the written Torah." The Bible; the Pentateuch; Tanakh (the Pentateuch, Prophets and Hagiographia)Torah (Ex. 6:23), as the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon and the wife of Aaron the High Priest. The Rabbis speak at large concerning her. They note her importance, since her life was bound up with the most distinguished families in Israel: her husband was appointed High Priest, her children were deputy high priests, her brother was nasi (chieftain) of the tribe of Judah and her brother-in-law Moses led the Israelites. The A type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules).midrash accordingly applies to Elisheba the verse “And may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah” (Ruth 4:12), which was meant to signify that Elisheba, too, was descended from the royal line since she was from the tribe of Judah (Ruth Zuta 4:12). Commenting on Jacob’s blessing to Judah, “You, O Judah, your brothers shall praise” (Gen. 49:8), the Rabbis list Elisheba daughter of Amminadab among the important people and officials that were born to this tribe and call her “the mother of the priesthood” (Gen. Rabbah 97:8).

Zillah: Midrash and Aggadah

Zillah was a wife of Lamech. According to one tradition, Zillah was designated to bear children, but in another tradition she was said to solely provide intercourse for Lamech. Nonetheless, she bore two children.

Zilpah: Midrash and Aggadah

The Rabbis count Zilpah among the six Matriarchs. She was Leah’s handmaiden and she and Leah were originally intended to marry Esau; when Leah married Jacob instead, he was also given Zilpah. Midrashic accounts place Zilpah in different, minor roles.

Zipporah: Midrash and Aggadah

Zipporah was the wife of Moses. The Rabbis ascribe many traits to her; they considered her different than other women, in a positive sense, in both appearance and deed.

Zeresh: Midrash and Aggadah

Zeresh was the wife of Haman, portrayed by the midrash as even more wicked than her husband. Of all of Haman's advisors, she was his best counsel.

Women in Samson's Life: Midrash and Aggadah

The three women in Samson’s life were Gentiles: the woman from Timnah, the woman from Gaza, and Delilah. In the midrash, rabbis used Samson’s situation to denounce involvement with foreign women.

Wise Woman of Tekoa: Midrash and Aggadah

The A type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules).midrash includes the wise woman from Tekoa among the twenty-three truly upright and righteous women who came out of Israel (Midrash Tadshe, Ozar ha-Midrashim [Eisenstein], 474).

Wise Woman of Abel-beth-maacah: Midrash and Aggadah

The wise woman from Abel-Beth-Maacah is identified in midrashim as Serah, daughter of Asher. The rabbis attribute great wisdom to her. She instituted a negotiation with Joab, then spoke to the people, who behead Sheba son of Bichri in order to induce Joab to leave.

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How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. "Tamar Kadari." (Viewed on April 19, 2024) <http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/author/kadari-tamar>.