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

Daughters of Zelophehad: Midrash and Aggadah

The midrash rains many praises on the daughters of Zelophehad, describing them all as equally wise and virtuous, as well as exegetes. The midrash also says that they are mentioned by the Patriarchs and are so righteous that they are blessed with children despite their old age.

Concubine of a Levite: Midrash and Aggadah

The story of the concubine at Gibeah, who is murdered when her husband sends her out to a crowd of Benjamites, is one of the most shocking narratives in the Bible. The rabbis do not blame the unnamed woman for her fate and the ensuing crisis, instead placing the blame at the feet of the Levite and the leaders of Israel.

Bilhah: Midrash and Aggadah

Bilhah was the maidservant of Rachel and mother of Dan and Naphtali. The rabbis fill in details about her life, her relationship with Jacob, and the confusing incident between Bilhah and Reuben, Jacob’s eldest son.

Bathsheba: Midrash and Aggadah

As in the Bible, Bathsheba plays a secondary role in the midrashim about her husband, King David, and her son, King Solomon. The rabbis view her as a righteous, guiltless woman, both during David’s life and as an advisor to Solomon.

Athaliah: Midrash and Aggadah

Athaliah was one of the few women to rule Israel, which she did for six years. She was very powerful and is described as evil, as she radically changed traditional practices and executed almost all of the members of the Davidic lineage.

Asenath: Midrash and Aggadah

Asenath is mentioned in the Torah as “the daughter of Poti-phera,” an Egyptian priest. Whether she actually descended from the Egyptians or Israelites is a contested matter in the Rabbinic tradition.

Achsah: Midrash and Aggadah

The daughter of Caleb, Achsah is depicted in rabbinic tradition as both beautiful and practical.

Adah 1: Midrash and Aggadah

Adah was one of Lamech’s wives whose legacy was observable not only in her own children but also in her influence on her fellow Israelites.

Abigail: Midrash and Aggadah

The Rabbis depict Abigail as a wise and practical woman, capable of acting at the right moment and in the right way. Instead of being based on political or economic considerations, her and David’s marriage was motivated by love and mutual appreciation. Furthermore, Abigail saves David from committing unnecessary bloodshed, while at the same time assuring her future.

Abishag: Midrash and Aggadah

Abishag’s story in the Bible shows her strength and independence, as she insists David marry her and rebukes his answer when he refuses. Some midrashim use her story to show David’s tenacity in his old age, but Abishag is not explicitly interpreted as wicked or deceitful.

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How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. "Tamar Kadari." (Viewed on April 24, 2024) <http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/author/kadari-tamar>.