Arise! Arise! Deborah, Ruth and Hannah
Each time we open one of Band's books for the very first time, we embark on an amazing adventure! ----Lisa Kogen, Education Director, Women's League for Conservative Judaism>>We are fortunate to live in a time when not just the words but also the artwork of Jewish women can add to our understanding of traditional Jewish texts.Arise! Arise! Deborah, Ruth and Hannah, a new work of commentary and original illuminated paintings by Debra Band, explores the personalities of Deborah, Hannah, and Ruth, combining serious scholarship with artistic talent to create visual midrash. The word midrash comes from the Hebrew root meaning to explore, to question, to demand meaning from a text. Band s visual midrash seamlessly integrates fascinating elements as diverse as history, archaeology, the geography of the land of Israel, rabbinic commentaries, Shakespeare, psychology, and women s prayers, all of which she brings to illuminate the Biblical text. Learned analysis of the texts as literature, written by well known professor of modern Hebrew literature Arnold Band, the author s father-in-law, accompany her own commentary, which is refracted through the prism of her personal spiritual experiences as a Jewish woman.A welcome addition to the Jewish bookshelf and syllabi for adult education (and not just for women!), this gorgeous volume is certain to delight the eyes, challenge the mind, and nourish the soul. ---- --Rabbi Avis Miller, Washington D.C.<br<br >Debra Band's images and her written commentary create an imaginative space that is informed equally by personal experience and vast knowledge of Jewish tradition, as well as by modern science and archaeology. The vibrant, detailed, and often surprising images constitute a kind of visual midrash, a genuinely new element in the ages-old tradition of Jewish biblical interpretation. Together with the written commentary, they invite us to engage the biblical texts afresh, through study, prayer, and exploration of stories both ancient and contemporary. The persistence, love, and hard-won victories of a few biblical women offer models for all people of faith.This is a book to savor slowly and deeply.-- --Ellen F. Davis, Amos Ragan Kearns Professor of Bible and Practical Theology, Duke Divinity SchoolWe are fortunate to live in a time when not just the words but also the artwork of Jewish women can add to our understanding of traditional Jewish texts.Arise! Arise! Deborah, Ruth and Hannah, a new work of commentary and original illuminated paintings by Debra Band, explores the personalities of Deborah, Hannah, and Ruth, combining serious scholarship with artistic talent to create visual midrash. The word midrash comes from the Hebrew root meaning to explore, to question, to demand meaning from a text. Band s visual midrash seamlessly integrates fascinating elements as diverse as history, archaeology, the geography of the land of Israel, rabbinic commentaries, Shakespeare, psychology, and women s prayers, all of which she brings to illuminate the Biblical text. Learned analysis of the texts as literature, written by well known professor of modern Hebrew literature Arnold Band, the author s father-in-law, accompany her own commentary, which is refracted through the prism of her personal spiritual experiences as a Jewish woman.A welcome addition to the Jewish bookshelf and syllabi for adult education (and not just for women!), this gorgeous volume is certain to delight the eyes, challenge the mind, and nourish the soul. ---- --Rabbi Avis Miller, Washington D.C.<brDebra Band's images and her written commentary create an imaginative space that is informed equally by personal experience and vast knowledge of Jewish tradition, as well as by modern science and archaeology. The vibrant, detailed, and often surprising images constitute a kind of visual midrash, a genuinely new element in the ages-old tradition of Jewish biblical interpretation. Together with the written commentary, they invite us to engage the biblical texts afresh, through study, prayer, and exploration of stories both ancient and contemporary. The persistence, love, and hard-won victories of a few biblical women offer models for all people of faith.This is a book to savor slowly and deeply.-- --Ellen F. Davis, Amos Ragan Kearns Professor of Bible and Practical Theology, Duke Divinity School