After the Apple
Women in the Bible: Timeless Stories of Love, Lust, and Longing
by Naomi Harris Rosenblatt
List Price: $12.95
Pages: 288
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 1401359809
Publisher: Miramax Books
Q: In your Introduction, you mention that this book is the end product of lively discussions with your parents, teachers and students. When did the idea of writing a
collection about women from the Bible first occur to you? Have any of the people who inspired you read the book, and if so what comments did they offer?
NHR: Ever since I first read the lives of the women of the Hebrew Bible, I was impressed by their courage and faith, and identified easily with their moments of anguish and joy. As I matured into young adulthood I ached to find a way to extract their voices from a male dominated narrative. Most of the people who inspired me in my youth are gone. Many of them were survivors of the horrors of the Holocaust who were obliged to begin their lives over again in a new country. Collectively, they profoundly influenced my relationship to my faith, my marriage, child rearing and my life.
Q: You used the Hebrew Bible for this collection. Apart from the obvious, how does the Hebrew Bible differ from the Christian Bible?
NHR: First of all, there is a language difference which, at times, reflects differences in philosophy and fundamental assumption. The Hebrew Bible is read and studied in its original Hebrew.
The New Testament was written in Greek and is often studied in this country in English.
The Hebrew Bible chronicles the history, the spiritual message, laws, ethics and prayers of an entire people over 1,500 years. The New Testament chronicles the life of Jesus of Nazareth, his sayings and spiritual message over a single lifetime.
Q: It's pointed out that God is never mentioned in the Book of Esther or The Song of Songs. Why do you think that is? You reference Rabbi Akiva's theory that "the love between a couple is an allegory of God's love for the people of Israel." Do you agree with him?
NHR: The Presence of God is indeed alluded to in subtle but powerful ways. When Queen Esther is about to risk her life to save her people, her uncle Mordechai, aware of her anxiety, warns her that it is no mere coincidence that she finds herself the favorite of the licentious Persian monarch; that a higher Power placed her in this position to use her feminine charms to persuade him to shield her people from annihilation. Her mission succeeds and her people are saved. The Song of Songs is intensely romantic and explicitly erotic; a sublime piece of poetry expressing the longings and yearnings of the young lovers for each other. Love, passion and joy are among the Creator's generous gifts to His creatures. The Rabbis must have felt uncomfortable and maybe even embarrassed to include the erotic Song of Songs in a sacred text. I have profound respect for Rabbi Akiva. But I do see the Songs as a genuine love poem between a woman and her lover.
Q: How did you decide on these 14 women? You mention that, as a child, you identified with Rebecca and her story. What other heroines inspire you?
NHR: I selected the fourteen women because they are the protagonists around whom the action revolves and about whom the Text supplies a great deal of information to allow for analysis. I was drawn to their human vulnerabilities and frailties as much as to their strengths and courage against overwhelming odds. In addition to Rebecca, I am particularly enchanted with Abigail. She employs her persuasive charm and intelligence artfully to please, flatter and tame the young, charismatic future king of Israel, and in the process save herself and her household from bloodshed. My only granddaughter bears her name. My imagination is also captured by the adventurous, exotic and self-confident Queen of Sheba, who traveled for thousands of miles to see for herself whether King Solomon of Israel was indeed the wise, erudite leader of his reputation.
Q: How did you come to teach a bible class on Capitol Hill? Are you ever surprised by the politicians who attend your class?
NHR: My husband Peter and I were friendly with Senator Arlen Specter and his wife, Joan, when Arlen and Peter were students at Yale Law School. He had heard about my Bible seminars and when we were having dinner together after his election to the Senate he invited me to conduct a Bible study group with Senators from both sides of the aisle and of all faiths. The relevance of the Biblical stories spoke to their own lives. The Senators do not surprise me. In fact, I was impressed by the sincere level of interest and the depth of their involvement with the spiritual and ethical issues in the lives of the Biblical heroes and heroines.
Q: You point out the Bible's candor when it comes to sexual matters. How has this been diluted over the years?
NHR: Sexuality in the Bible is dealt with in a wholesome way, as integral to human life. In today's popular culture sex is often crude, crass and manipulated for commercial purposes.
Q: Did your training as a psychotherapist aid you with regards to your Bible study? Do you see parallels to the problems & issues your patients deal with and those in Biblical times?
NHR: Actually, psychotherapy and Biblical study compliment each other because they both deal with the human psyche and soul. In reading After the Apple women today (and their men) will recognize their own longing to love, to parent, to succeed in relationships and to work their way through an increasingly complicated and unpredictable world. Human nature has not changed at all since Biblical times.
Q: What is the most important thing you would like people to know about these women in After the Apple? What is the biggest misconception you'd like to dispel?
NHR: First, I would like to challenge the widespread notion that the women of the Hebrew Bible were timid and crushed under a harsh patriarchal boot. After the Apple demonstrates that, on the contrary, these women used their power as women; they seduced, they challenged, they subverted authority, to work everyday miracles in a male dominated culture. Second, to refute once and for all the wide spread notion of Eve as an underhanded seductress.
Q: You have two books about the Bible to your credit now. (this one and 1996's Wrestling with Angels) Any plans for a third?
NHR: I am working on one particular idea for a third book, but have not as yet arrived at a final decision.
Q: In the conclusion you say, "The stories of the women in the Hebrew Bible offer us a prism through which to consider our own lives." What do you hope the women will take away from this book?
NHR: I hope my women readers will walk away wiser, surer of themselves and prouder of the unique qualities that define them as women.
Excerpted from After the Apple © Copyright 2010 by Naomi Harris Rosenblatt. Reprinted with permission by Miramax Books. All rights reserved.
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