A Legacy of Resistance

Ki Tissa 5786

Earlier this week and far too soon, Rabbi Dr. Andrea Weiss, the former provost of Hebrew Union College, died at the age of 60. Her funeral was today. She was a trailblazing scholar and rabbi; as provost, she became the first woman to ordain rabbis and cantors in the Reform movement. She was slated to ordain my classmates and me, but was unable to due to her health. I was lucky enough to study with her on a number of occasions; if you ever hear me going on about biblical poetry, behind my words and my excitement stands Rabbi Weiss and her teachings. She left a mark on everyone who passed through HUC, but her legacy is not limited to clergy. As Associate Editor of The Torah: A Woman’s Commentary, her teachings are accessible to all.

If you haven’t heard about the Women’s Torah Commentary — we have some floating about here, it has a green cover — it is an incredible resource. As she writes in the introduction: “for most of its history, Jewish interpretation of sacred texts did not represent the knowledge and insights of women, for authoritative interpretation long remained the domain of men.” Her Commentary marked an important step towards addressing that historic injustice, not only by providing commentary that focuses on the lived experiences of women in Torah and the gendered implications of the text, but also by providing a platform for women scholars and poets. Only women contributed to this commentary; more than a hundred of them. In Rabbi Weiss’ honor, tonight I’m going to talk about women, about a particular scene from this week’s Parshah Ki Tissa, inspired by insight I gleaned from the Torah commentary she worked so hard to bring into the world.