{"id":49684,"date":"2019-02-18T21:23:00","date_gmt":"2019-02-18T19:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=49684"},"modified":"2022-09-11T14:30:11","modified_gmt":"2022-09-11T11:30:11","slug":"deuteronomys-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/deuteronomys-women\/","title":{"rendered":"Deuteronomy\u2019s Women"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Are there women in the book of Deuteronomy? <\/span><\/p>\n

At first glance, they don\u2019t seem to exist, but if we look closely we realize that they appear in unexpected contexts.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first reference to women appears at the end of chapter 3 (verse 19), when the inheritance of land given to the tribes of Reuven, Gad, and half of Menasheh is explained. \u00a0These tribes have been given a portion of land on the east of the Jordan, but before they are allowed to settle it they are commanded to help the rest of the tribes conquer the land on the western side of the Jordan. Their wives, young children, and livestock, however, can settle into the cities while the men go to war. This command explains why women don\u2019t appear frequently in the first few chapters of Deuteronomy: it\u2019s not that there weren\u2019t women among the Israelites, it\u2019s that the beginning of the book is directed at Israelite men, outlining their roles as judges, scouts, and soldiers. <\/span><\/p>\n

There is a shift in the narrative at the beginning of chapter 5. Suddenly, Moses turns to \u201c<\/span>all of Israel<\/span><\/em>\u201d<\/span> (5:1). \u00a0Moses shares the ten commandments with all members of the nation, including the women. They are commanded to listen to them (<\/span>shema yisrael<\/span><\/em>), to learn them, to keep them, and to fulfill them (5:2). They are all identified as those with whom God seals the covenant, \u201cwe who are here, all of us alive today\u201d (5:3). The text concludes: \u201cThese are the words that God spoke to <\/span>your entire congregation<\/span><\/em> at the mountain\u201d (5:19). Here, again, the biblical language is inclusive, it emphasizes that God\u2019s laws are for the entire congregation, not only the men to whom the first chapters of Deuteronomy were addressed.<\/span><\/p>\n

The opening passage of the next chapter retains this inclusive voice: \u201cThis is the commandment, the decrees, and the ordinances that God commands you (plural) to teach you (plural)\u2026\u201d (6:1). The same phrase, <\/span>shema yisrael<\/span><\/em>, appears again a few verses later (6:4). The phrase <\/span>shema yisrael<\/span><\/em>, which appears in 5:2 and 6:4, is a call to \u201c<\/span>all of Israel<\/span><\/em>,\u201d the \u201c<\/span>entire congregation<\/span><\/em>.\u201d Read in the context of the previous chapter, the command in 6:4-9 can be understood as addressed to all of Israel, including women. Each individual must love God with all their heart, soul, and means; teach them to one\u2019s children; recite them at all times and places; wrap themselves and their homes in them. <\/span><\/p>\n

This intertextual reading makes the exclusion of women, enslaved people, and children from the commands of Deuteronomy 6:7 all the more scandalous. When we read Deuteronomy 6 in light of Deuteronomy 5, we see that there is a possibility for understanding the commandment more inclusively. <\/span>All of Israel<\/span><\/em>, the <\/span>entire congregation<\/span><\/em>, ought to participate in this all-encompassing worship. <\/span><\/p>\n

The women in the text aren\u2019t named, but they are there if we choose to see them.<\/span><\/p>\n

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