Spinning fantasies
Book Description
Through the ancient art of spinning and weaving, a profound story of spiritual transformation emerges from one of Judaism's most pivotal moments. Miriam Peskowitz invites readers to discover how seemingly ordinary textile work carried extraordinary meaning in the centuries following the destruction of Jerusalem's Temple in 70 C.E.
Drawing from archaeological findings, legal documents, artistic representations, and texts in Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin, this scholarly exploration reveals how gender shaped the development of rabbinic Judaism. As new forms of Jewish practice emerged from the ashes of the Temple's destruction, the hands that spun thread and worked looms were quietly weaving the fabric of religious identity itself.
Peskowitz demonstrates that the stories of Jewish spinners and weavers contain layers of symbolism that illuminate broader questions about gender roles, sexuality, and spiritual authority. These craftspeople, working with tools and techniques that archaeologists have uncovered, participated in creating not just textiles but the very foundations of what would become classical Judaism.
For readers interested in understanding how spiritual traditions evolve through the lived experiences of ordinary people, this feminist interpretation offers fresh insights into a critical period of religious history. The book reveals how gender and religious development intertwined in ways that traditional scholarship has often overlooked, showing that the most profound spiritual transformations sometimes happen through the most humble daily practices.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~7 hours)
🕉️ Tradition: Judaism
📄 Length: 249 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore History and criticism
- ✓ Explore Rabbinical literature, history and criticism
- ✓ Explore Religious aspects
- ✓ Explore Sex role
- ✓ Explore Textile crafts in rabbinical literature
- ✓ Explore Women in rabbinical literature
- ✓ Explore Sex role, religious aspects
- ✓ Explore Judaism
