The story of Joseph and his brothers begins with this week’s Torah portion, Vayeishev. It is the longest and most detailed of the stories told in Genesis, and of course, very male-dominated. But nestled in the midst of Joseph’s story, Genesis Chapter 38, is a less well-known story of Tamar, the daughter-in-law of Judah.
Tamar was married to Judah’s oldest son but he died before they had any children. Through the system of levirate marriage (https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/levirate-marriage-and-halitzah/), Judah then married Tamar to his second son, but he also died. Instead of fulfilling his duty to Tamar and marrying her to his third son, he sent her back to her father’s house, status-less and without support.
Tamar took matters into her own hand to resolve the situation. Disguised as a prostitute, she sleeps with Judah and becomes pregnant by him. Her solution was unorthodox, but within the bounds of tribal law and custom, as Judah himself acknowledged in the end, exclaiming “She is more righteous than I”. At the end of the chapter, Tamar gives birth to twins, the elder of whom is Perez. Through Perez, Tamar is an ancestor of King David.
Ruth is another strong woman in our Bible who took an unusual path through the levirate marriage system to resolve her situation and that of her mother-in-law, Naomi. Ruth’s second husband, Boaz, was descended from Perez, and Ruth and Boaz’s grandson became the father of King David.
We tend to think of Biblical women as invisible, passive, having no agency, often going nameless. This is, indeed, part of the story. But a closer look reveals many powerful women who are self-assured, taking charge of their own lives, and who played a major role in preserving and protecting Judaism. Read the stories of our Matriarchs, of Tamar, Ruth, Vashti and Esther, Hannah in I Samuel chapter 1, Michal and Abigail – two of David’s wives, and many others who are an important, and often overlooked, part of our story!
-Rabbi Bonnie Margulis
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