Tamar Kadari

Tamar Kadari is a senior lecturer in Midrash and Aggadah and former Dean of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. She teaches at the Schechter Institute and Bar Ilan University. Her synoptic edition of Midrash Song of Songs Rabbah, based on extensive manuscript research, was launched in 2014 on the Schechter website. She is the author of Minkhah L'Yehudah: Julius Theodor and the Redaction of the Aggadic Midrashim of the Land of Israel (Jerusalem: Schechter/Leo Baeck, 2017), a study of a major figure in the modern study of rabbinic literature and his influence on the modern study of midrash. She is the academic advisor for and author of the introduction to Dirshuni: Contemporary Women’s Midrash, Brandeis University Press (2022). Her articles have appeared in leading scholarly journals. Tamar is also a sculptor whose work has been exhibited in galleries in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Articles by this author

Serah, daughter of Asher: Midrash and Aggadah

While Serah, daughter of Asher, is mentioned only very briefly in the Bible, a plethora of midrashic traditions exist about her, and thus the faceless Biblical character becomes a fascinating personality. Her history is intertwined with the story of the migration to Egypt and enslavement, and with redemption and the return to Erez Israel.

Rizpah: Midrash and Aggadah

Rizpah features prominently in the narrative of Saul’s death at the hands of the Gibeonites, and her behavior in this episode is highly praised by the Rabbis. Her actions were considered worthy of emulation, and even King David learned from her. Rizpah’s deeds helped save all Israel from the famine.

Rahab: Midrash and Aggadah

The Rabbis sing paeans of praise of Rahab for her beauty and wisdom. In many midrashim, Rahab comes to symbolize the positive influence Israel exerts on the surrounding Gentile nations, as well as successful conversion. Her ability to mend her ways was exemplary for ensuing generations, who used Rahab’s story to request divine mercy and pardon for their actions.

Necromancer of Endor: Midrash and Aggadah

The necromancer of Endor appears in the narrative of Saul’s attempt to speak to the ghost of Samuel on the eve of war with the Philistines. The necromancer knows of Saul’s ban on the use of ghosts, but Saul swears that she will be protected. The Rabbis largely focus on their questions about the necromancer’s description of Samuel’s ghost.

Naamah: Midrash and Aggadah

The Rabbis have differing views on Noah’s wife Naamah, portraying her as both very beautiful and also as a malevolent seductress. The negative interpretation of Naamah is seen in the later midrash and the Zohar, which describe her as a seducer of men and even of demons.

Mother of Micah: Midrash and Aggadah

One midrash posits that Delilah was Micah’s mother, based on two stories in the Bible that mention Delilah and Micah immediately after one another. However, Rashi argued that the timelines of Delilah and Micah’s lives meant that they could not be related.

Midrash and Aggadah: Introduction and Sources

The writings of the Rabbis in the midrash offer detailed depictions and analyses of women who appear only briefly or not at all in the Bible. The 75 Encyclopedia articles about women in the midrash analyze the language of the Rabbis to compare their opinions to the full biblical text and to contextualize aggadic traditions.

Midwife: Midrash and Aggadah

The Rabbis assign significant value to the role of a midwife, especially in the stories of Shiphrah and Puah. The job of a midwife comes with much responsibility, as she not only helps with birth but also aids the process of labor and provides nutritional support to both new mothers and infants.

Merab, daughter of Saul: Midrash and Aggadah

Merab, daughter of Saul, was meant to marry David, but ended up being given in matrimony to Adriel the Metholathite. Rabbis in the Midrash and Aggadah discuss two different versions of events: one in which Merab marries David, and one where she marries Adriel.

Maacah the wife of David: Midrash and Aggadah

Macaah, the wife of David, is a name for a non-Jewish woman taken captive during wartime to be a wife to her Israelite captor. Absalom, the son of Maacah and King David, grows up to be defiant and self-indulgent and acts against his father; this is attributed to him being the son of Maacah.

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How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. "Tamar Kadari." (Viewed on November 21, 2024) <https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/author/kadari-tamar>.