Tradition
The
woman’s role in Jewish tradition is significant due to the gender roles
generally assigned women by Jewish culture. Domestic affairs, like
cooking, have usually been considered the woman’s domain, and since many
Jewish customs, rules, and traditions revolve around food, this puts
women in charge of a significant part of Jewish culture. Indeed, many
Jewish customs are defined by the food that is eaten, or not eaten at
all, during the customary event. During Purim, for instance, the
traditional meal is vegetarian to remind participants that Esther, the
hero of the story, maintained a vegetarian diet to not break the rules
of kashrut while living in the palace.
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Yom Kippur is the day of atonement. It is one of the two High Holy days in the Jewish Calendar. Hannukah is the Feast of Light, usually falling in December, and commemorating the victory of the Maccabees in 167 B.C.E.* Hannukah Video Purim is the festival commemorating the victory of the Jews over their would-be murderer, Haman, as described in the biblical Book of Esther.** |
In
many ways, Jewish women have nurtured and maintained cultural identity
over the years simply by completing their day to day tasks. Everyday
food preparation, for instance, does a lot to maintain Jewish traditions
because it invokes several religious ideas and customs through the ways
people prepare and eat the food. This can be seen through the laws of kashrut and the idea of eating kosher foods. During certain holidays,
this responsibility is taken to a whole new level. For Passover, the
women are in charge of cleaning the house and making the meals, all of
which are governed by strict Jewish law. Food plays roles in other
holidays as well, such as Yom Kippur, Purim, and Hanukah.
Much
knowledge about these traditions is passed along generation after
generation through the women of the household. While informal, this
education is just as important as the traditional, formal, Jewish male
education, for while the men may have the most visible part in certain
holidays (communal prayers, reading the scrolls, etc.), it is women who
provide settings for these holiday rituals. Without this informal,
gender specific education, much of Jewish culture would be lost.
*Quoted in Kertzer, Morris. What Is a Jew? Simon & Schuster: 1996. pg.
290.
**Quoted in Kertzer, Morris. What Is a Jew? Simon & Schuster: 1996.
pg. 295.