What is a "holy woman," or a holy man for that matter? According to the Jewish mystics, a holy person is someone who has not lost the holiness that every baby is born with. A holy person is someone who fulfills it. Stories about Jewish holy women have rarely been collected in such an engaging and entertaining form. The tales display a specifically female Jewish spirituality, giving us a peek into a world of devotional beauty that focuses on kindness. These stories of laughter and tears, humility and bravery, striving and trance, have an appeal spanning the denominational spectrum: they are spiritual nourishment for the soul. The rabbis say there are both male and female angels and angels are on earth as well as in heaven. These tales enhance our appreciation of the female angels on earth.
A Beautiful Collection of Stories About Spiritually Powerful Women "Yitzhak Buxbaum has performed an act of vital reclamation, lifting the veil that has concealed the holiness of so many Jewish women from previous centuries to the present. These stories redeem their simple piety and command our respect for their noble acts of faith." -Ellen Frankel, author,
The Five Books of Miriam, editor-in-chief of the Jewish Publication Society
"Written in the style of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach's soulful stories, Jewish Tales of Holy Women fills a gap in placing the saintliness of women at the center." -Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, author, The Beginning of Desire, The Particulars of Rapture, and Genesis
"Buxbaum's tales allow us to enter the hidden world of Jewish holy women. Deep, simple piety and generosity of spirit breathe through these pages. Our soul- the 'holy woman' in each of us- finds delight in these tales of virtuous realities." -Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
"These stories of holy women are pure light. From the simplest ones to the most miraculous, they radiate the particular kind of warmth and healing power that so many of us crave." -Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, author, With Roots in Heaven
"These wonderful stories are for men, women, and children of all backgrounds and all religions. They open the heart, inspire us to be better people, and fully honor the holy legacy of Judaism. Thank you, Yitzhak Buxbaum." -Melinda Ribner, author, Kabbalah Month by Month and New Age Judaism
"Yitzhak Buxbaum has performed a great service in compiling these beautiful stories of saintly women who expressed their deep connection with the Shechinah (Divine Presence) in private prayer and in manifold acts of loving kindness-feeding the poor, healing the sick, and escorting the dying. The tales show that even in times when gender roles were restricting, there were always outstanding women who excelled in the sanctified realms of study, teaching, prayer, and charity." -Rabbi Leah Novick
