By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

Writing a review of book that turns out to be very different from what you expected can be difficult. For example, I mistakenly thought “Conceived in Hope: The Struggles of Biblical Mothers in the Tapestry of Redemption” by Chana Tannenbaum (Maggid Books) was going to be a feminist discussion of mothers’ place in the biblical text. What I discovered is that, while Tannenbaum does re-evaluate women’s contributions to the Jewish national story, she does so from a very traditional Orthodox point-of-view. Her discussion of the text focuses on midrash (rabbinic stories) and Orthodox rabbinic commentaries that are decidedly not feminist. While not what I was expecting, Tannenbaum does do an excellent job using those texts to explore biblical women’s stories in the context of traditional Jewish thought, while also explaining the important role these women played in Jewish history and theology. 
When seeking to explain why most of the matriarchs were originally unable to conceive, Tannenbaum quotes from the Talmud, suggesting that this is because God desires the prayers of the righteous. Realizing that people may wonder why God needs their prayers, she writes that “man’s fundamental purpose in this world is to recognize God and glorify His name. Prayer is the ultimate expression of this goal. Through his supplication, man increases the manifestation of God’s presence in this world. That is what is meant by the statement God ‘desires’ prayer: through the supplicant’s sincere prayer, God’s immanence is affirmed and magnified. Sincere prayer is based on man’s intense recognition that all we have is but a gift from God.”
This idea is clearly shown in her discussion of the Shunamite woman and Elisha. Readers never learn the Shunamite woman’s name even after she builds a room for the prophet Elisha. The Shunamite woman has no children and never asks Elisha to use his powers so she may conceive. Instead, on his own, Elisha declares a miracle will take place and the woman will give birth. While that does occur, unfortunately, the baby dies when Elisha is out of town. He ultimately does return and restore the child to life. However, Tannenbaum is concerned with why the baby died in the first place since she believes every story in the Bible can teach us an important lesson.
Tannenbaum offers several commentaries, each blaming a different person for what occurred. (It is important to note that all the commentaries quoted assume that someone is to blame since their underlying assumption is that there has to be a reason for the baby’s death.) One claims the death was the fault of the Shunamite woman, explaining that she never showed proper appreciation of the miracle done for her. She had not called out to God telling of her pain (although it’s not clear from the text that she was in pain) and was therefore unworthy of the miracle that occurred. Another blames Elisha since he performed a miracle without asking God’s aid first, thereby usurping God’s place in the world. A third commentary also finds Elisha at fault since he should have asked the Shunamite woman whether she wanted a child and helped her prepare for what the commentary calls her special child. 
Many of the explanations Tannenbaum offers are intriguing, although she often tries to explain away the simple meaning of the text, something that is common in rabbinic commentary. For example, when discussing the way Rebecca has Jacob pretend to be Esau and trick his father, the author writes of one commentator who believes that Rebecca wasn’t really trying to have Jacob steal the blessing, but rather show Isaac how easily he could be tricked. Why she didn’t stop Isaac from giving the blessing is not discussed. Another commentator notes that what is at stake is which child is the best one to lead the nation, something about which Rebecca and Isaac disagree. Tannenbaum notes that “on her own initiative, [Rebecca] boldly intervenes to ensure the right succession of the covenant. She makes a decision that changes the course of Jewish history and the Jewish religion for good.” 
It’s interesting that, although many contemporary feminist writers feel sympathy for Lot’s wife, who left behind two married daughters to die in Sodom, Tannenbaum feels that her punishment – being turned into a pillar of salt – is just: “She was punished for violating the angels’ clear injunction and not being able to sever herself from the evil society she was fleeing. While the possibility exists that she turned to see whether her married daughters were following behind, the fact that she was subjected to such a severe punishment suggests that it was more likely that she still felt connected to her hometown and its lifestyle.” The author then offers a comment from midrash about how it was her fault that the townsfolk knew the family had visitors, which serves as yet another reason for her punishment.
When discussing some questionable actions taken by biblical women, Tannenbaum does note that there are times when this behavior may have the correct result and even be rewarded. For example, this is what occurs when Tamar sleeps with Judah after he refuses to let her marry his third son. It’s her actions that lead to the line of King David, a lineage from which the messiah is said to come. The author writes that, at times, “humanity does its part, and God, in a parallel world, does his.” 
The author also discusses the idea of Zion, meaning the return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel. She compares Zion to a barren woman, noting “the only way to comprehend and appreciate Israel’s national suffering is by comparing it to the agony that these exceptional [barren] women endured.” That highlights for her how central these tales are to the Jewish story.
“Conceived in Hope” assumes its readers are familiar with Jewish texts and concepts. There is no glossary for Hebrew terms and the retelling of the biblical stories are truncated since Tannenbaum expects readers to be able to fill in the blanks. The author does an impressive job explaining her ideas, something that even those who disagree with her interpretations should be able to admire. However, her commentary will resonate best with those who agree with her theological approach to the biblical text.