Random House–Schocken Books, New York City, 2003
ISBN 0–805241–44–2
When I began this book eight years ago, I was writing a collection of Jewish holiday stories. In the process, I realized that part of the meaning of the story was based on its context: how the story related to time, to season, to history. That's when I realized that by changing the calendar year to begin in the spring (when the Bible originally ordained for it to begin — Exodus, chapter 12, first two verses) rather than the fall, a larger story emerges. This is the story of the maturity of the individual as well as the Jewish people.
My second breakthrough was to use midrash (Jewish oral tradition and legends). Years of research gave me many oral legends to choose from. By interweaving midrash into the biblical text and biblical text into midrash, I was able to introduce the concept of the Shechinah (the feminine presence of God on earth), to highlight the role of women, to address the questions of war and violence that are relevant to our times, and to renew these stories for people of all faiths. So many people have become disillusioned with organized religion and so have lost the wisdom and riches embedded in these great stories. So here they are.
Diane Wolkstein.
"Eight years in the making, this story collection by Wolkstein, a professional storyteller, invites readers to participate in the 'soul' of nine Jewish holidays. A story, she says, is both 'history and mystery,' and her retellings of the classic biblical and traditional stories associated
with each holiday aim to capture both elements. Wolkstein also adds (or recovers) feminist themes to the stories, restoring a male–female balance that she believes has been suppressed: her Passover Exodus gives place to the Shechinah, 'God's feminine presence,' and her Rosh Hashanah stories make Sarah a truly central character and a priestess. Wolkstein's imaginative scenarios and intimate style help readers to become listeners, as the oral
rhythms of Haggadah are passed from teacher to student."
Publisher's Weekly, September 23rd, 2003.
"I think of Diana Wolkstein as a female Martin Buber. She attempts to articulate a mature 'I–Thou' spirituality just as he [did], but without his abstract philosophical abstruseness. Instead, it is as if, in the true spirit of the feminine, she invites you to sit down at her cozy kitchen
table and then announces that the constellations (the stars by which you guide your life) have shifted, but not to worry, 'Have another cup of tea.' She says truly revolutionary things in such a loving way. Unlike the patriarchal prophets who threaten you with fire and damnation, she invites you to a loving partnership with God and your fellow human beings.
"Her reading of the Old Testament is warm and inclusive. The focus is less on judgment, tribalism, smiting and warfare and more on what it means to have a relationship with God. Like a deep sea diver, she plunges into the stories and comes up with the pearl of great price — a spiritual vision of who we are, why we are and where we are going for a post–9/11 21st Century. I cannot say loudly enough how important this is. The Bible is the hidden storyline for all our current global crisis, from terrorism, to Iraq, to environmental destruction.
"For Westerners, these stories are our cultural DNA. By changing the order of the holidays and finding the feminine wisdom that has always been present in the stories, Wolkstein invokes this mature relationship with God and moves Judaism from a 4000 year–old cycle of grief, guilt, and lamentation to a Judaism of embodied joy. Wolkstein's lifelong spiritual search for her own good heart give her deep eyes. With them, she sees the Bible stories anew and shows how they can light our way into a joyous and compassionate new century."
Willow Harth, Madison, Wisconsin, Amazon.com customer.
"That these stories are familiar in no way detracts from readers' enjoyment. Using copiously researched sources, Wolkstein makes the tales meaningful and lyrical as she traces Judaism's roots through its biblical generations. Critical to appreciation of the stories themselves are the citations Wolkstein offers. As when reading the works of Shakespeare, one often needs explanations insofar as language, customs, and context are concerned. Wolkstein's explications enhance the reading enormously. Books like Treasures of the Heart are fodder for discussion, both on literary and religious levels. For example, after the Exodus from Egypt, God tells Moses to address the people, beginning with the women, saying 'I made a mistake when I did not speak with Eve first. She was justified when she said, "God commanded Adam, not me, not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge."' "
Ron Kaplan, New Jersey Jewish News.
"Wolkstein brings her poetic insight to the Bible stories. We are present with Hannah, Judith, and Ruth, as we were with the stories of the forefathers. In her commentaries, she argues with God and faces the terrible questions of war and violence. Like Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth, which changed our perceptions of the ancient world, Treasures of the Heart is a daring and important book."
Grace Paley (The Little Disturbances of Man).
" Treasures of the Heart is a heart opener — authentic, current, and available to readers of all backgrounds. An inspiration!"
Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (Wrapped in a Holy Flame),
Lecturer at Naropa University.
Diane Wolkstein writes with grace and power, seamlessly weaving midrashic [oral] traditions into the biblical narratives. She illuminates her texts with profound spiritual understandings of the past, nuanced so as to address the contemporary reader. A master storyteller."
Avivah Zornberg (The Beginning of Desire: Reflections on Genesis,
The Particulars of Rapture: Reflections on Exodus).
" Treasures of the Heart will be treasured by all those who seek to join the temporal with the spiritual in Jewish tradition. With her bold yet deeply meditated understanding of our most compelling biblical and rabbinic stories, Wolkstein lets Jewish holy days shed a new light on how we live now--and how we can live in the future."
Alicia Ostriker (Stealing the Language).
"Wolkstein has woven biblical, rabbinic, Hasidic, and feminist Jewish stories into the cycle of Jewish festivals to give new energy and life to both the stories and the celebrations."
Rabbi Arthur Waskow & Rabbi Phyllis Berman (A Time for Every Purpose Under Heaven).
"Wolkstein skillfully interweaves biblical text, midrash, Kabbalah, and her own inspired insights to reach into the heart of these stories that are the precious legacy of the Jewish soul. They are stories to read aloud, to share with our children, to hug to ourselves for inspiration and comfort, to delight the spirit of young and old, beginner and scholar. Each generation is commanded to create its own midrash. Treasures of the Heart is a marvelous fulfillment of that mitzvah."
Professor Diane Sharon, Department of Bible & Ancient Semitic Languages,
Jewish Theological Seminary of America.
"This is a book that will truly give the readers an understanding heart, listening ears and vision through new eyes. Highly original in concept, it opens many pathways to understanding the spiral flow of Jewish time, the binding core of Judaism…
"As I journeyed through each of the Holy Days I marveled both at the complexities of the Jewish tradition and at Wolkstein's expert and compelling explorations. Over the years I have heard Wolkstein tell some of the stories she has included in this books — The Song of Songs, Ruth, Esther. Wolkstein works on a narrative as a storyteller and a poet, creating texture and context… She infuses her work with the appreciation and learning gained under the mentorship of her acknowledged translators and guides....
"Wolkstein's life work with epic and myth, including the Sumerian tale of Inanna: Queen of Heaven and Earth is clearly refracted in her research and insights, especially her inclusion of the Shechinah, or feminine aspects or physical presence of God. Acknowledging the kabalistic and Hasidic beliefs of Schechinah adds an important dimension to the readings."
Peninnah Schram, Parabola, Spring 2004.
This book may be found in bookstores or ordered online via Amazon.com.
©2003 Diane Wolkstein. All rights reserved.
Illustration on jacket cover: Two cherubim with wings outstretched over the Ark of the Covenant, Hebrew ms. 12th century France.
Book cover layout and design courtesy of Random House, Inc.
