Yael Shemesh- Professor at Bar Ilan University
Yael Shemesh
- Professor at Bar Ilan University
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27
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Publications
Publications (27)
In a fascinating article, Michael L. Barré noted the topos of “wandering about” as a symptom of depression and mourning in world literature in general, and in the literature of the ancient Near East and the Bible in particular. Building on his insights, this paper argues that the phrase “he went there” ( וילך שם ) from Ezra 10:6 builds another inst...
The article highlights various possible directions that Jewish feminist Bible scholarship can take. Even though this field has naturally been influenced by feminist scholarship in general, I believe that it does have a number of unique traits, with regard both to content (such as pointing out the Christian source of certain misogynistic interpretat...
This article examines the special role and function of animals in the book of Jonah. Throughout the book, all elements of creation (natural forces, flora and fauna) serve as emissaries of the Lord. Among animals, this applies specifically to the “great fish” and the worm. Their subjection to God’s will contrasts with the behavior of His human messe...
In this essay I approach the story of Elisha and the miraculous jar of oil (2 Kgs 4:1-7) through a close reading and attention to its literary genre – hagiography. The widow’s attitude toward Elisha, the miracle that Elisha performs for her, the contrast built up between Elisha and Elijah, and the parallels between Elisha and the Lord all emphasize...
The present article seeks to define the literary genre of the Elisha cycle of stories. Various possibilities raised in current research are examined and rejected. They are not polemic stories directed against Baal Worship, narratives designed to glorify the institution of prophecy, social religious satire against the royal house, polemics against t...
A patient admitted to the medical step-down unit experienced severe hypoglycemia due to an infusion of a higher-than-ordered insulin dose. The event could have been prevented if the insulin syringe pump was checked during the nursing shift handoff.
Risk management exploration included direct observations of nursing shift handoffs, which highlighted...
The biblical presentation of David's ostensible willingness to fight on the side of the Philistines against Israel (1 Sam. xxvii-xxix) is examined. Through a literary analysis it is shown that David is not depicted as intending to betray Saul and Israel. On the contrary, the narrator provides many hints that the Philistine commanders' assessment of...
A number of studies have been published in the last few years that hold that Gen 34 is the story of seduction rather than of rape. Recently, the suggestion has been raised that the story describes an abduction marriage, not rape. The seduction theory is refuted by a close literary reading of the story and the findings of psychological studies of ra...
The biblical story of Zelophehad's daughters (Numbers 26 and 36, Josh. 17:3-6) and its avatars in talmudic midrashim and modern feminist midrashim are studied from a gender perspective. The biblical story is shown to be ambiguous, in that, on the one hand, its heroines are five impressive women who bring about a change in the law that bene ts certa...
One aspect of the principle of "measure for measure" is considered—the idea that the offending organ is punished. This concept can be found in all the biblical genres: narrative, law, the prophetic literature, poetry, and the wisdom literature. The organs that are punished run almost the full length of the body, from head to toe. Sometimes the conc...
This article briefly surveys the direct and indirect ways in which the principal of measure for measure is manifested in biblical narrative. It proceeds to examine how it is applied in the David cycle, where it is particularly prominent. David, more than any other human character in the Bible, refers to this principle both in his words and his deed...
Almost all commentators understand the word psh{dot below} in Isa 31,5 in the sense of »pass or spring over (spare)«. But this meaning does not suit the simile of the birds at the start of the verse. It is suggested that psh{dot below} be understood in the sense of limping. This is compatible with the behavior of nesting birds - what is known as »d...
Suicide would seem to be a universal phenomenon, found in all ages and all societies. A particular society's attitude toward suicide, however, depends on the time and the culture. Many societies have barred any display of respect for suicides; some have even desecrated their corpses. 1 Tractate Semahot (2:1) prescribes various sanctions against sui...
In light of the Bible's complex attitude to falsehood—outright condemnation, on the one hand, versus recognition of its legitimacy and its occasional necessity, on the other—my aim in this article is to examine how the Bible pictures falsehoods uttered by those figures whom one would least expect to lie, namely, the prophets. I will attempt to show...
