The Scrolls of Deborah
By Esther Goldenberg (Row House)

In the spirit of Anita Diamant’s The Red Tent, Israeli author Esther Goldenberg weaves together familiar biblical stories with her own creative liberties to build a thoughtful, feminist midrash of sorts. The first installment in an expected trilogy, The Scrolls of Deborah centers around matriarch Rebekah and her nursemaid Deborah (not the Deborah you might have been expecting!). We read about Deborah as a child, her journey to Rebekah and her life spent serving the matriarch.

The chapters are organized into seven “scrolls,” each with several sections, and all told from Deborah’s viewpoint: “I am Deborah. Daughter of Daganyah. Daughter of Hallel. Daughter of Sarah,” she says by way of introduction in the opening scroll, telling readers from the start that this will be a matriarchal story.

Though many streams of Judaism have become more egalitarian, and more and more women are joining the clergy and studying Jewish texts, Jewish biblical fiction centered around female characters—by Jewish authors—are still welcome and needed. To say nothing of more feminist midrash and commentary on the Talmud.

Both Rebekah and Deborah are strong and independent; their relationship is nuanced and complicated.

“Rebekah taught me to be free again,” Deborah thinks. “She reminded me that I could experience safety and delight. And though I could not become a child again, I could become joyful again.”

Readers will enjoy glimpses of familiar biblical women like Rachel, Bilhah and Zilpah—in fact, this is where Goldenberg shines, highlighting rituals like the celebrations of the new moon and the relationships between the women.

I would suggest reading the author’s note at the end of the book before delving into the novel. There, she explains why she added characters of her own creation as well as her stylistic choices on how the text refers to God.

That being said, for me, Goldenberg’s repeated reference to God as “Yah,” as well as references to “YhWh,” or breathing exercises of “Yhhhhh Whhhh,” was a distraction. While I understood that the author made the choice to maintain a sense of authenticity, it felt a bit jarring to read and, at times, a bit excessive.

The Scrolls of Deborah is a welcome addition to the existing canon of Jewish biblical fiction, and I look forward to seeing what Goldenberg has in mind for the remaining two books of the trilogy.

---

Jaime Herndon is a writer and avid reader. Her work can be found on Book Riot, Undark, Kveller, Motherly and other places.