Judith

by Fionnuala Brigman

Judith has forever been one of my favorite women in theology and I am prepping for the 6th night of Chanukah on which I will read the story with Millie and that of Simeon, and discuss women’s roles in history and religion.
Coincidentally Tuesday is both the 6th night of Chanukah and Rosh Chodesh, the new moon. Some Jewish women celebrate Rosh Chodesh in small circles monthly, to set intentions for the upcoming moon phase, and clear the air and learn from the happenings of the last cycle. The sixth night of Chanukah is also celebrated by some as “Daughter’s Night” and heroines like Judith are discussed and celebrated. Although women have been held as property and seen as hysterical if they were not under a man’s protection (Simeon), these stories are important to share and discuss so we can find strength in the things we are able to do, and the power we do have. With support from our foremothers, our instincts, beauty, and powerful network, we can destroy an army.
ALSO – I’ll comment more on this later, however, the book of Judith has been removed from both the Old Testament of the Bible, and is not found in the Torah either. I didn’t know about her until I was studying Caravaggio and this is coincidentally why Art History is so important. How boring would only reading stories be 🤪 (and also if you couldn’t read because you were a woman and deemed unworthy of knowledge… how could you know how powerful you could be without these images?!)
So… yeah, that’s what I thought about before I even had my coffee this morning.
#deepthoughtswithfin #roshchodesh #chanukah #judith #simeon