Who is lilith in the torah

How to cite this page Jewish Women's Archive. Donate Help us elevate the voices of Jewish women. Listen to Our Podcast. Book Club. Educator's Updates. This Week in History. Lilith attempted intercourse with Adam before the creation of Eve, and after the creation of Eve she fled and ever after has plotted to kill newborn children. She attempts to seduce men and use their seed to create bodies for her demonic children.

She is the seductive harlot who leads men astray, but when they turn to her, she transforms into the angel of death and kills them Tishby. The traditional depiction of Lilith from ancient Mesopotamia through medieval Kabbalah presents an antitype of desired human sexuality and family life. The contemporary feminist movement found an inspiration in this image of Lilith as the uncontrollable woman and decisively changed the image of Lilith from demon to powerful woman.

In Lilly Rivlin published an article on Lilith for the feminist magazine Ms. Since then, interest in Lilith has only grown among Jewish feminists, neo-pagans, listeners to contemporary music by women highlighted in the Lilith Fair , poets, and other writers. A useful recent book collecting many articles and poems on Lilith, with specific focus on her importance for Jewish women, is Whose Lilith? Which Lilith? Introduction by Naomi Wolf.

Northvale, NJ: Montgomery, James. Aramaic Incantation Texts from Nippur. Philadelphia: Naveh, Joseph, and Shaul Shaked. Second edition. Jerusalem: Magic Spells and Formulae.

Patai, Raphael. The Hebrew Goddess. Third enlarged edition. Detroit: Chapter Seven is devoted to Lilith. Scholem, Gershom. On the Kabbalah and its Symbolism. Ralph Manheim. New York: Schrire, Theodore. Hebrew Amulets: Their Decipherment and Interpretation. London: Tishby, Isaiah.

The Wisdom of the Zohar. David Goldstein. Oxford: Share Flipboard Email. By Ariela Pelaia. Updated February 22, Cite this Article Format.

Pelaia, Ariela. Lilith in the Torah, Talmud, and Midrash. Women of the Torah and Co-Founders of Israel. What Is Kabbalah? Definition and History. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for LearnReligions. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification.