I still find the parallel between the covenant God made with Abraham (if Abraham devotes himself to Yahweh, He will grant Abraham His land and progeny) and the laws and language regarding women's bodies quite striking. Israel as a metaphor for woman or feminine sexuality is kind of a terrifying notion. Israel is the most contested swatch of land in, well, all of history. It's been warred over, torn apart by violence, conquered at least 36 times, settled, and claimed. In the Bible, Israel is always referred to in the feminine and it always belongs to someone, either God or the ancient Israelites. Several many passages in the Bible indicate that people viewed women's bodies in a similar fashion: as something to be tamed.
I'm just wondering if Zionists, who believe in the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign, Jewish homeland, feel similarly. Common sense and rationality is telling me, "No, Trish, people don't actually feel this way." But I can't help but think that modern instances of misogyny are fueled indirectly by examples set in the Bible of women not having agency over their own bodies and by the gendered language set forth throughout biblical passages.
No comments:
Post a Comment