It’s the month of Tevet! Tevet falls in the heart of winter in America—a cold and rainy month. The TalmudReferring to one of two collections, the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds, edited in the 6th century, that contains hundreds of years of commentary, discussion, and exploration of the ideas in the Mishnah. One could describe it as Mishnah + Gemara = Talmud Read more (Megillah 13a) refers to it as “the cold season, when one body enjoys [the warmth of] another body.” It’s also a month rich with history.

Hanukkah is the only holiday to span two Hebrew months: Cheshvan and Tevet. And on the seventh night of Hanukkah, which is also Rosh Chodesh Tevet, falls Chag HaBanot (Festival of Daughters) Chag HaBanot is a North African/Middle Eastern Jewish holiday that focuses on honoring heroic Jewish women and celebrating women’s roles in Jewish life and community. 

Rosh Chodesh Tevet also saw Regina Jonas ordained as the first woman rabbi, on December 27, 1935 in Germany. She grew up Orthodox, and loved TorahRefers to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, also called the Five Books of Moses, Pentateuch or the Hebrew equivalent, Humash. This is also called the Written Torah. The term may also refer to teachings that expound on Jewish tradition. Read more and Jewish history her whole life. The German Reform rabbi Leo Baeck supported her, and Rabbi Max Dienemann performed her ordination. She worked as a pastoral counselor and at some liberal synagogues. When she was deported to Teresienstadt in 1942, she gave rabbinic lectures and pastoral care for elderly and sick people. In 1944, she and her mother were transferred to Auschwitz and killed. 

Asara BeTevet (the 10^th of Tevet) is a minor fast day. It symbolizes the beginning of the attack of the Babylonians on Jerusalem, the capital city of Judea. The attack eventually led to the destruction of the First Temple. Rabbi Eliezer Melamed explains that the Sages added two more events to be commemorated on this fast day—the death of Ezra the Scribe on the ninth of Tevet, and the translation of the Torah into Greek on the eighth. The Chief Rabbinate of Israel made it a day of general mourning for those killed in the Holocaust. 

If you’re looking to commemorate these events and dig into learning during this wintry month, check out the books below.

If you’re looking to learn more about Regina Jonas:

As A Burning Flame: The Dream of Regina Jonas by Noa Mishkin 

This graphic novel tells the story of Jonas, braided with Mishkin’s own Jewish journey. Mishkin intersperses Jonas’s own words from historical documents. She gives readers a vivid picture of who Jonas was and her theological viewpoints, as well as her passion for the rabbinate. Mishkin shows how powerful history can be. She shows how it can inspire and encourage people today. 

If you’re interested in the intersection of Judaism and feminism:

Standing Again at Sinai: Judaism from a Feminist Perspective by Judith Plaskow

In a month with a holiday that honors women in Judaism, what better way to celebrate than to read a foundational text of Jewish feminism? Published in 1990, this book is still timely and relevant today, more than 30 years later. Plaskow examines Judaism from a feminist viewpoint, but also explores language in religion. She looks at how it impacts our lives, Biblical interpretations, sexuality within Judaism, and community. Her arguments are based on extensive research and thoughtful examination, and readers will find plenty to discuss and contemplate. 

If you want to engage with traditional Jewish texts with themes related to Tevet:

Why Rain Comes from Above: Explorations in Religious Imagination by Devora Steinmetz

If you’re looking for a book that engages with rabbinic texts and has thematic ties to the rainy, wintry month of Tevet, look no further! Steinmetz, who teaches at Hebrew College and the Mandel Leadership Institute, encourages readers to approach stories and Biblical narratives with “religious imagination.” She shows us how to combine our imaginations with deep thinking and engagement with these religious texts. Her questions include where rain comes from, texts about Adam’s first winter, and aspects of Amalek. Her writing is accessible, with explanations about terminology, and her deep examination of the texts is admirable and thought-provoking.