Sarah Cooper

Date of Award

2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Marks, Susan

Area of Concentration

Religion

Abstract

This thesis explores the relationship Jewish women have had with the Lilith figure over the past millennium to better understand the social and cultural priorities of Jewish women in different historical contexts. By approaching pre-modern conceptions of Lilith through an analysis of childbirth amulets that were used explicitly to protect against her, this thesis establishes an early understanding of Lilith as a harmful entity with the specific aim of bringing physical harm to infants. A more contemporary focus on Lilith literature from mostly Jewish women scholars brings to light a Lilith with very different priorities, much more focused on themes of female autonomy and sexual liberation. Ultimately, by grappling with these seemingly contradictory perspectives on the same figure within Jewish mythology, I argue that by omitting either of these perspectives, we fail ourselves as contemporary scholars who seek a nuanced and holistic understanding of the ways in which Jewish women have survived and thrived while keeping the Jewish people alive over the past millennium.

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