Zornberg, Avivah Gottlieb 1944–

PERSONAL: Born 1944, in Scotland; daughter of Wolf Gottlieb (head of Glasgow rabbinical court); married Eric Zornberg; children: three. Education: Attended Gateshead Women's Seminary; Cambridge University, Ph.D. (English literature). Religion: Jewish.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Doubleday, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.

CAREER: Author and educator.

WRITINGS:

Genesis: The Beginning of Desire, Jewish Publication Society (Philadelphia, PA), 1995, published as The Beginning of Desire: Reflections on Genesis, Image Books (New York, NY) 1996.

The Particulars of Rapture: Reflections on Exodus, Doubleday (New York, NY) 2001.

SIDELIGHTS: Author and educator Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg is known for her passionate and probing interpretation of Torah study, and for tapping into her students' and readers' own life experiences. In an article for the Atlanta Jewish Times, Rochelle Furstenberg observed that "there aren't many Torah teachers in the world who engage their audiences by teaching our holy texts using standard literary concepts, such as foreshadowing, irony, and climax."

Zornberg attended Cambridge University and earned a doctorate in English literature. Once she married and started a family, Zornberg decided to forego an academic career to devote time to her children, but she continued to lecture weekly on the Torah, primarily to women, developing a style of teaching that included outside philosophical and psychological texts from the likes of Freud and Nietzsche.

In Genesis: The Beginning of Desire, Zornberg examines the first book of the Bible, building on the midrashim, or embellished stories, in an effort to introduce new perspectives on the text. Edward T. Oakes, reviewing the book for Commonweal, commented that Zornberg "takes only traditional semicanonical midrashim for her theme … and fascinating they are!" In National Review, Jacob Neusner stated that "what makes the book special is two virtues: Mrs. Zornberg's unfailing respect for tradition, and her unfailing respect for the text."

Zornberg continued her examination of the bible in The Particulars of Rapture: Reflections on Exodus. The book includes ten reflections, again using the midrashim. In a review for Anglican Theological Review, Ellen F. Davis suggested that "a reader desiring to improve her own interpretive skills could use more guidance than Zornberg offers…. At various points a single association pursued in depth might be more revealing than the pastiche offered." Sandie Gravett, writing for Interpretation, found that "the strength of her treatment rests in inviting readers to consider how sacred scripture continues to draw believers into its words and how those words continue to generate possibilities for divine encounters."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Anglican Theological Review, winter, 2002, Ellen F. Davis, review of The Particulars of Rapture: Reflections on Exodus, p. 151.

Booklist, January 1, 2001, Steven Schroeder, review of The Particulars of Rapture, p. 881.

Commonweal, March 14, 1997, Edward T. Oakes, review of The Beginning of Desire: Reflections on Genesis, p. 28.

Forward, June 15, 2001, Barry W. Holtz, "A Scholar's Dazzling and Difficult Midrash on Exodus: The Particulars of Rapture; Reflections on Exodus," p. 11.

Interpretation, October 2002, Sandie Gravett, review of The Particulars of Rapture, p. 428.

Jewish Times, February 21, 1997, Marcy Oster, "Everyone Should Take a Taste from the Torah, Urges Scholar," p. 22.

Library Journal, January 1, 2001, Marcia Welsh, review of The Particulars of Rapture, p. 116.

Los Angeles Times, March 3, 2001, Jonathan Kirsch, "Exploring Issues, Answers, and Beliefs," section B, p. 2.

National Review, December 9, 1996, Jacob Neusner, review of The Beginning of Desire, p. 61.

Publishers Weekly, December 11, 2000, review of The Particulars of Rapture, p. 80.

Shofar, spring, 2002, William H. C. Propp, review of The Particulars of Rapture, p. 177.

Tikkun, July 2001, review of The Particulars of Rapture, p. 81.

ONLINE

Atlanta Jewish Times Online, http://atlanta.jewish.com/ (July 26, 2004), "In a Class of Her Own."