There was a woman who came before before Shmuel. A woman who came as Jews do, with a case, with a suit, with a demand. A woman who came as women do, crying, because they are not learned in legal matters. A woman who came as the women do, as a cautionary text to be read by men.
There was a woman who came before men with names though she did not have a name set down and there was a woman who came with a legal claim though it was not recorded here. There was a woman who screamed without words to be quoted.
There was a woman who was ignored.
There was a rabbi who was busy, who was tired, who was late, there was a rabbi with a name and a claim and a word.
There was a rabbi with many words.
There was a student who asked the rabbi, something is wrong, something is broken, there was a student who asked the rabbi but who didn’t ask the woman.
There was a student who was a man who used the words of a man to protest the behavior of a man who was ignoring the woman, there was a student who said, if you seal up your ears from her scream, you yourself will not be answered!
There was a rabbi who said that it is not his case and it is not his court and it is not his power and he washed his hands in cold water that cleansed and was refreshing and he said she should go to the Exilarch instead.
And the rabbi was answered.
There was a grandmother who came before Rav Nachman. A grandmother who came as Jews do, with a case, with a suit, with a plea. A grandmother who came as grandmothers do, her voice had a tremor, without the clarity it once had when it had taught the sprouts who would be rabbis how to get dressed and to say the shema of the pillow. A grandmother who came as women do, before the men who open them up like legal tombs to teach case law to their students.
There was a grandmother who came before men with names and titles and there was a grandmother who repeated herself, even though she was older than they, and her voice was hoarse. There was a grandmother with a complaint, a miscarriage of justice, the powerful had stolen something from her and used it to construct something sacred. There was a grandmother who said, what are you building that stands on stolen legs? There was a grandmother who said what are you only rejoicing in that was taken from me?
There was a grandmother who said, the Exilarch has taken my wood!
There was a grandmother who was ignored.
There was a grandmother who said, I am screaming!
There was a grandmother who said, if all of Israel is fit to sit under a single sukkah, where are the daughters of Avraham who had 318 servants?
There was a rabbi who said, there is someone here braying, there is someone here bleating, I do not hear her voice, I do not hear her cry.
There was a rabbi who said, pay her the value of the wood alone.
And the Exilarch and the rabbi and all the Ushpizin feasted inside a stolen sukkah.
There were women who came before Rebbi, a woman who came before the leader of the community, women who came before power consolidated. Woman who came as Jews do, with a case, with a suit, with a question. Women who came as wives do, with questions of sex and questions of blood and husbands who are waiting for them at home. Women who came as women do, with the prayer that their lives too are subject to law.
There were woman who came before a man whose name is his title and women who said we have husbands who will listen to you but not us, even in the most intimate matters. There were women who said, we feel ashamed but our shame is not enough, there were women who said, maybe if our bodies cannot be our own, they can still be God’s, there were women who said, at least let our bodies not be his alone.
There was a woman who said, I lay down and he turns me over like fish on a spit.
There was a woman who said, I prepare myself and he flips me over like fish in oil.
There was a rabbi who said, my daughters, we do not have laws that govern this.
There was a rabbi who said, my daughters, our laws govern your bodies through your husbands. There was a rabbi who said, my daughters, your husbands are hungry and you have many courses on your tables.
There was a rabbi who said, my daughters, you are fish.
And the women swam home to their husbands.