The Tanakh is not immune to stories of sexual violence and sexual objectification. Many stories in Tanakh deal with the beauty (or simply the body) of a woman leading to objectification and violence. Obvious examples include:
The Torah also includes two stories about women who sexually harass/seduce/objectify men. The most well-known is Potiphar’s wife – a powerful, immoral woman who continuously verbally assaults Joseph. Joseph has to flee leaving his shirt in her hand, ending up with him being framed and sent to jail. The second less-known story is about Lot’s daughters who intoxicate and sexually take advantage of their drunk father, with the older sister coercing the younger sister in order to perpetuate the human species.
It seems to me that the Bible is very aware of what the danger of objectification of others represents. Almost all of the stories can be read as a warning to society and critique of the behavior. While written thousands of years ago, the patterns presented through these narratives sadly resonate with us today. Each one presents an opportunity for framing discussions about abuse and objectification and the consequence for both perpetrator and victim. It is imperative that rather than skip the more violent and disturbing stories or tone them down as is sometimes done, they instead be used as they are, to encourage young and old alike to recognize that the Torah acknowledges the good and evil that lie side by side in people, and that each person is responsible for the choices that they make.
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Nechama Goldman Barash made aliyah from Philadelphia over 20 years ago after graduating from Stern College. She studied for three years in Matan’s Advanced Talmud Institute and finished a master’s degree in Talmud at Bar-Ilan University. She is a graduate of Nishmat’s Yoetzet Halacha program and has been certified to teach brides before their weddings, as well as qualifying as a sex educator through Yahel and the Eden Center. She also studied for three years in Matan's advanced halakha program, Hilkhata. Nechama is the Director of the Pardes Learning Seminar. She teaches contemporary halakha and Talmud at Matan and Pardes, as well as Talmud and women and halakha in Torah V'Avodah (TVA), a Bnei Akiva gap year program based in Matan. She is an active member of Beit Hillel and participates in interfaith dialogue through Roots, based in Gush Etzion, close to where she lives with her family. She is currently working on a book dealing with matters of gender and halakha.
