 Rabbi Shoni Labowitz Rabbi, Scholar, Spiritual Leader
(Visit Shoni Labowitz in the TBE Bookstore) Raised in an Orthodox Jewish home and descended from a long line of rabbis, Shoni, when a teen, rebelled against the restrictive and patriarchal Orthodoxy of her youth and took refuge in art, a passion which enabled her to express her free spirit. After receiving a solid foundation in traditional Judaism, she began studies in Buddhism and other Eastern religions at Barry University and continued with a study of the Kabbalah that led to an MA in Religious Studies from Vermont College. After rearing two sons, Shoni traveled to India on a "quest for knowledge." "There's no place to go when you're in India except within yourself," she says. Of the many answers she found there was the recognition of her heritage. Shoni decided to unite her Jewish heritage with an expanded sense of spirituality. She took the first steps to becoming an ordained rabbi. "It gave me a sense of fulfillment. Many Orthodox people will not recognize a woman in this role: I knew I was doing it for myself as well as for all the women who would follow after me." She draws from various mystical traditions as director of Living Waters, a spiritual health spa, and in serving as co-rabbi with her husband, Phillip Labowitz, of Temple Adath Or in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Rabbi Shoni Labowitz says, "When a woman speaks her truth, it is holy as a prayer. At times the truth of another touches us so profoundly that it is a life-changing experience." It is with that form of prayer that Shoni Labowitz welcomes men and women to read her books and attend her lectures and come to know the truth about themselves and their relationships with God. What others have said about Rabbi Shoni Labowitz's books:
On "God, Sex and Women of the Bible":
"If you have ever been troubled by the patriarchal dominance of biblical
teachings, Shoni Labowitz's book will be a refreshing revelation. Rabbi
Labowitz is a courageous woman who speaks her spiritual truth with
elegance and power. Highly recommended." "In the tradition of the Kabbalah, Shoni Labowitz lights up the biblical text by linking it to the text of the body, so that the words become almost like a skin, and the openings to the inner body--for a woman, taboo even to the touch--reach to the ancient biblical authors. The original writers of "J" to Jeremiah are called upon in these pages, as Labowitz pierces the conventional veneer of the Bible to disclose a hidden sexuality that has been too long ignored." --David Rosenberg, author, "The Book of J" and "The of Book of David"--
"When I read the introduction to "God, Sex and Women of the Bible," I knew
immediately that this book would be important. It has transformed my
reading of the Bible, and should do the same for women everywhere. I am
in awe of its vision, its scholarship, and its courage."
"At last, a book that provides the essential teaching of the kabbalah in
everyday, commonsense language--sensitive, compelling writing--very, very
helpful for those seeking a cleared vision on the spiritual truth."
Rabbi Labowitz explains re-interpreting the Hebrew Scriptures: "When I opened the pages as if for the very first time, what I found in the Bible was that the Hebrew text itself does not denigrate women. Only certain ways in which the text has been interpreted does. How we choose to see ourselves in the Bible depends upon how we choose to interpret the Hebrew text and translate it from the original Hebrew into English. Each word in Hebrew has a root form, and depending on this root and the vowels used, the word can have several definitions.... "An example: "Then in the book of Ruth, we read about Naomi and Ruth. Naomi is returning home after a long absence and tells the people to call her Mara instead of Naomi. Since "mara" is traditionally translated as "the embittered one," the rabbis said that she returned embittered by her past failures. Yet "mara," as we found in the work "miriam," can also be translated as "the one who rises above difficulties." Naomi could have been telling the people that she was overcoming the challenges of her past and ascending to the next level of her spiritual development. The difference between bitter and rising is enough to change the images of these women from one that is negative to one that is positive." |
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