Gershom Scholem’s ‘laments project’ and the question of gender

Abstract

This article proposes a new strategy for expanding the conversation on gender and Jewish philosophy with an emphasis on modern German-Jewish thought. The works of German-Jewish thinkers touch on a variety of issues, but almost always engage with Jewish Scriptures. The scriptural texts are abundant and include a gallery of female and male voices. The article asserts that by examining the way Scriptures are selectively interpreted and integrated into philosophical arguments, we can learn about the suppression of women’s voices, as well as concepts of gender and femininity in Jewish thought. I develop this assertion by examining Gershom Scholem’s early philosophical-theological essay ‘On Lament and Lamentation’ (1917), written as an epilogue to the book of Lamentations. Scholem’s principal claim is that laments epitomize a realm that does not represent concrete content and thus can allude to two radical categories of language: Divine revelation and absolute silence. The article argues that by emphasizing the absolute categories and neglecting the heterogenic content of laments, Scholem specifically suppresses the voices of women within the liturgical text. I illuminate Scholem’s oversight by comparatively reading his essay alongside the book of Lamentations and Midrash Lamentations Rabbah. The comparative reading demonstrates how the concepts which occupy Scholem (silence/revelation) are represented in Scriptures not only as absolute categories, but also through the bodies and voices of women.