Tz'enah Ur'enah

Jewish woman reading the Tseno Ureno in Vilnius, 1930.

The Tz'enah Ur'enah (Hebrew: צְאֶנָה וּרְאֶינָה‎ Ṣʼenā urʼenā "Go forth and see"; Yiddish pronunciation: [ˌʦɛnəˈʁɛnə]; Hebrew pronunciation: [ʦeˈʔena uʁˈʔena]), also spelt Tsene-rene and Tseno Ureno, sometimes called the Women's Bible, is a Yiddish-language prose work whose structure parallels the weekly Torah portions and Haftarahs used in Jewish prayer services. The book was written by Jacob ben Isaac Ashkenazi (1550–1625) of Janów Lubelski (near Lublin, Poland), and mixes Biblical passages with teachings from Judaism's Oral Torah such as the Talmud's Aggadah and Midrash, which are sometimes called "parables, allegories, short stories, anecdotes, legends, and admonitions" by secular writers.[1]

The name derives from a verse of the Song of Songs that begins Ṣʼenā urʼenā bnoth Ṣiyyon (צְאֶינָה וּרְאֶינָה בְּנוֹת צִיּוֹן‎, "Go forth and see, O ye daughters of Zion", (Song 3:11)). The name indicates that the book was particularly directed at women, who would have been worse versed in Hebrew, although the title page markets it to men and women equally. The title page of the 1622 Hanau edition acknowledged among the book's sources various Talmudic texts and Biblical commentaries, including those of Rashi, Nachmanides, Hezekiah ben Manoah, Abraham Saba, Isaac Karo, and Bahya ben Asher.[1]

Sol Liptzin describes the Tseno Ureno as "a fascinating, didactic book which could win the approbation of the strict moral leaders of Eastern European Jewry, and at the same time accompany women as their favorite literary and devotional text from girlhood to old age. For generations there was hardly a Yiddish home that did not possess a copy."[1] Yisrael Meir Kagan wrote of earlier generations reading the book Tz'enah Ur'enah each Sabbath.[2]

Because of its orientation toward women readers, the book is particularly focused on the biblical matriarchs, the various courtships mentioned in scripture, and the rescue of Moses by Pharaoh's daughter. Although there are vivid depictions of Paradise and Hell, there is an emphasis that righteousness is to be found in serving God willingly and wholeheartedly, rather than out of hope of reward or fear of punishment. Charity and almsgiving are also emphasized.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d Liptzin, Sol, A History of Yiddish Literature, Jonathan David Publishers, Middle Village, NY, 1972. ISBN 0-8246-0124-6. pp.10-11.
  2. ^ What Do We Know About The Establishment of Beit Ya’akov?, Appendix: The Hafetz Hayyim's letters of support, Hafetz Hayyim's 1933 letter (translated by Dr. Yoel Finkelman): In the earlier generations, each family in Israel had a tradition of fathers and mothers to follow the path of Torah and religion and to read the book Tze'ena URe'ena on each holy Shabbat (Hebrew source: בדורות הקודמים היה לכל בית ישראל מסורת אבות ואמהות לילך בדרך התורה והדת ולקרות בספר "צאינה וראינה" בכל שבת קודש).