Judaism Unbound Episode 552: Asherah - Shaul Magid, Lila Rimalovski
ASHERAH is a new journal of Jewish liturgy — past, present, and future. Its name comes from an ancient goddess, related to a tree of the same name, and its first issue kicks off with a provocative quotation from Abraham Joshua Heschel: "Prayer is meaningless unless it is subversive." Shaul Magid, Asherah's founder, and Lila Rimalovski, one of its co-editors, join Lex Rofeberg and Miriam Terlinchamp for a conversation about weaving tradition and subversion seamlessly together, in artistic and linguistic forms.
[1] To read the full 1st issue of ASHERAH, click here! Explore Asherah’s website at Asherah-Journal.com and check out its substack here.
[2] Pieces of the journal that are referenced in this episode include:
Magid’s preface (pages i-iii)
Miriam Pellegrino’s artist statement (pages iv-v)
Rimalovski’s intro, co-written with Daisy Jacobs (ASHERAH’s other co-editor — pages vi-ix)
Rimalovski’s interview of Jericho Vincent (pages 2-15)
Alex Baskin’s a shema for all as kin (pages 91-93)
[3] Learn more about Asherah (the goddess this time, not the journal) as featured in the Zohar, by reading Jill Hammer’s “An Altar of Earth: Reflections on Jews, Goddesses, and the Zohar.”
[5] Rimalovski references t’khines — liturgical creations often created in Yiddish, by women and queer people. For some examples of t’khinos featured in Open Siddur, click here.
[6] Lex references an early episode of Judaism Unbound, in which Amichai Lau-Lavie argues in favor of supporting the construction of the golden calf. Listen in here - Episode 29: Lab/Shul - Amichai Lau-Lavie.
[7] For the Talmudic passage about Akiva finding deep meaning in the “type face” (the crowns/serifs) of the letters in a Torah scroll, see this link.
[8] Explore the two books about Ashera that Magid referenced — Asherah and the Cult of Yahweh in Israel, by Saul Olyan, and In the Wake of the Goddesses, by Tikva Frymer-Kensky.